Our Top 10 Tips to Thrift Shopping Like a Pro
- America's Antique Mall
- 1 hour ago
- 8 min read
Did you grow up rummaging through every garage sale in your neighborhood? Do you spend your weekends sorting through consignment shops? Then you know the magical feeling of thrift shopping firsthand. But do you know how to do it well?
Technically, there’s no right or wrong way to explore a thrift store—but there are helpful tricks worth learning. That’s why we’ve mustered all of our expertise to bring you our top 10 thrift shopping tips. Happy treasure hunting!
Thrift Shopping—It’s Trendy Again!
Let’s make one thing clear—Macklemore isn’t the only one who likes popping tags! Though secondhand stores and antique malls have been around for years, thrift shopping is on the rise. From Boomers who’ve been enjoying the hobby for decades to Gen Z-ers who are newly obsessed with the nostalgic pastime, customers of all ages and backgrounds can be found in a thrift store.
Thrift shopping allows those who care about the fate of Mother Earth to think sustainably as they shop. Buying used clothing, antique furniture, and vintage tchotchkes gives items that would otherwise end up in a landfill a new chance at life. Who wouldn’t want that kind of peace of mind with every purchase?
Each thrift store offers a variety of designs from different decades and styles, ensuring there’s always something that fits your aesthetic. With such a diverse selection available, upgrading your closet to suit your style or redecorating your house in a unique way is easy.
What’s the Difference Between a Thrift Store, Flea Market, and Antique Mall?
When you first try your hand at thrift shopping, it’s important to learn the difference between the types of secondhand stores. Each one differs slightly and offers its own benefits. The kind you prefer is a personal choice:
Thrift stores: sell a variety of lower-cost, mostly donated items, and often use the proceeds for community support and charities
Antique malls: house hundreds of vendors in one building, each showcasing curated collections and specialty items
Flea markets: set up in temporary spaces, either outside or inside, with different independent sellers and negotiated prices
What Makes Antique Malls the Best Place for Thrift Shopping?
When it comes to thrift shopping, there’s no better place to start than your local antique mall. With themed events and lovely staff members, these stores are more than a place to hunt down one-of-a-kind treasures—they’re a community hub.
Each location is filled with passionate customers and vendors who care about the art of antiquing and strive to make the most welcoming space possible. When you shop at a vendor mall, you’re more than a visitor—you’re part of the family.
While thrift stores will always have a place in our hearts, antique malls offer an unparalleled variety of unique items, all under one roof. It doesn’t matter whether you’re searching for an upcycled furniture design or the perfect ugly Christmas sweater—you have a good chance of finding it amongst the diverse collections available at a vendor mall.
What Kinds of Items Can You Find at Antique Malls?
When you go thrift shopping at our Melbourne antique mall, you may find:
Sports jerseys
Antique furniture
Retro clothing
Collectible toys and figurines
Handmade goods
10 Tried and True Tips for Thrift Shopping
The best part of thrift shopping? The fact that anyone can have fun doing it! Before your next trip to our Highland antique mall or your local thrift store, consider these ten tips:
Tip 1: Don’t Forget to Keep an Open Mind
Going to a thrift store with a game plan is many customers’ preferred method for thrift shopping. If you’ve just moved to a new house and need to fill your spaces with specific items or are searching for the missing item in your collection, then planning ahead of time is the best way to stay on track while thrift shopping. But if you narrow in too much, you might miss something amazing.
The next time you’re in a thrift store, try throwing caution to the wind and allowing yourself to be spontaneous. When you’re not looking for anything specific, items you never would’ve looked for will find their way to you. Thrift shopping on a whim is the secret to decorating your home and upgrading your closet to its full potential.
If you are in the market for specific items, treat your visit to the thrift store like you’re going grocery shopping and make a list! That way, as you wander up and down the aisles, you’ll have a physical reminder of exactly what you’re looking for. Before you head out for the day, take a look around your home to spot pieces that could use an upgrade, or consider your dream vintage finds and jot them down.
Tip 2: Check Every Item for Authenticity
If you ask a seasoned collector, their number one thrift shopping tip will always be to double- and triple-check the authenticity of an item. These days, many modern companies attempt to make accurate replicas of vintage and antique designs, but these pieces do not hold the same value as the real deal. Asking for authentication at a thrift store (or learning how to check for it yourself) is the key to avoiding scams!
This may not matter for some pieces, like hand-stitched tablecloths or used books, but when it comes to top-dollar antiques, authentication is a crucial step. If, for some reason, an item at a thrift store does not have anything to prove its age and value, it’s up to you to either take the gamble and have it authenticated later or walk away and never know.
