Second Hand Gems

Photo Credit:Prudence Earl 2018 

Writing Credit: Matthew Sutehall

Thrifting has been turned into one of the most mainstream ways to find unique and quality items for a cheap price. However many people don’t know where to find these items, with so many choices to make it can seem so difficult. 

However, with a few simple steps and a little luck, you can find so many cool items you won't be able to decide which to get.

1. For Clothes

When looking for clothes, make sure you check the condition of all items thoroughly, checking the creases. Oftentimes you find many shirts that have rips or have poor stitching. In your average thrift store like a Goodwill you will find many different types of shirts but the coolest ones are usually retro items, jerseys, shirts, and sweatshirts that can be game changers in outfits. However for jerseys, remember to look for tearing in numbers and if it is a player jersey, look at the last name and all logos to make sure it is legit and won’t fall apart after one wash.

2. Collectibles

For collectibles, look for damage in them, but some cool items are retro games or action figures that you can often find in various sections. When looking though, you will find a lot of items that are very broken or in poor condition, it depends really on what you value when thrifting but these can often be red flags for items, just make sure they still work and if they have electronic parts or voice boxes, make sure they work before purchasing. Also many stores will tell you if games have been tested and are working or not so make sure to ask.

3. Jewelry

When looking in thrift stores, you often come across multiple jewelry pieces, but before purchasing the most important thing to look at is if it costs over 100 dollars make sure to look it up and see if you can find the brand or more information. Sometimes thrift stores can mark up certain items and can over price jewelry that you could get for much cheaper elsewhere. Also make sure if it is marked for diamonds or other gems that they are real with testers, jewelry can often be something tough to authenticate but there's no harm in trying.

As Freshman Isaac Smith said, “Thrifting isn’t difficult as long as you know where to look.”

Also the most important thing is to just have fun! Thrifting isn’t a competition and although you may go home empty handed, don't let it discourage you, stores restock often and you can find more items the more you go.

“Being persistent is key, the more you go, the better your experiences will get, it is easy to say but that's the biggest thing.”