March 4 2007: Trash n’ Treasure Market Tips
A trash n’ treasure market is a cheapskate shopaholic’s multiple orgasm - stalls upon stalls of second-hand (occasionally brand-new) clothing, jewellery, and other knickknacks at a “as-low-as-you-can-bargain-it-down-to” price. Shopping correctly, you can get near-new (semi)designer items for as low as 10% of the original price. Just keep in mind the following points:
Arrive early to scope out what’s available. However, don’t start buying until the last hour or two - when it gets to the point where sellers just want to get rid of their merchandise and will sell it all at lower than what they had originally envisioned.
There are two types of sellers - the professional and the amateur. For the professional, trash n’ treasure markets are their bread and butter. They scope out op shops, warehouse sales, etc. and sell whatever they buy at double the price. So, avoid these professionals at all costs - if you did the legwork yourself, you could get it at half the price. The amateurs on the other hand, are there just to clear out things they own - they might be moving overseas, or better yet, they’re raising money to buy schoolbooks. The latter are the best sellers to go to - they’re easiest to bargain with because they can’t bear the thought of starting a new semester without the proper study materials.
If you don’t bargain, you’ll get ripped off. This is a guarantee. No one should ever pay the original asking price for an item, unless it’s a ridiculously low price (e.g. $1 for a pair of jeans) to begin with. At the very most, aim for two-thirds of the original asking price, but preferably, aim for a half of the asking price.
Don’t delude yourself. XYZ might be a great bargain, but do you really think you can squeeze into something two sizes smaller than your normal size? This is why you need to do your homework beforehand. Figure out what size you take in your favourite brands. Trust me, it’s not all the same. For instance, I take a size 12 in Pervert jeans, size 13 in Bettina Liano jeans, size 14 in M-One-11 pants, size 10 in Sportsgirl skirts, size 10 in Cotton On tops, size 12 in Mooks tops…get my point? You’ll be a different size in different brands, so figure it out before you hit the markets because there’s nowhere for you to try on the items!
Play dirty. Don’t want to pay $8 for a top? Make a big show of rummaging through your pockets, pulling out a $5 note, and saying with a sad look on your face “Oh, I’ve only got $5 on me! Can’t you please, please, pretty please give it to me for $5?” Because trust me…they will.
Buy several items from the same seller. As always, the more you buy, the more you can get it discounted. For instance, a top at $8, a skirt at $6, a scarf at $2. With some cajoling, you can get the lot for approximately $12…$4 off what it would have been if you had bought them separately at different sellers.
If there’s something wrong with it, don’t buy it. Stains, rips, holes, broken zippers, etc. If it has one, put it right back. It’s not worth buying it. I don’t care if it’s a Collette Dinnigan dress for $50. If there’s a whopping big hole in it, it’s not worth buying. The manpower and time spent in fixing it will push the price up to what it originally would have been.
But most importantly…think wisely. Don’t get caught up in a shopping momentum - think carefully to yourself about whether you’d actually wear the item once you took it home and matched it up with what you already own. If you’re uncertain, it’s probably best to leave it.
Keeping these points in mind, I bought a brand-new Esprit suit jacket, a pair of M-One-11 plaid pants, a sleeveless zip-up sweater, a long-sleeved zip-up sweater, and three silk scarves for $45 today at my local trash n’ treasure. The recommended retail price would have been approximately $400 in total.
P.S. This post is for Constance who emailed me letting me know how much she enjoyed my fashion/shopping-related entries. :) I will post photos…I promise! I just need to a) find my camera, and b) connect it to my computer!
5 Responses to “Trash n’ Treasure Market Tips”
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At last, something to do with shopping that I can relate to! *parades* You’d be surprised at the cool stuff you can get in army surplus stores.
*coughs*
Jordie on March 4 2007 #
For some reason, I remember my cousin giving me all these tips when we hit Fah Yuen Gai in Hong Kong (excuse my horrible phonetics, that’s meant to be Flower Street Market or whatever it’s called… you know, the one in Prince Edward (I think?))
Hee.
Manda on March 4 2007 #
Oh thank you so much for such a lovely post! I’ve never shopped there. I had this thing that I need to buy NEW clothes. I don’t know why. It feels icky otherwise.
Anyway, I now think that it’s possible to find great items, at such lower prices that I couldn’t resist. After all, the exists something called washing machine :-)
I’m saving this post for future shopping referral. Yay!! Oh no, I’m broke…
Anyway, this is great tips!
Constance on March 4 2007 #
You make me wish we had good op shops and whatnot out in the sticks.
Tracey on March 4 2007 #
Wait… Is it vaguely like a sample sale?
Amber on March 4 2007 #