Signs of Authenticity in Thrifted Items
If a design isn’t clearly marked and dated at a thrift store, you may have to search for authentication clues yourself. When you pick up an antique or vintage item while thrift shopping, try to locate the:
Makers mark
Provenance document
Brand label
Tip 3: Inquire About Haggling Rules
While thrift stores tend to have strict prices, some places, such as flea markets, do allow customers to haggle prices. If you’re feeling confident, approach the staff or vendor and ask, in a respectful way, if they’d be willing to reconsider the cost of an item. If the price remains firm, be prepared to politely decline and walk away.
Note: America’s Antique Mall does not allow haggling, per se. Louisville vendors can either tag their items as “firm,” meaning no discounts, or allow a quiet 10% discount on antiques priced over $25.
Tip 4: Make Note of the Booths That Caught Your Eye
With hundreds of booths and showcases to look at, antique malls can feel like an overwhelming way to thrift shop. Avoid this frenzy by taking note of every booth that catches your eye during your first spin around the mall.
If they stuff their shelves with your favorite type of collectible or general aesthetic that matches yours, there’s a good chance their future stock will continue to align with you. Either write down the booth number or mark the spot on a map (often provided by the mall) so you’ll know exactly where to start the next time you stop by.
Tip 5: Arrive Early in the Day
You know what they say—the early bird gets the worm! In order to get the first look at the newest items and hot-ticket pieces, we recommend arriving at the thrift store as close to opening as possible. This is especially the case for weekends, when foot traffic increases and families flood the space. Carve out a few hours of your morning, grab a cup of Joe, and be there when the doors open!
Pro tip: If you really want to avoid the crowds, prioritize thrift shopping during the weekdays when the majority of people are at work or school. You may have the thrift store all to yourself!
Tip 6: Return on a Regular Basis
If you have a favorite thrift store in your area, we recommend making your visits a regular part of your routine. While thrift shopping at a random store is an exciting, spur-of-the-moment activity, getting the chance to return to the same spot over and over gives you the chance to connect with vendors in the store and sort through the constantly rotating collections at each booth. The more often you go, the more familiar you’ll become with the amazing things your local antique mall has to offer.
Tip 7: Attend the Antique Mall Events
Did you know that an Indiana antique mall offers more than just an extensive selection of items worth thrift shopping for? Many take pride in being a space for their community to come together, hosting a wide variety of events targeted at different age ranges, specialties, and interests. If you’re in need of a third space and want to meet like-minded people who care about the same kinds of things you do, then it is well worth attending an event or two!
Types of Events at America’s Antique Mall
If you reside near one of our America’s Antique Mall locations, consider checking out the monthly calendar and attending fun-for-all-ages events like these:
Car shows
Arts-and-crafts courses
Book clubs
Plant swaps
Pickling parties
Comedy nights
…and more!
Tip 8: Put Items Back Where You Found Them
The secret to thrift shopping like a pro? Treating each item and booth with the utmost respect. This includes putting antiques back where you found them, as removing them from the correct vendor booth and leaving them in the wrong area can cause confusion for future shoppers and employees. If you’ve forgotten where it was, ask the thrift store staff for some assistance—they’ll be happy to help!
Tip 9: Check for Sales and Discounts
Thrift stores and antique malls know just how much their customer base loves a good deal! Sales and promotional discounts can happen at any time of year and are a great way to bring in crowds during the slower thrift shopping months. When you’re walking around an antique mall, keep an eye out for handmade and printed signs at each booth dictating the specific requirements for discounts.
At America’s Antique Mall, vendors are allowed to host their own sales and set individual price slashes whenever they want. These can be inspired by specific holidays, special anniversaries within their small business, or simply because they feel like it!
Tip 10: Inspect an Item Closely Before Buying
Coming across the perfect vintage pocket watch or collectible doll may feel like a dream come true—but don’t let your first impressions fool you! Condition is one of the most important factors when it comes to accurately valuing a design.
Before you check out, it’s important to closely inspect an antique for any signs of damage. At the same time, a certain amount of wear and tear can be expected while thrift shopping; the amount of damage should match the price.
Is it Worth Buying an Antique if It’s Damaged?
Just because an item you find at the thrift store isn’t in mint condition, doesn’t mean it’s worthless! If you’re a crafty person, you can always try your hand at upcycling, whether that’s repainting an antique desk or ripping apart a garment to make something new. If it’s beyond your scope, it may not be worth investing in—the choice is yours!
Turn Your Love of Thrift Shopping into a Career
Are you ready to turn your favorite hobby into a lucrative job? Then it’s time to consider renting at an antique mall.
While traditional storefronts, like thrift stores, have their time and place, setting up shop with a month-to-month lease gives you the flexibility and freedom to spend your free time thrift shopping to gather your wares. What sounds better than that?
The next time you get the urge to go thrift shopping, dream bigger and head to your favorite antique mall. Take the day to sort through each curated booth and showcase in search of treasures, and keep each of our 10 tips in mind to make the most of your visit. We can’t wait to see what you find at America’s Antique Mall!