Thrift stores, secondhand shops, and flea markets are basically treasure troves, especially if you know where to look. Whether you’re hunting for vintage fashion, designer labels, quirky home gadgets, or hidden gems, there’s always something for everyone. And for those who browse with patience and a sharp eye, the rewards can be surprisingly valuable, just like these Redditors.
1. “These 1930s Salvatore Ferragamo shoes, I found for $8. Today, they are being shipped to the museum in Italy!”
2. “Found my wedding dress at a flea market.”
3. “I opened it, and there was a surprise.”
- This is a Northern Electric Deco-Tel Rotary Telephone, a vintage executive desk phone from the 1970s. Elvis had one. It was made decorative so it could be closed and stay on the desk without looking like a phone on the desk. © GalegoBaiano / Reddit
4. “My girlfriend found this ring with a stamp at a thrift shop and immediately knew she had to get it.”
- My girlfriend found this ring marked at $50 and figured it was worth the money. The teller was busy texting and rang it up as costume jewelry. Thanks bro, $14k for $3! © Forward-Trainer119 / Reddit
5. “For $3, I’m the proud owner of the coolest piece of flimsy 1980s plastic I’ve ever seen.”
6. “Finally found the right accent table.”
7. “As soon as I saw this mug in the thrift store, I knew immediately that it was exactly what I needed.”
- “It felt like it was exactly what I was looking for. It’s perfect and makes me happy every day. Then my father passed away and I started going through his things. And I found a picture of my mom holding this exact mug, and I was 4 years old taking the photo.” © NeoToronto / Reddit
8. “One of my most recent fav finds. Makes a good door stop and window watching buddy, for my cat.”
9. “I got this Hermès scarf very inexpensively.”
10. “My best thrift find of all time is a coffee table from Michael Taylor.”
- “It was a little scuffed, but I sanded it down carefully, polished it up. Now I can’t decide whether to sell it or keep it.” © mrhasselblad / Reddit
11. “Not every day you see a chain mail dress in the thrift shop.”
12. “Guys, I’m still in shock! They’re my size, practically brand new, not even a trace of wear on the soles.”
13. “I got a Louis Vuitton suitcase.”
14. “A flea market find: an 1885 Longines wall clock. It still works.”
15. “Never in my life did I expect to find a fully functioning Audio Technica AT-LP120 turntable at goodwill for $30!”
16. “Picked up this Glass Duck for $10 at a Goodwill and found out it was handmade by renowned glassblowing artist Bryce Dimitruk.”
17. “I can’t wait for my husband to come home and discover this hanging in the house.”
18. “Somehow I found the matching mask 5 years later at a different thrift store in the same city. Comedy and Tragedy are finally reunited.”
19. “I bought a secondhand dress, shortened it a bit, and it became the dress of my dreams.”
20. “Found the perfect kitten throne at a thrift shop.”
- Went out looking for outside decorations, and found this little beauty in great condition for 15 bucks. I always get excited when I find cool props for taking pictures of foster kittens, but this is the best one yet! Best part was when I brought the babies down to take pictures, all 3 kittens loved the throne and required zero wrangling to take pictures. © k****shibby / Reddit
- How dare you mention three kittens and then only show us two of them?? Disgraceful. (Also great find!) ilbaritz / Reddit
21. “Found a hamburger phone at Goodwill today.”
- This amusing, useless, weird thing is the epitome of 1980s culture. I love it because it doesn’t matter. Heady_Mariner / Reddit
22. “I...uhh, it is a pasta spoon.”
- I Google Lens’ed it right in the store when I found it in the kitchen department. There is a whole series of utensils with this type of handles. It is called EGO by Steffen Schmelling. He knew what he was doing. It’s used to scoop out spaghetti. © Connect_Rhubarb395 / Reddit
23. “Bought a real solid gold Swiss watch in a thrift shop, it was in a drawer with a bunch of other watches.”
- In absolute shock! I found an authentic, vintage Swiss watch for $1. Took it for valuation, and got a very rough estimate worth over $1,000! © JuliusVinaigrette / Reddit
24. “Creepy cute spice shakers from the 50s. My boyfriend said I have to hide them until I sell them!”
- Tuck them into his underwear drawer at random intervals for the rest of your lives. rednotd*** / Reddit
25. “Found a PS5! It works perfectly. Got it for the insane price of $8.99!”
Here are some more lucky thrift store finds, and the people who managed to make these steal deals.
