The Best Stuff I Thrifted in 2024

Plus, what I sold it for

2024 was not the best year for selling vintage stuff. It was an election year, for one thing (consumers notoriously shy away from buying just about anything frivolous in election years, due to economic uncertainty). And then there were mortgage rates, which you may have heard were high! When mortgage rates are high, fewer people buy houses — and that means fewer people buy stuff to put in their houses. Art, furniture, knick-knacks … fewer people bought that stuff, which meant my vintage sales were lower than in previous years.

not a thrift store, but a high-end antique shop — a great place to seek inspiration before going thrifting, IMO

But it was a good year for buying! I found a lot of fun pieces — even a really great bucket list find — and went to some wonderful estate sales. And I went to the World’s Longest Yard Sale, which was such a blast.

So, I’ve decided to round up the best things I thrifted in the past year, along with information about what I sold them for, if I did sell them. Hopefully this can illustrate the range — both of the style of things I find, and the costs people (and myself!) are willing to pay for them.

antique shopping in Atlanta, Georgia

I am often asked how I determine which items to sell and which to keep. It depends on the item itself, for one thing. Is it one-of-a-kind and therefore wouldn’t be replaceable? Does it bring me joy? And how much would it increase in value if I were to hold on to it? This last question is an important one to ask — sometimes vintage items accumulate in value, but you have to compare it to the stock market. Let’s say I sold a very high-end work of art for $20,000 today and, in ten years, that piece is worth $30,000. An extra $10,000 might seem like a lot but if you invested $20,000 in a mutual fund today, it would likely be worth more than $42,000 in ten years (assuming an average annual return rate of 8%) due to compounding interest. So sometimes selling an item now — even one that might be worth a bit more in later years — and investing that money is the smart move. I invest the bulk of my vintage sale profits into mutual funds or high-yield savings, so I always view it through that lens.

estate-saleing in 2024

Before I get into the finds and the sales data, let me be very clear: a lot more goes into pricing vintage items than what you paid for them. If I buy a painting for $10, and sell it for $250, that seems like a lot, right? But what if I spent six hours thrifting in order to find that item? And I used up half a tank of gas driving to find that item? And then I put it in my storage unit, the monthly cost for which is around $250? And then when it sold, I had to drive to a U-Haul store and buy a bag of peanuts, a box large enough to fit the painting, and bubble wrap? In that scenario, it all evens out in the end, and I really didn’t make any money at all. Of course, I also thrift for fun. I get pleasure out of it, and I enjoy sharing my finds on social media and here on the newsletter, even if they don’t sell. But I think it’s important to note all the hidden costs that go selling vintage, because it’s frankly very very difficult to actually make money flipping thrifted items.

Okay, now that that’s out of the way — on to the finds!