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Post by librarylady on Jul 25, 2024 15:56:33 GMT
Background: Friend had visitors from Germany. She had made plans on where she would take them when they visited Dallas. Visitors arrived with a list of where they wanted to go. #1 on the list was a resale shop. She took them and they purchased many items. Unfortunately she didn't ask...so I am asking:
Do you have resale shops in your area? Is it just "a thing" in the US?
I would have never placed a resale shop on my list of "must do" when I visited a foreign city. I enjoy visiting them from time to time --sort of a window shopping experience. I might look for a specific older item there if I thought it was something no longer sold.
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wellway
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Post by wellway on Jul 25, 2024 16:09:11 GMT
Can you clarify what you mean by a resale shop?
We have charity shops, discount shops, shops like TK Maxx etc
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Post by katlady on Jul 25, 2024 16:12:35 GMT
In Japan, resale shops are popular. There is one resale shop that in now in the US, Book-Off. They started out as a second hand book store, but now sell all kinds of things. And in Japan, they have Mode-Off, which is second hand clothing. Many gaming enthusiasts will go to the resale shops for games and computer equipment in Japan. And camera resales are big in Japan. I've seen tourist videos of the guys hitting up the electronic resale shops in Japan. There are also big flea markets where people go to look for vintage Japanese goods, and tourists make videos of that too.
I would imagine it is the same in Europe. I know flea markets are a big thing.
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Post by GiantsFan on Jul 25, 2024 16:14:36 GMT
I'm US, but wanted to add
When I hosted work collegues from other countries they wanted to go to K-Mart or Target for clothing and Costco for vitamins and other hygeine goods like lotion and soap. One person even bought a suitcase at Target to take the extra goods back. One person bought maybe 10 or so pairs of Levi's. I thought it was interesting they filled a suitcase with fish oil capsules, toothpaste and Dove soap.
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Post by katlady on Jul 25, 2024 16:15:41 GMT
Can you clarify what you mean by a resale shop? Resale shops in the US generally means stores that sell second hand items. People sell their items to the store and then the store resells it. They are a for-profit organization. Thrift store are generally non-profit and they get their items through donations.
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caangel
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Post by caangel on Jul 25, 2024 16:17:00 GMT
We have several "resale" shops in our city. The ones I am familiar with are 3 charity shops and 1 resale (for profit). Plus there are ones that only do kids stuff and we have at least 2 or 3 of those. Some areas are know for their resale shops/thrift stores.
When we visited Japan one of the travel sites mentioned that resale shops are popular with tourists.
I personally don't shop at them much at all. But I love my Buy Nothing Facebook group and have received a lot of clothes and other items from there. I love hand me downs for my self and kids.
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Post by milocat on Jul 25, 2024 16:27:22 GMT
Can you clarify what you mean by a resale shop? Resale shops in the US generally means stores that sell second hand items. People sell their items to the store and then the store resells it. They are a for-profit organization. Thrift store are generally non-profit and they get their items through donations. Like a consignment shop? We have those in Canada. Plato's Closet is one with many locations. Also there are just local ones in cities.
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Post by katlady on Jul 25, 2024 16:34:33 GMT
Resale shops in the US generally means stores that sell second hand items. People sell their items to the store and then the store resells it. They are a for-profit organization. Thrift store are generally non-profit and they get their items through donations. Like a consignment shop? We have those in Canada. Plato's Closet is one with many locations. Also there are just local ones in cities. Consignment shops are different. You, the seller, are not giving up claim to your property, you are still making money on what sells. The store will take a cut of the sale, but you generally set your prices. They are just providing you with a place to sell your items.
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Post by librarylady on Jul 25, 2024 16:39:35 GMT
Can you clarify what you mean by a resale shop? We have charity shops, discount shops, shops like TK Maxx etc Items that are in good condition but the owner no longer wants to use them. The items are donated or sold to a shop that then offers the item for sale. The profit from selling the used item (includes clothes) might be profit to the owner or given to various charitable places. I often donate and shop at a store that has the profits used to fund a shelter for battered women.
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wellway
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Post by wellway on Jul 25, 2024 16:43:56 GMT
katlady thanks, we call thrift shops charity shops, individual shops are run by e.g. Oxfam, British heart foundation, pet charities etc There are vintage shops that sell second hand clothes. I'm aware of online sites like vinted. Car boot sales are big. They are temporary sites, set up in fields or car parks, that people drive to on a Sunday morning, set up tables and sell their stuff. Usually over by midday.
