How do thrift stores set prices? Longtime volunteer spills insider secrets

/Jan Wintonyk

Written for Daily Hive by Jan Wintonyk, a non-profit thrift store volunteer who has spent hundreds of hours assessing, sorting and pricing secondhand goods and antiques.

Many people volunteer at non-profit thrift stores, donating their time and expertise to create an income source for their favourite charities.

Many of these people are retired professionals who have some experience in evaluating or assessing worth of the many donated items that a thrift store acquires every day.

Many more are willing to lend a hand and a strong back to stocking, cleaning, steaming and repairing items that are made ready for sale.

Bags of donations at a Canadian thrift store /Jan Wintonyk

Every day, especially in the spring, donors bring carloads of items that they no longer need or want. Many times we receive the entire contents of a household where the owner has gone into care or has passed away, and the family just packs up the belongings and are relieved to have a place to get rid of them.

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Many boxes haven’t been opened in decades and are very interesting to unpack and evaluate. Recently we unwrapped a beautiful set of china that was wrapped in newspaper dated 1965!

Glassware for sale at the store /Jan Wintonyk

Will the item sell?

The items are sorted into various categories, clothing, hardware, décor, toys, small electric appliances, paintings, clocks, etc. and assigned to individual volunteers to process.

Clothing is checked for rips, stains, and saleability (is it in style? Showing too much wear?). Items are then priced according to brand and quality. Expect to pay more for an item from Banana Republic than Walmart.

Hardware is sorted by use and saleability (computer cords, curtain rods, extension cords etc,) toys are cleaned and bagged according to categories like Lego, Duplo, clean stuffed animals, dolls, transformers, sports equipment, as well as books and games.

Children's items for sale at a thrift store.

Childrens items at the thrift store /Jan Wintonyk

Small appliances are tested first and if they are in good working order are marked as “working” and cleaned and readied for the sales floor. Lamps are similarly tested and cleaned.

Trendy items are priced higher

Many donated items are one of a kind and defy description or category. For these items, the volunteer has to rely on “gut feel” and a lifetime of experience as to what will sell in today’s market.

It’s pretty easy to look up a Black Forest Clock online and determine its value but how about a mid-century modern plastic clock with pink flamingoes?

Paintings are cleaned and assessed for value by online searches. We are able to find the value of an oil painting by the artist’s signature, or course. Prints by colours, fashionable subject matter and overall attractiveness are also priced accordingly.

/Jan Wintonyk

Décor is divided into several categories: Kitchenware (pots, pans, cutlery, dishes, glassware, bakeware and gadgets) vases, garden accessories and designer pottery and statues. Everything is cleaned and evaluated.

Reading current decorating magazines sometimes provides a clue to today’s trends to determine what’s “hot” and whats “not.”

Sometimes it’s a guess

On every shift there are several people responsible for pricing, some are more familiar with certain types of donated items than others. They try to be objective, but the human element does play a part.

Ripped jeans appear old and worn out to some, to others they are the height of fashion! If the volunteer doesn’t like purple curtains, the price may reflect this, for example.

While every effort is made to properly price all items in a thrift store, some mistakes are bound to occur. Every item is unique and not always still for sale in a conventional retail setting, so there’s a high degree of subjective guessing.

/Jan Wintonyk

While some of the guesses are educated, using experience from previous sales, or non-sales, many items will be presented for sale with a value that is going to be determined by the consumer. If it doesn’t sell quickly, maybe the item is priced too high. It’s just that simple.

Who can determine the value of a slightly used wedding gown with pearls and lace? It may have a slightly soiled train and skirt from a wonderful day, and to some that means it is full of emotional memories. To someone else, it’s just a used garment.

The dirty difference between a non-profit and for-profit

Of course, not all thrift stores are created equal. What we have been discussing here is a non-profit thrift store. The staff are mostly unpaid volunteers and all profits are turned over to a designated charity. There are other “for profit” thrift stores that are run in a slightly different manner.

If you set up a thrift store with a business plan to maximize your profits the stores are often bigger to allow items offered for sale at the highest possible price to sit on the shelves long enough for the right buyer to come along.

It is important to remember that they are not in the business to offer an affordable alternative for high-priced retail operations. They are in business to sell their donated items at the highest possible price to increase profits, just like any other retail business.

So, if they see an item on their shelves that has been priced too low, they will of course, remove it or refuse to sell it for the lower price. It’s their business plan.

Smaller not-for-profits have to price items to move quickly and rotate stock and displays.

/Jan Wintonyk

Treasures lurk in the racks!

If you are looking to set up your first home or apartment, I encourage you to check out your local thrift shop before buying your basics.

/Jan Wintonyk

Every day there are thousands of dollars worth of kitchen staples sold for a fraction of their value, including stainless steel cookware, crystal wine glasses and every “Epicure” gadget imaginable.

Happy shopping!