In 2025, there was a rise in thrift and vintage shopping. Many were inspired by the thousands of good thrift haul videos, and were moved to actually thrift themselves. But what is actually the difference between vintage and thrift shopping?
While they may seem like the same thing, they are not. There are a multitude of differences in quality, type of clothing, and-most importantly- the price.
Quality
Thrift stores are places where anyone can donate clothes. Everyone’s clothes go there, whether they are stained, ripped, or just overall in a gross condition. These kinds of clothes are what fill local stores like St. Vincent De Paul and Goodwill, but are not stores like Plato’s Closet or Gabes. Plato’s Closet is second hand, yes, but they don’t accept every donation they get: they choose clothes that are well-kept. If you go into a thrift store and expect great, high quality clothes- you’re in the wrong place. While there are some really good finds there, and it’s great to find hidden treasures, most clothes there are not great quality.
Vintage stores have higher quality clothes. While they are secondhand, like thrift stores, they are curated. Vintage stores have specific sellers that they buy from, but they do not get clothes from the general public. You cannot walk in and donate your old clothes: because of this, they have higher quality, and much better clothing.
Types of Clothes
In a thrift store, there are many types of clothes. Old lady, Y2K, seventies- you name it. However, a lot of these clothes are not in good condition or they are cheap clothes. In thrift stores, you will find a lot of SHEIN and Forever 21, which are not high quality.
Vintage stores are curated, meaning, each vintage store (usually), has a certain era of clothing with which they sell. Many popular ones, like Casablanca Vintage, and Flower Child, have older clothes, a curation of 60’s-90’s clothes. Some vintage stores also have old appliances that were kept in good condition.
Price
Thrift stores are where you find cheap clothing. This is one of the best things about thrift stores- they will have really good finds for cheap prices (for example, I once found a nice Ralph Lauren shirt for $4.99). If you need cheap clothes in a hurry, or you can’t afford shopping at Target constantly, thrift stores are the place to go. The key to thrifting is looking for the good in the ugly.
One of the main disadvantages about vintage clothing is the price. Most of these clothes are very expensive, because they are older clothes in good condition. There are a lot of clothes that you cannot buy anymore at regular stores. But just because it’s expensive doesn’t mean it’s not worth looking around. It’s fun to just look around at the different clothing, even if you aren’t going to buy anything. Besides clothing, a lot of vintage stores have great jewelry and accessories that are relatively affordable and high quality.
Thrift and Vintage stores are definitely worth checking out, even if you don’t buy anything. Check out articles on the best vintage and thrift stores in the area that are coming out soon!
