Would you DREAM of buying Christmas presents at a second hand store, like Goodwill?

I feel it depends on the gift. You can find some cool stuff there, but at the same time I wouldn’t buy a gift there just because it was cheap.

Absofrigginlutely.

Some of the best gifts I’ve ever given came from either a thrift store, a consignment shop, or a used book store.

I’d totally take a unique gift over whatever happens to be on the shelf at Target.

Why dream when you can do?

Yes, all the time. People like antiques and those don’t come in often at Target.

@toomuchcoffee911 Well, I paid $1.99 for the picture frame brandnew cost, I’m sure, at least $15.00. I wouldn’t buy cheaply MADE stuff, I buy well made stuff for cheap. Some of the deals you can get are amazing. And yes. Money was a serious issue this year. It was that or nothing for the kids.

@Seek_Kolinahr Let us not forget garage sales!

I say it depends on the gift being considered. if i were looking for a coffemaker for a family member and i located a brand new one at Goodwill, i would consider buying it. i would tell the family member of this purchase. if they discovered it did not work properly, i would then buy them a new one. two principles are here: one to save money and second to tell the truth….....upfront. clothing would not be considered.

@Val123 No shame in smart spending!

I treat Goodwill finds almost as if they were raw materials for other things. I don’t know if I’d give someone a “used” sweater, for example, but once I unravel it, wash the yarn, and re-knit it into a hat/scarf set, it’s “good as new” for gifting purposes.

@laureth I like the way you think

I would look around there just like any other store. People get rid of stuff anymore just to get rid of it, and so much of it is brand new. You can get decent stuff at Goodwill stores.

People don’t always know what they have gotten rid of, so yes I would because of some of the amazing things you can find. I found a set of real maple wood bedroom furniture that was very old and well put together. Not like the particle board junk you find these days. I got all five pieces for 10 dollars each piece. my little sister really liked getting them.

@john65pennington Clothing would not be considered….perhaps. It would depend on the clothing.

@lfino You can get more than just decent stuff at Goodwill…you can get truly valuable items on the cheap! Pretty much everything in my house has come from Goodwill, Garage Sales, and flea markets.

@Ghost_in_the_system Yup.

Absolutely. My SIL gave my husband the coolest shirt from Savers (a Goodwill competitor) this Christmas, and I have found a number of great gifts there. As far as clothing goes, our Goodwill often has brand new clothing still with all the tags on it.

@Darwin I once bought a long black Cashmere men’s coat at Goodwill. As far as Goodwill prices go, it was expensive…$30. But….at least four people I knew went out and bought something very similar (new, for probably $200 or better) after they saw me in it….

$3.00 goodwill lamp + rewiring I did myself + $15 lampshade from Target = perfect mid-century modern hipster gift.

Absolutely. Any port in a storm as they say.

Plus I donate a ton of stuff there each year. Seems only right I buy some back on occasion.

@cprevite LOL! Sometimes I wonder if they’re going…“I remember this!” I have a constant recycle to the Goodwill at my back door….no garage sale for me.

@Val123: I agree. We tried a yard sale once and it was a disaster. There’s a Salvation Army store two miles from my house. So much easier.

@cprevite My one and only garage sale, put on by my best friend at her house, her idea, almost cost our friendship!!!

Who would know unless you told them.

bought my wife a keyboard for $2.99 yesterday at Goodwill. She tends to ruin them from time to time by spilling her soda drink in them. She really likes this one because its black with white keys. It’s easy to be a hero at Goodwill ;)

Yes, I would and I do – You are mistaken calling Goodwill a ‘second hand store’. They are a Charity Thrift Store, and some of their merchandise is brand new things that have been donated by stores and still carry the original tags.

Yes, I’ve shopped a lot of thrift stores over the years and found many gifts of antiques, books and curiosities that ended up appreciated gifts. My younger sister lurves thrift store clothes, my mom is antiques hound, everyone lurves books and as @YARNLADY notes, there are often new items with tags.

@YARNLADY 90% of it is donated items from the public, most of it gently used. That makes it “second hand.” Also, their brand new stuff isn’t priced any lower than it is at, say, Walmart.

i would buy somebody something that they collect, for example, i collect salt and pepper shakers. That’s something that i might always see in a store like Goodwill (call it a “thrift’ store, call it a “second hand” store, whatever). so if i saw something like that i would buy it. if i saw a book that i thought someone would like, i would buy it for them, but not as a gift – i would just give it to them like “here, i saw this and thought you would like it.”

i would not buy someone clothing that’s used to give as a gift.

@jca Generally speaking, I do agree about the clothing thing.
My problem is, I pick up cool things at garage sales and 2nd had stores throughout the year and give them to the kids…and then come Christmas I never have the money to buy them anything! I wish I had the will power to stash them away….

@Val123 – So you can buy brand new Ralph Lauren shirts at WalMart for $3.99 (half that on 50% Saturday)? Our Goodwill also has a lot of J.C. Penny’s house brands such as St. John’s Bay still with all the original tags, and also priced at $3.99.

@Darwin What? I have no idea! I don’t buy things because of the name. I have no idea if you can buy Ralph Lauren shirts at Walmart Not sure what you’re talking about…..

@Val123 – You said ”90% of it is donated items from the public, most of it gently used. That makes it “second hand.” Also, their brand new stuff isn’t priced any lower than it is at, say, Walmart.”

I was just responding to that based on my experience with our local Goodwill, where maybe 50% of the clothing is “gently used” but the remainder is brand new, unsold store stock priced pennies on the dollar. Perhaps your local Goodwill isn’t as good as ours.

BTW, I was just at Macy’s where Ralph Lauren shirts were priced from $36 up to $80. I don’t buy them for the name but for the quality of the fabric, which can be much nicer than in less expensive shirts. OTOH, I only buy clearance items at Macy’s, and I got two Ralph Lauren shirts and one Liz Claibourne shirt for $7 each.

@Val123 Yes, it is as Darwin says at our local Goodwill/Salvation Army. Both stores are about ½ and ½ new with used. The brand new clothing is from top end designers, all the way through racks and racks of Levi’s jeans and t-shirts by the hundreds, all brand new. There are packaged and boxed underwear, brand new, and tons of other household goods, such as fans, bathroom supplies, and I could go on and on. Stores go out of business, and donate all their remaining unsold items, or close down warehouses they can no longer afford. All these things are sold at pennies on the dollar.

@Darwin Oh! I’m with you! Well….the Goodwill here rarely has new clothing. Most of their new stuff are things like kitchen utensils and stuff.
@YARNLADY Well I am jealous of your Goodwill stores!!!

I don’t know if I would dream about it… But while I was awake I would second hand shop for friends and family yeah. Second hand is good form, in my book. We do only have the one planet for now.

If it’s “new in the box” or “new with tags”, yes. If it is an antique, yet. If it is very unique and being “used” doesn’t hurt it – like a vase or a side table, yes. I would not gift used clothing, small appliances, or mundane stuff.