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Post by sueg on Jul 25, 2024 16:44:50 GMT
I would imagine it is the same in Europe. I know flea markets are a big thing. Flea markets are big in Germany - there is a calendar here in Munich and surrounds for all the neighbourhood markets. Charity shops on the other hand - I haven’t seen one in Munich, and I looked and asked around when we moved two years ago as I wanted to donate stuff we were getting rid of, and no one knew what I was talking about. There are Resale shops, but they are more consignment shops for higher end clothing. I can't talk for all of Europe - with over 30 countries, here ae lots of differences between them.
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Post by gar on Jul 25, 2024 17:34:18 GMT
I'm US, but wanted to add When I hosted work collegues from other countries they wanted to go to K-Mart or Target for clothing and Costco for vitamins and other hygeine goods like lotion and soap. One person even bought a suitcase at Target to take the extra goods back. One person bought maybe 10 or so pairs of Levi's. I thought it was interesting they filled a suitcase with fish oil capsules, toothpaste and Dove soap. I wonder if that was due to the exchange rate at the time? I know we used to ask my BIL to bring back certain items from the States when he travelled for business purely for the cost factor.
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Post by caangel on Jul 25, 2024 17:47:48 GMT
I'm US, but wanted to add When I hosted work collegues from other countries they wanted to go to K-Mart or Target for clothing and Costco for vitamins and other hygeine goods like lotion and soap. One person even bought a suitcase at Target to take the extra goods back. One person bought maybe 10 or so pairs of Levi's. I thought it was interesting they filled a suitcase with fish oil capsules, toothpaste and Dove soap. I wonder if that was due to the exchange rate at the time? I know we used to ask my BIL to bring back certain items from the States when he travelled for business purely for the cost factor. My mom has always brought an entire suitcase of vitamins and meds to her family in Taiwan. We fill it with gifts from them and souvenirs to bring back. We were just there 6 months ago.
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Post by Basket1lady on Jul 25, 2024 17:50:54 GMT
They are big in France (or at least northern France) and Belgium. There are a few types: -Charity shops much like a Goodwill in the US. These tend to be small, locally run shops that get household items and clothing by donations. -Table sales/tag sales/garage sales (vide-verniers) -Flea markets often in conjunction with large farmers markets (Les Puces in Paris is probably the most famous flea market), but you often find them in conjunction with farmers markets/markets -Brocantes. Is Les Puces a giant brocante? Probably but that’s what it’s called. These tend to be more like a US antique shop
In my experience, Europeans have definitely embraced the “reuse” part of reduce, reuse, recycle and it’s very normal to buy items secondhand.
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Post by Linda on Jul 25, 2024 17:52:24 GMT
I know years ago when we lived on British bases in Germany and Cyprus, there were charity shops on base and my mum would get toys, books, clothes, even household items at them and I'm sure donated things we outgrew or weren't coming with us when we moved.
DS32 got almost all of his kitchen supplies (plates, cups, pots...) at a resale shop when he lived off base in Japan (2016-2019).
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Post by hopemax on Jul 25, 2024 18:14:09 GMT
One of our activities when we visit other countries is to try and track down secondary market shops or antique markets. Especially, to look for vintage Disney stuff, because there is a bunch of internationally licensed stuff. So in London we've been to Portobello Road, Camden Market (the Horse Stables are neat), Covent Garden, Greenwich Market, I think Spitalfields and one or two other places. Found a place in Hong Kong near Causeway Bay that resold Disney, Anime, other Pop Culture, as well as a shopping center that was focused on toys & pop culture collectibles. Some of the stuff is new / imports but some is resell. Tokyo seems to have a lot more. We only touched a little of it on our first trip, by going to Nakano Broadway mall. But this time I have a list of the previously mentioned Book Off and associated stores (there's like Treasure Off, Hobby Off).
We didn't have time to do any of this when we went to Paris, but when it's just DH and me, we want to go to Les Puces de Saint-Ouen, which calls itself the largest antique market in the world.
Edit: I should also mention that at least for London and Tokyo, DH also has a very small list of places to find used football (soccer) jerseys and vintage Hawaiian shirts.
