Business Fashion

Thrift-buying but at higher costs

By Isabella Hong

Two young adults stood by a rack of button-up shirts at Thrift NYC on East 14th Street, sorting through their finds. One was holding three shirts in their hand. But, at $20 each, Andrew Bochnovich, 27, said he might only walk out with one. “If they were, like, $15, I’d feel a lot more likely to just buy all three.”

About three blocks over from Thrift NYC, at L Train Vintage on First Avenue, Eric Gonzalez, 18, said secondhand clothes range from surprisingly affordable to jaw-droppingly high, sometimes even within the same store. “Sometimes I find excellent deals,” he said. “Other times, it’s outrageous. Forty bucks for a used shirt? That’s crazy.”

Shopping at thrift stores is a balancing act for cost-conscious customers. What they buy depends on how much they have to spend. Vintage Boss Babes, a company that runs thrift store tours, suggests there are hundreds of thrift stores in the city, including vintage stores and others that strictly curate what they sell. In those places, it’s not uncommon to find items with price tags of $100 or more.

Pricing aside, for Gonzalez and others, thrift stores are about finding what looks good and stands out. Some like what’s flashy. “I just look for what looks cool and interesting, that’s it,” he said. “It’s probably some T-shirts with a big logo on them or something.”

What T-shirts and other items cost varies, at least somewhat, from store to store. At ReShop on East 14th Street, worker Mario Garcia, 18, said their pricing comes down to what’s trending and what can still turn a profit. “We sell stuff like Juicy Couture, Levi’s, Ralph Lauren and Carhartt,” he said. If a brand is popular and in high demand, we try to set it at an affordable price—not too expensive—but we also have to make sure we profit from it too.”

Just as prices range, so does the look and feel of stores. 

While thrifting is often associated with downscale charm, Cure Thrift leans upscale, with chunky $100 jewelry, $300 name-brand shirts and $800 vintage wall paintings. Though the store emphasizes its charitable work for type 1 diabetes, some shoppers question their high prices. On Google Reviews, Michelle Solis wrote, “I am in utter shock seeing items priced at $75, $125, $175 and $500. I even saw a pair of earrings priced at $1,500. Why are they taking advantage of consumer wallets?”

“They’ve now co-opted the thrifty label for trend appeal. Thrifty means inexpensive,” said Sarah Dean, 22, shopping at Cure Thrift. It’s roughly three blocks from ReShop and around the corner from Thrift NYC, where prices range from the single digits to less than $100. 

Gonzalez prefers the latter. Shrugging his shoulders, Gonzalez said, “If I went to Goodwill, I’d probably find a better deal there than over here. But I’m just here to look around.”