A frustrated thrift shopper shared photos of a clearly fake designer handbag marked at an eye-popping price — reigniting online debate about rising costs and questionable pricing practices at secondhand stores.
The post, shared on Reddit's r/ThriftGrift community, shows a knock-off Yves Saint Laurent purse with a price tag of $499.99.
The shopper summed up their disbelief bluntly, writing, "This very fake $500 purse," with one commenter adding, "Even if it wasn't fake, they put the pricing gun through it!!!"
Commenters expressed shock not only at the cost for a secondhand item but also because the purse was visibly inauthentic. The photos show obvious design flaws that would immediately disqualify it as a genuine luxury item — making the price tag feel especially absurd.
Most thrift employees are not trained to authenticate designer items, which can lead to inflated prices for brand-name goods. Plus, when prices creep toward luxury-retail territory, it can feel like the system is undermining the very reasons people turn to thrift stores in the first place.
Still, situations like this are outliers when it comes to shopping at thrift stores. For millions of people, secondhand stores offer affordable access to everyday necessities, from clothing and kitchenware to furniture and kids items. Many shoppers also occasionally stumble across something valuable marked down to an unbelievable discount — such as classic mid-century furniture or jewelry.
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Thrifting also keeps usable goods out of landfills, giving items second lives and reducing unnecessary waste and manufacturing demand. Since landfills and industrial manufacturing are major sources of planet-warming pollution and microplastics, that's great news for people and the environment.
The comments section was filled with reactions ranging from disbelief to dark humor.
"They should be ashamed of themselves," one user wrote.
Another added, "They just see the logo, and the dollar signs in their eyes light up."
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A third joked, "YSL = You're So Lucky."
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