Shoppers can create major savings by buying secondhand, but it's also worth having a look inside of your thrifted purchases to see what extras they might be concealing.
One lucky Redditor shared a photo in the r/ThriftStoreHauls subreddit, and the image showed a green leather case with an illustration of a typewriter etched on the front.
The Redditor said that if they had bought the same case brand new, it would have cost $30 — but they nabbed it for a mere $6.19.
But the biggest discount wasn't the sleeve itself. Tucked inside the case was a functioning Amazon Kindle itself, which the thrift store staff apparently missed.
"The case itself is pretty durable, so I'm guessing the [Goodwill] employees (like me) just assumed the weight was from a magnetic lock or something similar," they wrote in a comment.
While the Kindle was a relatively old model, it can fetch anywhere between $13 and $39 on eBay, making it a decent freebie on top of the case it came with.
Its new owner wasn't the only one to benefit from an unexpected find while thrifting. Multiple Redditors have shared stories about discovering wads of cash tucked into picture frames, jean pockets, and cigarette cases.
The deal was a boost for the environment too. Every year, more than 50 million metric tons of electronic waste is generated globally, with 85% of that going to landfills or incinerators.
When our electronic devices go to landfills, they take with them an abundance of precious metals, including gold, silver, and copper. One estimate says that Americans trash phones containing over $60 million of gold and silver every year.
These metals are nonrenewable, and mining them has been linked to deforestation, water contamination, and air pollution. Several gold mines have also been called out for human rights abuses, including child labor and exposure to toxic mercury.
Incinerating electronic devices releases toxins, such as lead or mercury, into the air and surrounding soil.
But recycling or thrifting electronic devices can help to lessen their burden on the environment by keeping them out of landfills for longer.
And like the secondhand clothing market, the sale of reused tech is projected to keep rising after 13% of Americans bought secondhand electronics in 2022, per Statista.
"That case is awesome!" one Redditor commented.
"Wow that is such a lucky find! Congrats!" another wrote.
"Almost like that time I bought a bunch of board games and one of them had a bag of change inside!" someone else said. "Nice find!"
Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more, waste less, and help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
