An Eye for the goods

[superiorgirl]

Is 'the eye' an acquired skill? Are you born with it or without it? Can you walk into a ts or gs, scan the merchandise and instinctively pick up the goodies? I've never really thought about this, but my friends have been telling me that the reason why they don't go to the ts is that they never find anything good. I *almost always* come out with at least one treasure. How about you?

[Magpie18]

I think it is a skill you can acquire.

I used to work retail (clothing) & my eye can judge the quality of the fabric & the stitching.  It is the little things -- like judging if a button hole was machine or hand finished  -- or if a label is woven versus ink printed.  But even before looking at the details of a piece of clothing,  I scan the racks looking for the fabrics (shoulders & sleeves) to look for unfaded cloth with no pilling.  Or I might just run my hands over the sleeves --- you can feel the difference between fine silk knit or cashmere or cheap acrylic.

I collect costume jewelry -- have read every book the public library has on the subject & hang around various message boards on the topic.  I can look at a piece & make a judgement on quality, age & condition.  LOL, my collect takes up a large blanket chest.

On the other hand,  I understand nothing that plugs in or is electronic by nature.  All cameras or turn tables look the same to me.

[Good Buddy]

It depends on what you think is "good" also.
I have the eye, somewhat. I can spot the word thrift from 400 yards away.
I also tend to be able to find goodies, but you have to educate yourself about all sorts of things to really have the eye.

All cameras or turn tables look the same to me.

You cannot use my camera, or play my records!

[Big Daddy Audio]

Self-Education is key.  If there is something that interests you, learn all you can about it, including what the good stuff looks like.  Learn the good brands for your particular area.

For instance:  There are certain brands of electronics that are widely accepted as good to high quality (Pioneer, Marantz, Technics, Onkyo, older Realistic, Denon, Sansui, Carver, Sony, etc.) and others that are not (newer RCA, newer Fisher, newer Sherwood, newer TEAC, Emerson, etc.).  There are some that are considered the crown jewels (McIntosh, Krell, Nakamichi, Tascam, etc.), and others that are considered to be utter garbage (Symphonic, Coby, JWin, etc.).  Once you learn that, then you learn which models in which years are the best.  It becomes second nature after a while.  You'll also pick up the "traits of quality" that will indicate good manufacture from slipshod (eg - Electronics made in USA, Japan, UK, Germany, and Belgium are generally higher quality; things made in China and Malaysia are generally not - no slight intended, it's just the nature of the electronic beast).  You also learn to judge quality based on appearance, design architecture, and features, so if you come across a make and/or model that you are not familiar with, you can apply what you know about other makes and similar models in order to make a reasonably good guess.

The same can generally be applied to any area of expertise - photo gear, kitchenalia, women's clothing and accessories, books, records, furniture, etc.

That is all.   

[Thrift Shop Romantic]

I think we'd mentioned before in another thread the ability to train yourself to discern things more easily from a ton of items, when you know what it is you're looking for. Like what the cover of a particular book looks like. For me, I can tell by an edge of a stack of plates if one might be the kind I collect. It's the thickness and the style of gold leafing that gives it away.

So really self-education and really knowing what you like, need and want before you ever head into a thrift-- that can make a huge difference.

I think this is how so many of us end up Speed Thrifting! 

[alexandra]

All excellent points so far!  I think the other key is to learn from those who buy this stuff at full retail.  I read blogs of folks who expend large chunks of money on shoes, bags, clothing, etc.  I could never afford to do that -- but it is a great way to learn about quality.

In order to recognize quality, you have to see it.  Sometimes that means stopping in to Saks Fifth Avenue, or Bonwit's... yeah, you gasp at the prices -- but you also learn about what they are selling and how well it's made.

I like to refer to Hannibal Lechter's statement to Clarisse "we covet that which we can see."  If you don't get to see quality (in whatever it is that interest you -- in Paul's case it's hearing...), you'll never learn to recognize it.

IMO, you can be born with "good taste" -- so long as the taste you are inclined to gravitate towards is judged as quality by the company you keep!

