No one is immune to inflation, and thrift stores are no exception. Yet nowadays it seems that they’re either being hit harder than the rest of us, or something is just off with their prices. Asking for four bucks for an empty maple syrup bottle, or half a thousand dollars for a counterfeit pair of sneakers, seems excessive at best. And these examples are just the tip of the iceberg.
Lots of people have noticed the sudden rise in thrift store prices, and they made sure to let the world know by sharing pictures of such costly items. We have combed through the online world to bring you some of the most mind-boggling examples of pricing gone wrong. Try to keep calm as you browse the list, but if you can’t, bear in mind that you’re not alone—this woman was flabbergasted at thrift stores’ prices as well.
To get a better understanding of how thrift shopping is related to fast fashion, sustainability, and consumerism, Bored Panda has reached out to Anika Kozlowski, an assistant professor of fashion design, ethics and sustainability at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada. She was kind enough to answer some of our questions. You will find her thoughts below.
#1 Value Village Has Officially Lost Their Minds
Image source: thatapplefarmer
#2 Guess My Local Goodwill Jumped On The Price-Gouging Bandwagon. For $250 It Can Stay There And Collect Dust
Image source: NympheDuPave
#3 At A Value Village In Canada, And Clearly Fakes Too
Image source: spenc2011
#4 And I Thought City Prices Were Bad. Hometown Thrift Store Must Be Smoking Something
Image source: trashy_ashy
#5 Oh, The Possibilities
Image source: prop-65-warning
#6 This Store Charges 50.00€ For This Pair Of Shoes, Even Though It Still Has A $5.00 Goodwill Sticker On It
Image source: eoryenn
#7 Literally A Rock
Image source: RFSRstaff
#8 Charity Shops Have Changed
Image source: stefancooper
#9 A Bag Of Trash For Only $3.49
Image source: Bobthecatking
#10 A Single Pair Of Second-Hand Underwear
Image source: laurasfieldnotes
#11 $125 Goodwill Find: Lousy Plaster Skull In Solid Glass
Image source: cranbeery
#12 Rock Bottom Prices
Image source: nichecrowded
#13 These Used Flip Flops At Goodwill vs. The Same Pair Of Brand-New
Image source: seriouslea
#14 1998 Technology At 1998 Prices
Image source: SonofFedor
#15 You Can Buy These Empty Yogurt Jars For $1.99 At Goodwill, Or You Can Go To The Grocery Store And Get Them New And Filled With Yogurt For The Same Price
Tough decision. Catch and release at Goodwill.
Image source: dog_lover_az
#16 Thrift Store Doesn’t Even Try To Hide Their Price Gouging
Image source: jassandra
#17 Value Village Is Drunk. These Are Cheaper At Antique Stores
Remember when thrift stores made things affordable? And can anyone suggest thrift stores in Edmonton that aren’t delusional?
Image source: goingforspeed
#18 This Donated Bike At A Thrift For Almost $900
Image source: reddit.com
#19 Well This Has 2020 Written All Over It
Image source: iamjoeywan
#20 $44 For A Horrible Quality, Fake, Peeling “Hermes Birkin”
Image source: heyhelloyuyu
#21 Empty Maple Syrup Bottle At Value Village
Image source: venomousvibrator
#22 Maybe This Is A Good Price, But Nobody Is Going To A Thrift Store To Spend $350 On A China Set. Waterfronts Pricing Has Changed So Dramatically, Makes Me So Sad
Image source: CrowYooo
#23 I Think That All Pricing People At Thrift Stores Are Legit Idiots. Value Village “Boutique”, Vancouver
Image source: SwimfanZA
#24 I’m Speechless
#25 Value Village Has Lost Their Damn Minds
Image source: stfx2012
#26 I Was At A Thrift Store Buying A Jacket Marked At $25. The Cashier Wrote A 3 Over The 2 While I Was Checking Out Thinking I Wouldn’t Notice
Image source: Than-Os_
#27 I Don’t Even Want To Thrift Anymore To Be Honest. As Soon As I Saw This I Left The Store And Felt Awful. The Hobby Is Gone
Image source: Moving_in_stereo78
#28 These Goodwill Prices Are Just Getting Comical
Image source: goldenbellaboo
#29 Arc Thrift Up Charging From The Regular Sale Price
Image source: Kmtreal
#30 Thought Long And Hard About This One
Image source: boxoffingernails
#31 Talize (A Canadian Brand Thrift Store) Has Lost Their Mind. These Are Surely Fake And They’re Charging This Type Of Price
Image source: boooopy
#32 Originally Tagged At $3.99 Selling For $19.99 At Value Village
Image source: generousdoc
#33 Gooseberry Cinderella Bowls. I Know They’re Worth A Lot, But You Could Find Them For Less I Think
Image source: betterupsetter
#34 Is It Special Because The Lid Is Green? I Don’t Get It
Image source: Beaner1012
#35 Goodwill Needs To Fire The Person That’s Pricing Some Of This Stuff. $35 Each For Tarnished Silver-Plated Trays, $20 For A Scale That Doesn’t Even Work, $17 For A Teapot
Image source: UrbanRelicHunter
#36 I Couldn’t Find A Single Shirt Under 3.99 Today
Image source: atlasxaxis
#37 When You Work At Goodwill, But Comedy Is Your Passion
Image source: wetroom
#38 I Don’t Know What Surprised Me More – Covid Pants Or The Price 19.99
Image source: reddit.com
#39 Donated To The Thrift Shop, $300. Am I Missing Something Here? I Know Inflation Is Through The Roof But Come On
Image source: SplinterkittySays
#40 I Hate My Local Savers Sometimes. Who’s Going To Pay $13 For A Used Shein Hoodie That’s Practically Falling Apart By The Time They Get It?
I’m pretty sure that’s the full price for most of the company.
Image source: Kipiekie
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