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Post by bc2ca on Jul 25, 2024 18:19:39 GMT
In my experience, Europeans have definitely embraced the “reuse” part of reduce, reuse, recycle and it’s very normal to buy items secondhand. This was my first thought. A niece was involved in a project a few years ago that was essentially a challenge to not buy any new clothing but repurpose and reuse items purchased secondhand or free through organized clothing exchanges. I think once you embrace this philosophy, you are always on the hunt for a great bargain. For me, visiting a grocery store or two or twelve is high on my list when in another country/city so I get it being a must do for someone who shops resale regularly at home.
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GiantsFan
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Post by GiantsFan on Jul 25, 2024 19:31:19 GMT
I'm US, but wanted to add When I hosted work collegues from other countries they wanted to go to K-Mart or Target for clothing and Costco for vitamins and other hygeine goods like lotion and soap. One person even bought a suitcase at Target to take the extra goods back. One person bought maybe 10 or so pairs of Levi's. I thought it was interesting they filled a suitcase with fish oil capsules, toothpaste and Dove soap. I wonder if that was due to the exchange rate at the time? I know we used to ask my BIL to bring back certain items from the States when he travelled for business purely for the cost factor. It's possible. This was the 1990's - early 2000's.
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Post by melanell on Jul 25, 2024 19:32:05 GMT
I'm in the US, but I think if you're a person that enjoys shopping, then you often will want to shop when you travel. So it stands to reason to me, that if someone enjoys thrift stores in Germany, they may wish to also go to some in the US, hoping to bring home items unique to the area. I imagine it's kind of like my mom, who if traveling by car to an area in the same planting hardiness zone as their home, will always want to check out any local nurseries to see if she can find yet another plant to drag home to her umpteen gardens. ![;)](//storage.proboards.com/5645536/images/Q_m8lDOvc_3Le3r1GKdf.jpg)
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Post by papersilly on Jul 25, 2024 20:41:52 GMT
In Japan, resale shops are popular. There is one resale shop that in now in the US, Book-Off. this is top on my list for when we go to japan. as a collector of vintage Coach bags, i've seen videos of this chain of stores having large inventories of them. when we were in France, we happened across a mid-week flea market. i picked up a ceramic piece that was made in Nice, France. that is my favorite souvenir from that trip. when we were in london, we stumbled upon a thrift shop where i bought another local item that i still have to this day. i hope my luck carries over when we visit Italy soon and we can visit some resale shops there.
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Post by ntsf on Jul 25, 2024 21:20:12 GMT
in new zealand, they are called op shops.. my dd shops them all the time.
but they also load up on clothes from old navy and discount stores and makeup when they come to the states.
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Post by Basket1lady on Jul 25, 2024 21:26:51 GMT
In my experience, Europeans have definitely embraced the “reuse” part of reduce, reuse, recycle and it’s very normal to buy items secondhand. This was my first thought. A niece was involved in a project a few years ago that was essentially a challenge to not buy any new clothing but repurpose and reuse items purchased secondhand or free through organized clothing exchanges. I think once you embrace this philosophy, you are always on the hunt for a great bargain. For me, visiting a grocery store or two or twelve is high on my list when in another country/city so I get it being a must do for someone who shops resale regularly at home. I always seek out grocery stores too. I like to see what’s the same and what’s different from the US stores. Plus, we usually eat in for 1-2 meals or take a picnic, so I’m in search of those foods as well.
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Post by librarylady on Jul 26, 2024 19:47:15 GMT
We usually seek the grocery stores for picnics or food to eat without a trip to a restaurant.
When I sold toilet paper, I would always visit the paper aisle and see what brands were sold there, or what the TP was like. On my first trip to Europe, I came home with about 10 sheets per country to show my coworkers the Swiss, German and French toilet paper.
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Post by katlady on Jul 26, 2024 20:05:11 GMT
I like to visit grocery stores too. It is always interesting to see what they eat and it is neat when you see American products on the shelf in a foreign language.
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Post by supersoda on Jul 26, 2024 21:22:23 GMT
My Texan DD is living in England right now and she regularly hits the charity shops. There’s a really nice one close to her, and she always finds super cute things.
I’m another one for visiting grocery stores in other countries. It’s always fun to see what’s different and what’s the same.
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