Good Stuff Disappearing From The Thrifts?

Years ago my wife gave the goodwill folks a box of albums by mistake, I ran down there to get the records the next day and they were already gone.
One guy told me the truck drivers go through the boxes and take what they want before they get back to the store. I couldn't prove they took them
so I just shut up and learned. Their manager said that no one steals from the truck, she probably gets a cut. I find good deals on Craig's list still.

 

I don't know about the Goodwill operation but Salvation Army trucks used to be crewed exclusively by recovering/ dried out/ex alcoholics (not getting into a term war, whatever they were, they were not drinking anymore but used to) and I personally witnessed several acts of a driver/loader boosting or skimming stuff over a period of time.

I also knew a vintage guitar dealer that confessed to me that he had "educated" and prompted nonprofit thrift store employees to BOLO and call him when certain guitars and other instruments came in. He was buying them skimmed off from a few of these people and also cameras and other items.

He is dead now, but I figure if he had the idea others did too.

 

We do yearly purges and donate a lot, and I've often gotten the feeling that the people we leave things with will call dibs on anything they consider "the good stuff." I have no proof, but I'd do the same thing in their shoes. Doesn't matter to me. Glad to see things going to use for someone who wants it.

@Burt I'm pretty sure it's the same with Goodwill as with Salvation Army, as far as staff.

 

Here in the Paris area, there are no more thrift stores and the few disc shops just ask crazy prices and have bootlegs in their racks.
Same issue with Garden Sales: you need to be there at 7 in the morning and run to be the first one to purchase.

Only solution is to go in small town / village sales, some miles away from big cities.

 

Well, to be honest, I would do the same thing, I guess we're rotten....lol

 

Just moved to North Eastern Tennessee. The thrifts have nothing but junk.

 

Noticed a stock shrinkage in one of my local c shops, vinyl half empty, CDs full but not titles I want ditto DVDs. Another one has doubled the DVDs price used to be 2.00 per title now 4.00 and 8.00(2dvds) charity fair enough, but noticed they don't sell.

 

Audio Research,Vandersteen,Electrovoice,Tannoy,Jensen,Goodman,Technics,JBL,Pioneer, Marantz,Sony,Yamaha,Luxman,Bozak,AR,Yamaha,Denon are some of the makes I have found in the last 16 years.Party is over now but it was nice ride while it lasted.

 

Yep, all the Pioneer silverfaces, all kinds of Reel to Reel decks, Nakamichi, NAD, Sansui, Yamaha, Garrard, Dual, AR, Advent, Infinity, Bose 901, Rectilinear, Phase Linear, Hartley Concert Master... Big find for me was a Cello Duet 350, mint condition. The Goodwill staff thought is was an AC unit, priced it at $50.00 No more, nothing shows up!

A recent surprise is a Pioneer Sx-434 15 wpc, priced at $50.00.. nice physical shape but 5 days on the shelf, still there. What they do not understand now, there is no free ride. Just a simple cleaning/ testing/ guaranteed spec/ advertising costs time and money, and the sellers earn their asking prices (only a $75.00 receiver max)

 

Frankly, I never seen any audio electronics of value in a thrift store were I live in wealthy Oakland County, MI. I suspect the people here are smart & sell for real cash on ebay.

 

That Cello was so high end I had to look it up. You would think that being wealthy they wouldn't even bother trying to make a buck off something they no longer used.I live about thirty five miles from a community that has had a big military presence and a wealthy retirement community.I think thats why I was able to find a lot of what I did.

 

They see DVDs for £1 in charity shops around here. They would be crazy to try for more. Even at these prices, the shelves are full. CDs can be really cheap, but it's mostly titles nobody wants (I did buy 10 the other week, but that's rare; I wouldn't be surprised if I had another dry spell for a month). LPs come and go. It's rare to find decent stuff for under £1 these days.

 

There’s a thrift store chain here that benefits a local children’s hospital. Anybody that steals or otherwise rips off a place like that must have all the moral fiber of a snake.

 

Charity shops crate digging ? Only reason to bend down is to tie your shoelace.

 

1980s/90s were the golden decades for finding collectibles/consumer goods of note in charity shops.

 

The vintage audio finds, for the most part, seem to have dried up. At least they had the last few times I went thrift shopping.

I once saw another fellow walk out with a NAD preamp. I managed to get a NAD tape deck and a CD player once, along with a really nice Denon receiver. But that was a decade+ ago. These days I won't even bother.

Even Ebay prices can seem way out of line considering a lot of these vintage pieces will need refurbishing, new or cleaned pots and switches, and may have scratches or dents. It's always struck me how horrible a lot of people treat their gear!

 

Buy if it's a cosmetic beauty hifi related assuming it's repairable, nice bit of furniture. Hello Dragon.

 

Even if the owners don't sell their stuff themselves on eBay, it's not unusual for the recipients of the donations (the "thrift stores") to sell anything of value on eBay for maximum $.

 

I was in a UK charity shop about 15 years ago they wanted £50.00 English pounds for Jackson C Frank LP, and it wasn't in great shape. Suppose that's a good deal now.

 

I often don't bother unless it's a fresh pile. Just going through the CDs often saps my willpower.

 

Car boot sales are the same. I blame the internet and endless antiques programs.

 

Only bother with Blu Rays now they don't turn up much usually DVDs.

 

Antique Road Show: TV presenter-How much did the vintage costume jewellery cost you? ...Lady "£30.00", well I'd advise you to insure it for £20.000/£30.000... Lady looks astonished.

 

Last Beatles album I bought in a thrift shop ( oxfam) was the white album german pressing, that was in 2007..since then a decade of rubbish.

 

The days of Lalique vases for £1 have long gone.