Thrift shoppers have been known to find some rare and valuable items at these secondhand shops, such as this silver bowl by American silversmith Paul Revere and authentic vintage jewelry.
What shoppers don't expect is the exploitative pricing that some thrift shops have been charging.
A thrift shopper was deeply disturbed when they saw the price of an antique Peace dollar coin and a gold bracelet at their local thrift shop. They shared a picture of the inflated price tags on the vintage items in the r/ThriftGrift subreddit.
"Behold!" the original poster wrote. "They're asking $199 plus tax. Color blue is 25 percent off." The OP shared a picture of the vintage items, which appear to be locked in a glass display case. The Peace dollar coin was priced at $199.99, while the gold bracelet was listed at $532.99.
According to the OP's insight on the thrift shop's tag discount, the price of the vintage coin brand-new would be $149.99, and the gold bracelet would be $399.74.
One Redditor commented: "That chain doesn't even look like it's worth anything, and the sticky residue from the tag is going to leave that silver dollar looking like a hot mess."
The Peace dollar coin is a U.S. dollar coin minted between 1921 and 1935. Designed by Anthony de Francisci, the original Peace dollar coin was meant to celebrate the peace at the end of World War 1, according to the American Numismatic Association.
Peace dollar coins have become a collector's item because of their historical significance, as well as the coin's material composition.
Today's coins are made of a composition of cheaper, longer-lasting metals such as nickel, copper, and zinc, but original Peace dollar coins "were struck in 90% pure silver and contain over ¾ ounce of silver," per First Commemorative Mint. That is roughly 21 grams of silver per coin, which is worth about $87 at current silver prices.
"1922 Peace dollar is $60 tops," one commenter challenged.
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$200 or more 💰 The thrift store's inflated prices for these items of value show where their motivations lie — making the most profit possible from used and often donated items.
Fortunately, this exploitative pricing practice isn't the norm for most thrift shops. One lucky thrift shopper found a $10,000 luxury lounge chair at their local secondhand shop for a fraction of the retail price.
Another thrift shopper stumbled across a vintage, 100% wool Coogi sweater from the 1990s for only $5.99.
Shopping at thrift shops helps divert still-usable items such as used clothing, furniture, and electronics from entering landfills. Everyday shoppers can also find household necessities and rare and valuable items at discounted prices, which allows consumers to buy and try new things without breaking the bank.
However, in this instance, the thrift shop marked up these items to squeeze every possible dollar from its shoppers.
"Why not make it $1,000 each? Why not $10,000?" one Redditor asked sarcastically.
"You know what people don't want on '$200 coins,'" another commenter asked. "A price tag stuck to it."
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