Finding a hidden gem in a thrift store for an affordable price is always satisfying. However, often when I’m flipping through racks of used clothing, the items I find have a ridiculous number attached.
Carhartt pants ripped in the crotch are priced over $20, and fleece jackets matted down with questionable stains are at $30. Who sets the price so high on these damaged items?
The answer is nonprofit thrift stores, which get all of their products from donations. What gives these organizations, with mission statements based around helping those in need, the right to mark up used items that are not wearable?
Thrift stores have historically provided a cheap way to find functional clothing for those who need it, and as thrifting becomes more popular, these companies are betraying their original functions.
Sadly, many people blame resellers for the inflation in thrift stores. I’ve heard people say thrift stores are trying to emulate what vintage stores and resellers do for a living to make more money.
Thrift stores and vintage stores are anything but similar.
Thrift stores, which are often chain stores, are donation based, and sell a wide variety of items.
Vintage stores hand curate and resell the items that they find to turn a profit, making the experience more curated.
Nadav Kramer, a University of Oregon class of 2024 graduate and vintage clothing collector, said, “I don’t think that it’s fair to compare thrift stores and vintage stores considering they cater to completely different audiences.”
The average person thrifting is looking for affordable, functional clothes — not paper-thin graphic T-shirts from the 1980s priced at $14.99, similar to vintage store prices.
Vintage stores are curating a certain style, while thrift stores aren’t. They simply mark up products based on similar items online, pretending to curate, and failing.
According to the data from the United States Census Bureau, “the U.S. secondhand market will more than double by 2026, reaching $82 billion.”
This is largely due to companies like Depop and eBay. People can make a living off of these online platforms. Some thrift stores could see this growth and capitalize on it. Both have websites that sell higher-end products for a premium.
Peter Michaels is the owner of Founded Vintage based in downtown Eugene. Michaels makes a living off of curating an experience for his customers through vintage clothing. Although he hasn’t felt the effects of the rising thrift store prices, he points out the strain it puts on other people.
“It’s horrible,” Michaels said. “Homeless people can’t find a jacket that’s warm for less than $20.”
Michaels has been able to avoid feeling the effects of thrift inflation by being resourceful.
“I would say that if there is any effect on resellers, it’s just people getting the product in a different way and going to the racks less,” he said.
Thrifting seems like it’s dying, but is still viable.
Search for deals at your local mom-and-pop thrift stores. These establishments are not corporatized. Prices at these thrift stores are almost always cheaper.
Local vintage stores often have affordable $10 racks — similar to an affordable thrift store with amazing finds already chosen for you.
As Michaels puts it, “thrift stores are trying to corporatize something that can’t be corporatized.”
Sadly, thrift stores allow their corporate prices to hurt those they claim to serve. Thrift stores will continue to cosplay vintage and resale stores, but they will always lack the knowledge and eye for curation that resellers spend years developing.
