Thrifting can be an excellent activity to find yourself one-of-a-kind items. However, there’s quite a difference between thrifting online and in-person.
Online Thrifting:
Thrifting online can be dated back as far as the early 2000s with many eBay websites that cater these services to the mass. There weren’t as many online outlets for people to trade or sell their stuff in the past, unlike today.
With the rise of thrift shopping and many young people are getting more environmentally conscious, more and more online services, resellers, and even websites are popping up to satisfy people’s needs. These services are open up to the public and they offer many options ranging from low-end to even high-end products. The main reason why people are so fond of online thrift shopping is you can do this in the comfort of your own home, the choices are endless and you can get your item shipped right to your doorstep with just a click.
Online thrifting is an easy way for you to acquire and hunt for your favorite items, but they also come with many hidden liabilities. One of the main concerns of thrifting online is you always have to be careful with scammers, you need to be cautious with who you are dealing with. Always check both the customer’s and the seller’s credentials before purchasing or selling anything online as they can cost you quite a bit of damage if you are not paying attention.
Another drawback of online thrifting is always the additional fees that come with every purchase, whether this is the overall shipping cost or the small amount of tax shown up after you pay. You more often than not have to spend extra for your services far from the original price that you intended to which can be a bit of an inconvenience when you are on a tight budget.
In-person thrifting:
Thrifting in person is one of the more organic ways for you to thrift, but it is also an art form that tends to be overlooked because of the skillset it needs, you have to actively find and dig for the item yourself. Despite the comfort online thrifting brings, in-person thrifting is the place where you can find the best deal.
The location where you thrift may vary depending on where you live, whether it is a big open-air market or a chain thrift store, you can find everything you like at a fraction of the price compared to online thrifting. People love thrifting organically like this because it provides them with a sense of euphoria when they find something rare or valuable. The adrenaline rush is something you cannot find somewhere else.
Another benefit is you can stumble upon things you might prefer by accident, so there’s an element of surprise as well thrown in the mix. Different from online thrifting, the real advantage real-life thrifting brings is you have the option to be more active and quick on your feet rather than have to wait for the sellers to respond. This can be detrimental since thrifting needs you to be fast in order to get the product you like.
Some of the fallbacks of in-person thrifting are it can be a game of luck, and we have to deal with it whether we like it or not. Sometimes you can come home empty-handed or even see the item you like got taken away by somebody else right before you. Do not allow this to let you down, always keep looking and moving forward.
Whichever type of thrifting that you choose, always remember to have fun and good luck on your thrifting!!!