Thrift shopping can be tricky when you’re not used to it.
To be honest, I haven’t always been a fan of thrifting, nor have I always been good at it. However, a few tips can definitely help you get more comfortable.
1. Get to know your area
Sometimes, finding the best thrift shops in your area can be a challenge. I have to admit, I still struggle to find some good ones in Brussels. However, Google (or preferably Ecosia) can be a great help. simply search for “thrift shop YOUR CITY”, “second hand store YOUR CITY” or “charity shop YOUR CITY”, etc. Obviously, you want to replace “YOUR CITY” by the name of your city, duh 🤓
Once you’ve found some, look at reviews and narrow down your search by neighbourhoods, and it will be time to go clothes hunting!
2. Join Facebook groups
Oh, how helpful can Facebook be! It might not be the most popular social network anymore, but OH BOY how active can Facebook groups be! I would honestly be very surprised if there weren’t some second and and zero waste groups dedicated to your area.
I am part of the Zero Waste Brussels group, and people always ask questions about where to find certain things and get very quick answers. So you could just post a question about people’s favorite thrift stores in town, it doesn’t cost anything and could save you a lot of time and research!
3. Ask when they restock
Now that you’ve discovered your favorite stores, you still have one thing to do to become a thrifting expert: ask them when they restock. For example, I know that the biggest charity shop next my apartment restocks on Monday evenings. This way, I know that if I go on Tuesday mornings, I will have more options than at any other time of the week! It is also a good idea to try and go to stores in the morning if you can, to save you the hassle of looking for clothes when it is crowded, cause thrift stores are usually pretty narrow and can be overwhelming.
4. Know exactly what you’re looking for and take your time
One golden rule of thrifting is to be patient. And have a clear idea of what you want in mind. It will allow you to not go and buy any “cool" item you stumble upon and won’t ever wear. It is not because something is cheap that you need it!
Unless you are looking for an item like a pair of jeans and have no other pants to wear at all, you are not in a rush. So take your time to find the perfect item, instead of risking buying the first thing you see and regretting it when you find one that you like better, and end up throwing away one of them.