You’ve decided to go on a thrifting tour. Everything is settled: you got the addresses of the local thrift stores saved on your phone, you’ve brought your own bag and a you’re in a great mood. But then, you enter the first store, it smells a little strange and there is just SO MUCH. It’s actually pretty overwhelming. Where do you have to look?! This happened to me many times and that’s why I came up with some guidelines. Here’s my guide on thrifting for beginners.

Second hand shopping: some guidelines

1. Before you go shopping, go through your closet. Are there any pieces missing? What do you need in order to complete your wardrobe, instead of just filling it? Because rule number 1 in shopping, second hand or new: buy out of need.
2. When you found something you need, try to imagine the exact piece you’re looking for. What color does it have? Of what kind of material is it made of? How does the fit look like?
3. Have you imagined what you’re looking for? Great! Take the piece in mind when entering a thrift store. Now you know exactly what you’re looking for.
4. Are you looking for more than one or two items? Try to split it up into separate shopping days. This advice I give you, because most of the time our brain can only focus on one item whilst searching. For example: if you’re looking for a dark blue sweater made of wool, it’s pretty hard to search for a white lyocell top at the same time. So that’s why I recommend splitting it up, so you can focus on what you really need, instead of feeling overwhelmed by all the items hanging in the thrift stores.
5. Have you found something that’s almost what you’re looking for, but still isn’t perfect? Don’t buy it! You’ll probably regret what you’ve bought and won’t be as happy wearing it as you could be, so keep looking for the perfect one.
6. And last but not least: make fun and enjoy the searching and strolling from shop to shop! 🙂

Want more tips on thrifting for beginners? Check out this video by KarenBritChick.