“I Found My Holy Grail”: 14 Thrift Store Finds So Good, They Had To Be Bragged About

Thrift shopping is like a modern-day treasure hunt, with some differences corresponding to the time. For instance, instead of rolling out your map and sailing 20 days and 20 nights to your destination, you open up a GPS app and make your way to a local thrift store in roughly 20 minutes.

Then, instead of digging through the dirt on a remote island, you dig through piles of clothing and items that are not to your liking, until you see something that shines like gold; or in the latter scenario, something that looks like a used Hermes bag in nearly mint condition, a kind of teapot you’ve been looking for everywhere, or a signed album of your favorite artist from the early 2000s.

Nowadays, there is no perfect treasure for everyone, as the things that thrifters want or need the most differ from person to person. To show you just how diverse people’s treasures can get, we put together a list of some of the best finds shoppers have ever stumbled upon, and, of course, just had to share it with the ‘Thrift Store Hauls’ community. So wait no longer, scroll down to find them below—where you will also find Pictolic’s interview with the founder of the subreddit—and make sure to upvote the best ones!

14 PHOTOS

#1 You Guys. Omg. $55 For All 4. I’m Done. I’ve Peaked

#2 "I'll Just Try Them On For Fun," I Told My Husband, That Was A Lie

#3 I Found The Cutest Little Guy To Help Keep My Doors Open

“A forum dedicated to sharing your thrift finds. Garage sales, flea markets, pawn shops, and more are all allowed. Come join our community and share your passion for the hunt with like-minded people!” reads the subreddit’s description, inviting thrift store enthusiasts to show off their best finds.

Unsurprisingly, the person who created the sub is an avid thrift store visitor, too. “I do shop at thrift stores often,” they told Bored Panda in a recent interview. “I don't generally look at clothes (I am 6'5" with long arms, so it's hard to find clothes that fit). But I get a lot of kitchen stuff, board games, and electronics from thrift stores. I just really like looking at all the weird stuff they have, or stuff from my childhood. It is a form of entertainment to me.”

#4 Thrifted My Wedding Dress For $30

#5 I've Found Interesting Things In Thrifted Suit Pockets Before, But Never $2000 In Cash

The Redditor shared that they started r/thriftstorehauls (back in 2011) after noticing that there weren't any active thrifting subreddits. “Managing the sub is pretty easy. The community does a good job at reporting stuff enough that it gets auto-removed. There are a lot of active people who let others know about our rules when someone posts something they shouldn’t. It's just a great community.”

#6 Snagged My White Whale From Fbm! It’s Ridiculously Heavy And I Love It So Much!

#7 Suddenly All My Problems Have Gone Away, Got My White Whale For Free Today

#8 I Lost My Mind 3x

“For the first couple of years, the subreddit was pretty small, with less than 2000 people, and it was extremely chill. You would see the same people all the time,” the founder recalled. “Now with us being as big as we are (the sub currently has roughly 3.7m members), it is hard to get to know people. Which isn’t a bad problem to have, though I do miss the days of it being small, which is why in part we started a Discord.”

#9 Found My Wedding Dress For $11.50 At Goodwill

#10 Some Of The Bugs I Have Thrifted Over The Years

#11 35 Bucks At Goodwill. I’ve Peaked

According to Capital Shopping, as much as 16-18% of the US population shop at thrift stores. By doing that and buying secondhand, they reportedly save an average of over $1,700 per year.

But being able to save money when shopping is just part of the beauty of thrifting. “When thrifting, you will find things that aren't really for sale anywhere else other than eBay or other websites like FB marketplace. Generally, when you find something cool, it will be cheaper,” the head of ‘Thrift Store Hauls’ told Pictolic. “In my opinion, the biggest difference is that walking around a thrift store is more entertaining than walking around a Target or Walmart.”

#12 My Daughter Found The Love Of Her Life Today

#13 We Scored This German Imported 1978 Vw T2 For $4,200 Today Off Fb Marketplace And We Are Stoked

#14 Went To Goodwill For Dishes

According to the aforementioned source, the secondhand market in the US has been growing steadily at least since 2017 (with a slight drop in 2020, arguably because of the chaos caused by the pandemic). Standing at $43 billion as of 2023, the market is expected to reach $73 billion in 2028.