Yahoo News Frequent thrifter shares her tips for finding quality items without the wild prices online: ‘I should be gatekeeping these tips’
One creator is sharing her secrets for how to online thrift quality items at reasonable prices.
On Aug. 19, Kathryn Margaret Rose (@catdookie), a New York City-based fashion and culture writer, revealed on the social media platform the ways she approaches online thrifting to maximize her success.
“If you want to thrift online, but you think Depop is a hellscape of $900 prom dresses, I have a couple tips that I don’t think most people share,” Kathryn begins. “I buy almost everything I own secondhand, so honestly, I should be gatekeeping these tips, because they work every time.”
Depop prices are not real
— clara ⚡︎ (@ALLAP0LOG1ES) August 15, 2023
Kathryn’s first suggestion is to pick your platform carefully.
“You gotta choose a less saturated platform if you want to find stuff for cheap,” she says. “Depop, Poshmark, Etsy — demand for very specific brands is really high on these platforms, and the sellers know what they have.”
Choose apps where “people are trying to get rid of stuff,” Kathryn advises.
“Mercari is good. eBay is pretty good. They have some very specific vintage but they also have a lot of cheap stuff,” she says. “And even Facebook Marketplace. Honestly, I find things on there all the time.”
Finding your keywords, Kathryn says, is crucial.
“If your wishlist has a bunch of tan boots on them, and you know they’re called campus boots, it’s gonna help you search for them,” she explains. “If you’re searching for the term ‘campus boots,’ you’re likely gonna find somebody who knows what they’re selling. They know the demand and they’re selling for profit, so they’re gonna price it accordingly.”
‘You’re way more likely to find a random person who’s just trying to get rid of a pair of boots if you do it this way’
Once you know your keywords, Kathryn suggests simplifying them in the search bar.
“A lot of people have tan boots that they want to sell that aren’t Frye campus boots, but they look exactly like them,” she says. “Why not search for ‘tan leather boots’ or ‘tan leather knee-high boots’? You’re way more likely to find a random person who’s just trying to get rid of a pair of boots if you do it this way.”
Using a less common app, in combination with knowing your keywords, and how to simplify them, may prove to be an effective method of navigating the oversaturated online reseller market.
“On top of these varying metrics, more inexperienced buyers and sellers are entering the market, often with minimal knowledge about sought-after labels or what qualifies an item as true vintage (anything that is 20 to 99 years old),” Vox writes of the fluctuation in the price of pre-owned garments. “And with the profusion of resale marketplaces like Depop and Poshmark and professionalized sites like the RealReal, many consumers have ended up paying well-above-average prices for pre-owned items that aren’t all that special.”
Be mindful when adding the word “vintage” to your search, Kathryn says, because “People who call something vintage are likely to be vintage sellers,” which can mean that the product is priced higher.
If you’re looking for vintage items at reasonable prices, Kathryn suggests searching for “the names of affordable brands that made the kind of things you’re looking for.”
“One time, I was looking for a ‘vintage leather jacket,’ and I saw a vintage leather jacket by Newport News come up,” she says. “It’s still out of my price range, but now I can search ‘Newport News leather jacket’ and find people who just had this leather jacket in the back of their closet and are trying to get rid of it.”
‘I find stuff i like on depop and then look for the exact item on ebay cheaper’
Fellow online thrifters have taken to Kathryn’s comments to share the platforms they’re gravitating toward, as well as their own tips for finding cheaper items.
“I use mercari a lot! It’s easy to use and things r not overpriced,” @ilovelain wrote.
“Vinted is actually pretty good! From both a seller and buyer perspective,” @amandaclaire1997 commented.
“I find stuff i like on depop and then look for the exact item on ebay cheaper. works pretty often,” @bleachgumby replied.
In The Know by Yahoo is now available on Apple News — follow us here!
The post Frequent thrifter shares her tips for finding quality items without the wild prices online: ‘I should be gatekeeping these tips’ appeared first on In The Know.
More from In The Know:
Yes, you need to be cleaning your washing machine — and this is the easiest way to do it