Thriftily,
Alexandra
www.livingwithoutmoney.blogspot.com

[Thrift Shop Romantic]

Very sage, Ms. A!! (As always!)

You also got me thinking how, when I'm looking for vintage things at thrifts, I am also aware of what's been reproduced and available at places like TJ Maxx and Marshalls. It helps to be able to say, "You know, I don't think that's actually old." It gives you a better chance of getting value-- and a little bit of history. (Sometimes, of course, if the price is good and the look is nice, it doesn't matter.)

"Knowing is half the battle." 

[MrsGoodwill]

Oh, yes, I was born with a keen eye for the goods. I almost always get it right. Even with items that I know nothing about. I can vibe quality quite easily. I consider it a real blessing.

The one time I did buy an outright duffer, my gut told me no, but I bought it anyway. It was a so-called "vintage" wire egg basket that was chicken shaped. At first glance it appeared to be chickatastic, but when I got it to the car I had another look at it and immediately felt that icky remorseful feeling. Long story short -- A few weeks later I ended-up seeing the same chicken in an el cheapo discount store for less than I paid for mine.

[alexandra]

Twenty five or so years ago, I remember going through the Salvation Army with some girls from school.  This was college.  I grew up in a very affluent NY suburb (my family was not affluent at all!). 

Even then, I could tear through the racks and say "yes" or "no" to an item because I knew the label names, what was "expensive" and what was crap.  We'd go to the Army every couple of week and I was deemed "the scout leader."  Then after college, I stopped thrifting for a long time.

I don't mean this posting to sound snotty -- but in fact, it has a lot to do with my thrifting philosophy.  Where I grew up, there were no thrifts.  There was no way I could afford to dress as well as the other kids in school.  That was quite a social limitation.

However, I learned from it all.  And that's how I started to learn what was quality and what was not.

As for what was "good taste," I think a great comment was made by Miss Manners (Judith Martin) in regard to good manners/etiquette when she said that in order for etiquette to succeed, one must have the consent of all participants.  I take that to mean that in order for your clothes and belongings to be considered "in good taste," those around you must consent to the same standard of style.

What I like about being able to spot and afford "quality," is that quality goes beyond style.  Regardless of taste, a well made piece is a well-made piece, and an inferior one is inferior.

Thriftily,
Alexandra
www.livingwithoutmoney.blogspot.com

[Jay2TheRescue]

At the rummage sale yesterday I helped out a woman pick out some slacks for her nephew.  He needed something nice for church, and he only has his father who doesn't know how to shop.  I went through the stacks of pants and without even seeing the labels I pulled out Banana Republic, Eddie Bauer, Orvis, and other expensive brands.  I guess working in a drycleaners really helps in spotting quality stuff.

-Jay

[Mattie]

I don't really have an eye for high-quality clothing - if it fits and it looks good and it's cheap enough, that's all that matters to me.  I know good furniture when I see it (and alas, I never see Hey-Wake).  The things that "speak" to me are housewares and knicknacks and odd items.  If I pick something up and it tells me it spent 50 years in the garage of a man who was a tinkerer, I usually buy it.  I'm attracted to weird old things, and I determine "quality" by how hard they've been used and how long someone has hung on to them.  Generally, plastic doesn't speak to me at all.

[Monimania]

I can spot a vintage anything a mile away, I know whats good clothing and what is not, but its if I want it or not, a lot of those expensive label things I am not into

someone gave me Tommy Hilfiger something or other and I cut the label off!!!

[Other People s Junk]

I have an eye for some things, mostly vintage... I think it just comes with practice and what you learn (and if you can apply it). 

It does make me wonder what good things I am passing up, just because I don't know! 

[Cookie]

I agree that the eye for quality comes with practice.  Even if things aren't your specific style or taste you can usually tell if it's quality, like magpie was saying about the clothing, and with glassware and china it's the same thing.  You eventually know what to look for.  I have stopped myself from buying bad quality things because if I do find something similar that is much higher quality, I'll feel like I can't buy it because I already spent my money on the crappy stuff.  I have convinced myself to move on many times by reassuring myself that I will find a better (fill in the blank) someday soon and I will not want to have wasted the money on the inferior (fill in the blank).