Thrifty Stores and Good Will Stores, Are They Charging Too Much?
There are many of us who have our favorite thrift stores we like to frequent. As you are strolling through some of these thrift stores have you noticed that with some of them the prices are becoming a bit spendy on things? Can you still find some items that are maybe below the thrift prices that we had become accustomed too?
Some of our local Good Will Stores have been fairly good with their prices, but that definitely is not the case with all of them. During my thrifting I had found a couple of Good Will Stores that had become quite spendy. Due to this I no longer shop with them either.
I find it disturbing when some of the thrift stores have prices on their clothing that is higher than what you would find at like Walmart, or maybe with Target too. If you are willing to spend some time digging around for a while you can locate some items that are marked well, and are affordable thrifting prices.
Another thing that sometimes is disturbing is that prices for some of the items of interest I find are being priced as they would be on Ebay. Out of curiosity I have asked a couple of different clerks how they were determining their prices for some of these higher end products being found. They told me that is what they are selling for on Ebay as the answer. Sorry, but the answer of Ebay kind of gives me a chuckle. These places are not auction houses, or places that take bids on items as Ebay does. Using Ebay for determing prices is not always the sure way for pricing items at thrift stores. Ebay has prices that fluctuate all the time. Sometimes it will end on a higher price, and at other times it could end on a price for maybe $5. It depends on the want for what people are searching the internet for, and what they are willing to bid on it for at that time.
I have inquired with clerks before if anyone pricing in their store was using collectors books to do so. Some of these books upon research can give you an estimated idea of what your items are worth, but again it does not say that is the selling price of the items either. Generally items will sell for about 1/2 the price of what you see listed in these books. Unless, as mentioned before, someone has a want for the item, and they are willing to bid for it till they get it.
I guess I assumed that thrift stores were places to go, and shop with for items for your homes, your home decor, to craft with, maybe repurpose, or refurbish too. Some of those who have an income a little bit less than others rely on these stores to shop at for clothes for their children, for the adults, to supply them with work clothes needed, and to help with their kids being better accepted with other kids at school by wearing similar clothes to them.
Many of these particular stores have items donated to them. That is one less big expense for them with their inventory. They have automatically saved cost there with buying their items, and then having to price according to their purchase price.
Recently I had come across a little article at ecommercebytes that talked about this same issue as being discussed with the prices of some of the thrift stores. Give it a click, and stop on by to read what they had to say, and what others have commented about as well.
So, what about you? Have you seen some of this price trend when you have been thrifting? Do you think maybe it is certain items that they are doing this with, or maybe they are just doing it to be doing it? Something to think about a little bit, huh?
Thanks so much for sharing your time with LilacsNDreams, and hope to see you all again soon. Till the next time have fun, enjoy, happy thrifting, and much luck with all that sell online too.
