Collector thrilled by unexpected discovery at local Goodwill: 'It's worth much more than you paid'

A thrift shopper found a beautiful woven basket and shared the win with the r/ThriftStoreHauls subreddit. They were rightfully excited about the find. 

"I see Chinese sewing baskets all the time at goodwill, but this one seemed to be special. It's so intricate! $14.99," said the original poster. 

Other secondhand shoppers have found picnic baskets laden with silverware, useful organizational baskets, and large wicker baskets for plants. Some especially creative shoppers build gift baskets with treasures they find while thrifting.   

Thrifting can produce some surprising finds, but thrills aren't the only good thing to come out of shopping secondhand. You're also saving money on items that would normally cost a lot more new. One report suggested that thrift shoppers can save $1,700 a year. 

Secondhand shopping is especially great for the environment. Items in landfills produce methane while decomposing. Once in the atmosphere, methane exacerbates destructive weather patterns, melts polar caps (which in turn raises sea levels), and acidifies and warms oceans. Buying new instead of secondhand can contribute even more atmospheric pollution from manufacturing.

Items in landfills also shed microplastics. These end up in waterways and the fish we catch. Once people eat those fish, the microplastics in them can introduce reproductive, immune, and endocrine problems. 

By shopping secondhand, you can help minimize all of that damage while saving a few bucks and getting a kick out of exciting, obscure finds. The Reddit community was equally impressed with the OP's thrift store haul. 

"Never knew these existed and now I need one!!! Beautiful," said one Redditor. 

"Good eye, that's not your average Chinese sewing basket! Take good care of it, it's worth much more than you paid and is a very unusual example," said another.

What's your primary motivation in shopping at thrift stores? Cheaper clothes 🤑 Trendier items 😎 Reduced environmental impact 🌎 I don't thrift 🚫 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.