Treasures abound when browsing the shelves of your local secondhand store. Shoppers have found everything from one-of-a-kind film memorabilia to a whole Le Creuset cookware set. One excited thrifter found a bangle that was more valuable than it seemed.
Sharing their find with the r/ThriftStoreHauls community on Reddit, one poster showed off a Christian Dior bracelet they found for less than $2.
"As a jewelry collector/seller, this one is an all-time best for me — scored a Dior bracelet in the bangle bin of a local charity shop for £1!" the original poster wrote.
One photo included in the post shows a black, gold, and crystal bangle. The second shows the mark of authenticity on the inside of the gold bracelet. It's a little hard to see, but it appears to read Chr. Dior, followed by the brand's official stamp.
A similar bracelet can be found on Etsy for nearly $500. In the comments, the original poster estimates that their preowned piece is valued at "about £150-200." Having found the bangle for less than $2, though, it is clear they found an incredible deal.
The average thrifter doesn't find something as special as this on every trip to the secondhand store, but most people can save anywhere from $100 per year to nearly $1,700, depending on how regularly they shop secondhand.
On top of those benefits, choosing preloved items is one of the easiest ways to reduce environmental impact. You get to discover fresh finds, high-quality items, and even luxury treasures for affordable prices, all while helping to keep textiles out of landfills.
Textile waste is a huge issue, and the Environmental Protection Agency says: "Landfills received 11.3 million tons of [municipal solid waste] textiles in 2018." When items sit in landfills, they contribute to the overheating of our planet by releasing potent gases like methane.
Moreover, while the number that the EPA cited is staggering, it doesn't even account for the volume of items shipped to dumps in other parts of the world.
Greenpeace reported on the issue, explaining: "The Global North has found a backdoor to get rid of its textile waste problem through the export of used clothes to countries of the Global South, forcing them to deal with the consequences of fast fashion, even though they have no infrastructure to do so."
Hopefully, the more we choose to thrift and find great deals, the fewer people are impacted by waste issues.
Redditors were impressed with this incredible score.
"Cool. It's always good to dig and look close," one person said.
Another commented: "Nice. I love a good jewelry find!"
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