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 The secondhand food chain varies greatly in both sales tactics and the "going rate" for any given item. Here's a thumbnail sketch of the different types of secondhand sales, dynamics, and four different answers to this practical question: "How much would I pay for this shirt?"
Garage Sale
(alternately called yard sales, estate sales, rummage sales and on the East coast, tag sales)
The Objective: Clean out the house -- RIGHT NOW.
Prices: Ungodly cheap.
Driving Motive: Impulse (for both buyer and seller).
Haggling Potential: Low to Middlin'.
What you Pay: 25 cents ("Just take it away, please.")
Thrift Shop
(Goodwill, Salvation Army, St. Vincent de Paul)
The Objective: Warehouse alternative to garage sales.
Prices: A little more expensive than yard sales.
Driving Motive: Support local charities with quick turnover.
Haggling Potential: Low.
What you Pay: $1.00 ("Pay up or put it back on the rack.")
Vintage/Antique Stores
The Objective: Putting everyday rummage through the hipster/collector filter.
Prices: Way high (with corresponding jump in attitude).
Driving Motive: To turn recycled culture into the "retro high fashion," and make a good buck in the process.
Haggling Potential: Medium (depending on the store's rent situation)
What you Pay: $30 ("It's all the rage in L.A.")
Flea markets
The Objective: Varies with the table. Flea markets contain small versions of all the other types of second hand sales listed above. If you're lucky, you'll hit a garage sale stall.
Prices: Generally low (though certain specialized tables can approach vintage store prices).
Driving Motive: casino psychology, where "beating the dealer" can be at least half the fun.
Haggling Potential: It don't get no higher. Everything has its price.
What you Pay: Depends. "How low can you go?"
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