If you lack reasons for swapping chain stores for thrift shops, this Reddit user has a good one for you.

In addition to finding a pair of Birkenstock sandals in good condition for merely $9, when the famous German brand usually sells those for more than $100, the original poster made an interesting discovery inside one of its other finds.

"I started to clean the leather jacket and I found a gift card in the pocket!" they shared with the folks on the r/GoodwillBins subreddit. "It had the gift receipt and it said from 2017 but still has a 20 dollar balance! Yay."

Beyond a financial win on some well-known brands, thrifting can lead you to rare vintage gems that you are certain not to see anywhere else. Luckily, between garage sales, antiques, flea markets, and pawn shops, the choice for those who swear by secondhand items is wide and still growing.

According to Boston Consulting Group, the market for secondhand fashion and luxury products is estimated at $210-220 billion. By 2030, it could reach $320-360 billion. "With a 10% annual growth rate, the secondhand market is expanding three times faster than the firsthand market," it says.

This comes at a time when the fast-fashion industry is increasingly criticized for encouraging the overconsumption of clothes, which are often manufactured in poor conditions. Shein, for example, is not only known to generate trash by the second — which usually ends up contaminating the soil and groundwater in landfills — but it is also facing accusations of child labor, tax evasion, and other ethical violations.

More recently, it has sparked a controversy for selling childlike sex dolls, the BBC reported, days before the planned opening of its first physical store in Paris amid the heavy presence of riot police and protesters, as a video from France 24 attests. The French government has initiated proceedings to suspend the platform.

Hopefully, more and more online users recognize the importance of upcycling and recycling old clothes as part of efforts to curtail their environmental impact and are thrilled by this Reddit post.

"I love seeing posts from treasure hunters when they [find] stuff like this!" one of them said.

"Ayyyy! Congrats," another commented.

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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