antique malls vs thrifts stores

[Sir Thrift-A-Lot]

Does anybody frequent antique malls?

I've noticed some items to be just as expensive (wish I could say just as cheap) as some of the thrifts (*ahem* Value Village AKA Savers) & the occasional item at Goodwill, Salvation Army, Pyrex at Talize.. price items just as expensive or even higher.

I recently found an antique mall in Woodstock, Ontario that has over 400 vendors & is over 50,000 square feet. I only spent $35 there, but I did get a lot of neat items, some similar items I see the thrifts charge an arm & a leg for.

- about 100 vintage swizzle sticks $2 for a bag of 50.
- a set of 8 golf club swizzle sticks with golf bag carrying case
- #502 Pyrex yellow refrigerator dish (no lid, pristine condition) (seen some of these priced up to $8.00 a TS, paid $4.25)
- #501 Pyrex refrigerator dish (no lid, pristine condition)
- vintage turquoise scale to weigh some food for my diet & gym stuff (looking for a New Kids on the Block duffel bag, BTW!) $12.50 (seen these for around $10.00 in disgusting colors & poor condition. this matches what I want to do my kitchen in)
- little vintage cinnamon spice jar $2.50, priced very nicely. can see this being priced upwards of $4/$5 at the thrifts

[Jay2TheRescue]

I occasionally find deals in antique malls, but that is rare.  and the dealers catch on fast.  Once we found a dealer with dirt cheap prices on Pyrex.  We bought almost all they had.  Next week the shelf was stocked up again, but the prices were much higher.

[brianrhc]

Most TSs price antiques about as high, or higher, as in an antique mall where the dealer needs to make a profit. If the TSs would price a bit lower, they might actually sell these items and get both money and space for all the items stacked in their storage.

[valleythriftshopper]

There is a big antique store up in Brattleboro, VT which is not too far from me, Twice Upon a Time.  It is like an antique mall as it is all spaces rented out by different vendors.  Good prices on nice stuff, it was featured in Country Living magazine a few months back.  Luckily I find dirt cheap stuff at tag sales and thrift stores sometimes, but when I am up there I enjoy going to that store.

I wonder if the thrift store pricing in Brattleboro is affected by that store at all, I should visit those thrifts more often.

[Jay2TheRescue]

The problem is that I think the thrifts should be selling these items at a price where someone can buy it and then resell it at a reasonable profit.  When an item is already priced at or above retail, there's no incentive for a dealer to buy it and then spend the time to find the right buyer for it.  The thrift should be keeping their inventory turning, not sitting on an item for months waiting for the "perfect" buyer.  Do you know what happens when a thrift shop's regular customers get tired of seeing the same overpriced merchandise every time they come in?  They stop coming!

[Big Daddy Audio]

  Do you know what happens when a thrift shop's regular customers get tired of seeing the same overpriced merchandise every time they come in?  They stop coming!

They may continue to come in, but they stop buying like they used to.

The price increases in the Goodwills around here have largely taken the incentive out of buying for resale, and my dollars no longer go into their coffers.

That being said, there are a TON of non-savvy shoppers who think that just because they find something in a thrift store, they are getting a killer deal.  The market has changed for the thrift stores.  They have found that they can price stuff very high and some idiot will pay their price, thinking they are getting a fantastic buy when they actually could get the same item, in better condition, while bidding against others, on eBay.  Ironic and infuriating at the same time.

Remember - all it takes is ONE IDIOT to pay that totally-out-of-line price.  This is the new mantra of the modern thrift store.

Anyway.

[Frchgrl]

Thrift stores are my "psych visit", my "escape", my "thrill" and I make money doing it.

Antique shops I go to relax and stroll and learn. I see them as museums where I can touch things. I know all if not most of the items are authentic so I like to go see up close what something looks like (ie, cloisonne vase.)

However I always pay attention to sales booth owners have in case I could turn a profit. And I have a few times. One time a dealer wanted out badly apparently and everything in her case was $2. Nothing to write home about but did find some awesome vintage purses and vintage bark-cloth pillows I resold for a killer profit. 

[subversivegrrl]

I look at antique stores the same way - I call it "grad school," where I learn more in-depth about different items.  You're more likely to see collections of things all together in an antique store and be able to see in person the differences between similar items.