My best sources are charity thrift stores, charity bazaars, Savers, estate sales, garage sales (mostly multi-family), craigslist, etsy.com, and ebay. Of course, it depends what you are looking for. Estate sales tend to be pricey, but they can have low-end kitchen stuff and other odds and ends at fabulous prices, especially if you negotiate on the last day of the sale. I found far better prices on fur coats on etsy.com than I did on ebay.com or shopgoodwill.com. Thrift stores (especially Savers because it is so well organized, though I think much more expensive) are good places to go when you need a particular item fast. Craigslist is miraculous…you can buy almost anything there. Let me know your favorite places to shop for “nothing new.”
(Image: a $2,000 armoire at an estate sale...wish I had the space and the money for it. Didn't sell.)
There are used appliance stores too. I've gotten a couple of appliances used and not been disappointed. We did buy our latest dryer new -- but it was a scratch and dent so we saved money that way. We have bought things off of friends. Our best "used" acquisition was getting Jim's (your gardening buddy) memory foam mattress and pad. His wife couldn't get a good night's sleep on it and we "did him a favor" by taking it off his hands. Some people would be grossed out by sleeping on a bed that's been used... but that's what you do in a hotel and at least I know the people who used it before have good hygiene habits!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tips, Alex.
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