In the last decade, thrift hunting has become a hobby for many people with a sharp eye for budget-friendly treasure. The TikToker who goes by the handle @Mrsniceguyy has had enough of the high prices for secondhand goods.
Captioned “I just can’t deal anymore,” the author shared a video stating that “Value Village just needs to be called out,” since they’re “getting out of control.” Mrsniceguyy shows a couple of examples on the green screen. She shows what a ripoff their prices are for used, worn, dirty and defunct items that don’t even cost that much new.
The author created a petition that has over 100 signatures out of 200. The company is lazy and cares more about making a buck than offering consumers a way to shop secondhand instead of buying new, according to the petition.
Let us know if you have noticed price increases in thrift stores by scrolling down to see what Mrsniceguyy had to say about Value Village.
One TikToker has had enough of Value Village thrift store pricing that is worn out, old and dirty, and she called them out.
The secondhand market is growing faster than ever before. The global market value of secondhand and resale apparel was 27 billion U.S. dollars. The value is projected to double in size from 2020 to 2023 and reach 77 billion dollars in 25 years.
This growth is not limited to the U.S. The Boston Consulting Group conducted a study in 6 countries in 2020. The global secondhand market should grow by 15-20% per year in the next 5 years, according to an estimate by the online platform for luxury secondhand fashion items.
What are the reasons for the secondhand renaissance? First of all, consumers prioritize sustainable living, and retailers are embracing it. According to experts, we are in the early stages of a radical transformation in retail.
Resale platforms are to blame for the surge in secondhand demand. Consumers can connect with digital resale marketplaces like Depop. In the U.S. Fashion brands are selling their own approved secondhand pieces on their websites.
We reached out to Sean Fowlow, the professional thrift hunter and creator of Ridiculous Thrifter, to discuss rising prices in thrift stores. Sean said that everything has gone up in price. He has an entertaining page that features the wonderful, bizarre, and ridiculously overpriced items found at secondhand stores and charity shops. You can find the article here.
“Partly because of inflation, but I would have to argue it’s mostly because of the explosion in popularity of re-selling used items on the internet for extra income. The thrift shop owners have caught on to this and are now researching the current market values of items before pricing them for sale.”
Sean explained that “for instance, several years ago a particular thrift shop would have a set price for all video games…say $3.99 each or so. Now, at most shops, you will find the more valuable games priced separately and locked in a glass showcase with a price tag of whatever it sells for currently on eBay.” The professional thrifter said that it is the same for retro toys, collectibles, and cookware. “The days of finding a treasure for cheap at a thrift store are unfortunately almost behind us,” he told us.
A petition was created by the author asking people to boycott Value Village.
Sean confirmed that it is common for thrift stores to sell items for a higher price than you would pay for a brand new item. In the past few years, I have noticed this happening more frequently. The professional thrifter created his “Ridiculous Thrifter” social media accounts to make fun of the larger thrift shops.
“You will often find brand new or good-used conditioned items priced higher than the original retail price. Many times, they get caught being lazy by failing to remove the original price tag. For instance a pair of pants with the original store price tag of $8.99 along with the thrift store’s new price tag of $14.99. This is both frustrating and laughable at the same time.”
Sean said that these stores are notorious for pricing dollar store items for more than what they were originally sold for. “For example a $1.99 “Dollar Tree” cheese grater priced for $4.99 at “Value Village” with the original “Dollar Tree” price still attached to the item haha. I have many examples of this on my account,” he said and added that “I personally call this greedy, but it makes for good content which people enjoy seeing.”
Many people agree that the prices at Value Village are out of control.
