One secondhand shopper's visit to Salvation Army left them stunned — and not in an "I just found a vintage Eames chair for $10" kind of way.
In a post to the r/ThriftGrift subreddit, the user shared photos of a white bookcase priced at a jaw-dropping $500.
The price tag alone was enough to stop scrolling thumbs, but what sealed the deal was a green mess on a shelf and a bright sticker reading "vintage bookcase."
"At least clean up the green stuff if you're charging this crazy amount," the OP wrote. "I don't know a single Salvation Army shopper coming in to spend $500."
While thrift stores have long been known for offering accessible prices on used goods — and serving up rare, high-value gems — such posts highlight how inconsistent pricing can turn people off from secondhand shopping.
Shoppers have also been documenting a trend: corporate thrift stores that test the limits of what people will pay for used, and often damaged, goods. That shift risks pushing away first-time thrifters, who might walk in looking for deals and walk out wondering if secondhand shopping actually saves money.
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And that's a shame. Thrifting remains one of the most accessible ways to save money on household goods, clothing, and furniture. It also plays a crucial role in keeping discarded but perfectly usable items out of landfills, a key reason many budget-conscious Gen Z and millennial shoppers have embraced secondhand shopping.
Most thrift stores still offer solid value, but the occasional outrageous listing tends to go viral, and for good reason.
The comments on this particular post said what most shoppers were likely thinking.
"Unless there's $450 taped under the shelf, I'd pass," one person quipped.
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Absolutely 💯 "That's insane! It's not even worth $50!!!" someone else added.
Another questioned the label altogether: "What about this is vintage? It looks like repainted poly board."
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