A Redditor encountered a shocking item while secondhand shopping and shared their discovery with the community at r/ThriftStoreHauls.

"Greedwill find Charging $300 for something they received for free," the original poster wrote alongside photos of four new Caraway pans and the price tag. 

When sold new, this set is only $56 more and includes lids. 

Unfortunately, some thrift stores overprice items, but plenty of others have offered secondhand shoppers incredible deals. For example, Le Creuset pots, Griswold cast iron pots, and full stainless steel cookware sets have all been found by thrift shoppers. 

Getting great deals is a big part of thrift shopping, but it's not the only benefit. By preventing items from going to landfills, you're preventing loads of pollution. Lots of things, including clothing, emit methane as they decompose. That methane retains heat in the atmosphere and exacerbates increasingly destructive weather events such as floods, droughts, and other storms. 

Trash in landfills also leaches harmful materials into the environment. These can be toxic chemicals in the case of electronics, but even plain old plastic items shed particles over time that enter our food streams. When microplastics are ingested, they can pose a plethora of health risks. 

Buying used also means preventing the need to manufacture something new. Manufacturing poses its own social and environmental dangers. 

Thrift shopping can help curb these negative trends, and it's possible to engage in the circular economy by selling your gently loved items too. There are plenty of options for selling just about anything you might want to get out of your home. 

Commenters were keen to pile on about the unfair pricing showcased by the original poster.

"I have these and they are terrible. Way overpriced, not worth $300," one community member said. "If they're anything like mine, that tape will take the red paint off in chunks."

"Those pans are trash too," another wrote.

What's your primary motivation in shopping at thrift stores? Cheaper clothes 🤑 Trendier items 😎 Reduced environmental impact 🌎 I don't thrift 🚫 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

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