About to go thrifting!

About to do my weekly visit of my favourite thrift shop.

I wrote before about the sad demise of the $1 rack. Today I intend on hunting down some bargains. In particular I'm looking for rockabilly and vintage, will post some of my finds soon.

Last week I spoke about the karma of thrifting, so today I thought I'd create a list of hot tips for newbies, and old hands when it comes to the art of thrifting.

1. Don't discard the 10 cent box.
I have found so many amazing finds in the ten cent box - badges, scarves and trinkets (though trinkets are for my prize box at work). Sometimes it is easier for the staff to put things in there than worry about finding a place for it.

2. Look out for the free plastic bags.
My local Salvos has a huge basket of bags, and this is great for me as an eBay seller, as I often fund really cool bags to post items in. I love spotted or striped bags and I usually pack my goodies into one of these.

3. Labels are important.
Labels can tell you the age of the garment, as well as the designer/brand/mass produced store it came from. When it comes to reselling items, things with 'Target' or K-Mart's 'Now' brand don't usually do as well as a label from the 90s which may or may not have actually been a real brand once upon a time.

4. Don't trust sizing.
If you think it will fit, assume it will. If it doesn't, you can always donate it back, give it to a friend or resell it. I used to always try things on, but no days I really don't bother because I know what will fit me and what won't. It means you need to be honest with yourself (if you have thunder thighs like me, you know a mini won't work well for you), but you'll buy better fitting items in the long run.

5. Be nice to the ladies.
If you read about the karma of thrifting last week, this is probably an excellent addition to the concept. Be nice to the people who serve you, and they may reward you with a smile, 'bundling' items or a free bag. I'm not in this to get free stuff, but if you look after others, they will look after you.

Happy thrifting kids!