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Independence, MO —
Garage and estate sales, consignment and thrift stores, auctions and the First Friday vintage specialty stores in the West Bottoms – I’ve been to and love them all.
Buying used items is oftentimes tricky. Sure, you might score a great deal, but how can you guarantee that the purchase will hold up? And exactly who knows where that great find may have been before you bought it?
In life, some things exist that you must buy new, without question: undergarments, makeup, toiletries and anything that might touch your head or face. For everything else – and we’re talking small, everyday use items, excluding vehicles – buying used might save some time, effort and money. With the help of Cathleen Jones, owner of White Clover Recycled Apparel in Independence, and Stan Williams, an Independence native and author of “The Find: The Housing Works Book of Decorating with Thrift Shop Treasures, Flea Market Objects, and Vintage Details,” I’ve compiled the Top 10 list of items to consider buying – and possibly later reselling – used. One piece of advice to preface it all: Look it over thoroughly before turning over your money.
10. Gifts.
It might sound odd to give a gift that has already been given – and given. But buying a less expensive thrift-store finding and then rebuilding it with your own special talents and touches often makes a gift more meaningful to the recipient. Williams, who enjoys baking, said that as a housewarming gift, he often bakes something and puts it on a platter or in a beautiful bowl that he bought at a thrift store for a $1. He also uses vintage evening bags to hold gift cards. If you “give the gift of thrift,” as Williams calls it, make sure you take extra time and care in packaging it.
“If you take time to present it beautifully,” he said, “the perception of it is even higher.”
9. Collectibles.
My collection of owl figurines began accidentally in late 2008 when I viewed the late 17th century piece “Owl Jug” at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. That Christmas, my fiancé gave me an ornament representing a replica of the original earthenware. In recent years, owls have become all the rage, their likeness appearing in costume jewelry, clothing and kitsch figurines. My collection has grown, but the vast majority of it came from thrift stores, eBay or vintage boutiques. When it comes to collectibles, look for resell items. They tell a more interesting story than the piece that 10 different stores are likely to carry.
Garage and estate sales, consignment and thrift stores, auctions and the First Friday vintage specialty stores in the West Bottoms – I’ve been to and love them all.
Buying used items is oftentimes tricky. Sure, you might score a great deal, but how can you guarantee that the purchase will hold up? And exactly who knows where that great find may have been before you bought it?
In life, some things exist that you must buy new, without question: undergarments, makeup, toiletries and anything that might touch your head or face. For everything else – and we’re talking small, everyday use items, excluding vehicles – buying used might save some time, effort and money. With the help of Cathleen Jones, owner of White Clover Recycled Apparel in Independence, and Stan Williams, an Independence native and author of “The Find: The Housing Works Book of Decorating with Thrift Shop Treasures, Flea Market Objects, and Vintage Details,” I’ve compiled the Top 10 list of items to consider buying – and possibly later reselling – used. One piece of advice to preface it all: Look it over thoroughly before turning over your money.
10. Gifts.
It might sound odd to give a gift that has already been given – and given. But buying a less expensive thrift-store finding and then rebuilding it with your own special talents and touches often makes a gift more meaningful to the recipient. Williams, who enjoys baking, said that as a housewarming gift, he often bakes something and puts it on a platter or in a beautiful bowl that he bought at a thrift store for a $1. He also uses vintage evening bags to hold gift cards. If you “give the gift of thrift,” as Williams calls it, make sure you take extra time and care in packaging it.
“If you take time to present it beautifully,” he said, “the perception of it is even higher.”
9. Collectibles.
My collection of owl figurines began accidentally in late 2008 when I viewed the late 17th century piece “Owl Jug” at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. That Christmas, my fiancé gave me an ornament representing a replica of the original earthenware. In recent years, owls have become all the rage, their likeness appearing in costume jewelry, clothing and kitsch figurines. My collection has grown, but the vast majority of it came from thrift stores, eBay or vintage boutiques. When it comes to collectibles, look for resell items. They tell a more interesting story than the piece that 10 different stores are likely to carry.
8. Holiday decorations.
Let’s face it: Holiday decorations are a must-have for some people, but the beauty is that they never go out of style. When Williams was in Kansas City for several days in September, he went to garage sales – and holiday decor galore is what he found.
“Those things, people sometimes look over, especially if the season is coming up,” Williams said. According to him, he can buy vintage Christmas lights and ornaments in summertime for next-to-nothing, since people are anxious to get rid of them.
Instead of buying the latest, trendy holiday decoration each season, be picky with which embellishments you include in your collection – and don’t pay attention to which time period it came from. It’ll make decorating that much more special.
7. Sporting equipment.
With three sons, Jones said she has purchased used golf clubs, a “cool” helmet for baseball and other random sporting goods at thrift stores.
“When they’re learning and still growing, obviously, you’re not going to want to spend a whole lot,” she said.
Play It Again Sports, a new and quality-used sports equipment and gear store, is no longer located in Eastern Jackson County, but one store is in Overland Park, Kan. Keep a close eye for these finds at places like estate and garage sales.
6. Video games.
This is where the “resell” component comes into play (pun intended). Gather up the games you haven’t played in six months or longer and visit Vintage Stock, which has locations near the old Blue Ridge Mall and at 625 Coronado Drive in Blue Springs. You can trade or resell your games for store credit that will, of course, likely be spent on more games.
“Unfortunately, because I’m right next door to GameStop and I have three boys, I’m over there all the time,” said Jones, whose business is near the GameStop and Price Chopper along Noland Road. “It’s great because you can buy them used and sell them back, and you know that you’re not totally out of your money.”
5. CDs/DVDs/vinyl records.
Again, resell is your friend in this category. Since age 17, I’ve owned a record player because some albums are meant to be listened to in 45s format. Make sure you closely examine these multimedia before purchase for extraordinary scratches or defects. If a CD looks like a cat’s claws have had a field day on it, it might be best to skip (again, pun intended) the deal and buy it brand new. Also, make sure the item has its the original liner notes in tact, which will come in handy should you decide to resell it later.
4. Hand tools and basic hardware supplies.
Garage, estate sales and auctions are best for buying basic wrenches, hammers and ladders. If these products were well-made to begin with, they’ll last years. It’s better to buy these used anyway if they are going to collect dust in a hallway closet or garage to only make an appearance once a year.
3. Electronics.
When you find a good piece of electronic equipment for sale, usually at a garage sale or thrift store, it’s a steal, but I’m waving my caution flags on this one. Last fall, my fiancé and I attended an Independence church rummage sale on its final day. Everything was picked over, but it was name your own price. He had been looking for an inexpensive paper shredder, and this sale had three up for grabs. On the surface, they appeared modern and functioning, but I told him to plug them all in and to run a sheet of paper through before turning over the cash. Not one of them worked, and he walked away empty-handed. If you can, plug it in first.
Jones, who visits Independence thrift stores frequently, said she recently bought a used 18-inch flat-screen computer monitor, a circa 2007 model, for $24.99.
“Independence is an abundance of good treasures,” she said.
2. Books.
Everyone enjoys a good book, and like holiday decorations, they tend to rarely go out of style. Books also make perfect gifts, said Williams, who enjoys collecting vintage cookbooks. Lately, at his home in New York, Williams has found books lying in the street, so he picks them up and scans them. If they’re interesting, he keeps them.
Search the tables for a book that interests you at the American Association of University Women’s book sale that continues today from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. near the upper level of Macy’s at Independence Center.
1. Children’s – or anybody’s – clothing.
It might be one of the easiest purchases in which to save money, especially for children ages 5 and younger. Check out regular consignment sales like Just Between Friends, which is one of the largest consignment sales in Eastern Jackson County and leads the way in children’s and material consignments sales nationwide. Like everything else on this list, look it over, and if you can, try it on first.
Maybe a thrift or consignment store doesn’t have something you like one day, but keep trying, Jones said.
“If you want to save money, you can do it,” she said, adding that her business receives new items every day for resale. “If you check often, you’re going to save money.”
