Thrifting isn’t what it used to be, according to avid thrifters online. The hobby has soured, whether that’s due to resellers, climbing prices, or the cesspool of Shein found on the racks. As for the heftier price tags, one TikToker reveals the alleged reason you may not be scoring vintage Coach for $20 anymore: Google Lens.
In a TikTok, Jem (@secondhandstash) shared her thoughts as to what could be the reason for price hikes at thrift stores. She films her clip from the inside of a store. The overlay text reads, “I hate to say this but thrift store workers using Google Lens for pricing has ended thrifting as we know it.”
What is Google Lens? And how can you use it for thrifting?
It is a feature on the Google browser that uses your camera–or a photo from your phone–to search information about an object, text, or place. It also is an app. To most online shoppers, this tool is a game-changer. You can almost always find a perfect match for the item you’re looking for. For example, if you like seeing a stranger’s bag on the subway, you can snap a discreet photo of it and use Google Lens to find which brand it is and where to buy it. Similarly, if you are at the thrift store and come across a mid-century modern chair for $40, you can use Google Lens and find that it’s a vintage Wassily that retails up to $4,000.
Resellers and thrift hobbyists have been gatekeeping this tool for a while. TikTok has skyrocketed into popularity in the past year or two, though. The advantage was, of course, that you get a steal when out thrifting. But if it’s true that stores are wising up, it could mean folks can no longer get great deals on items.
Backlash for thrift stores
Whether thrift workers are truly using this tool or not cannot be officially confirmed, though thrifters who claimed they’ve asked workers say it’s true. However, it is possible. This year, shoppers have noticed places like Goodwill hike their prices despite getting the items donated. The thrift giant has come under fire again and again, not only for selling trash at exorbitant prices, but for keeping the “good stuff” off the floor so they can auction it online.
@secondhandstash I’m I wrong? #thriftstore ♬ Everything is content – cassieresetting
Shoppers are fed up
On Jem’s video, viewers were more than critical of thrift stores and their pricing practices.
“Goodwill pricing stuff as if it’s brand new when they got it for free,” one user wrote. A second added, “Glad we’re moving away from blaming resellers and seeing it for what it is; corporate greed.”
Another confirmed the TikToker’s claim, writing, “I agree. I was at the Salvation Army and they were explaining to a group of volunteers how to price. Google lens on eBay and mark it half.”
Whether this trend in thrifting will change the game as we know it remains to be seen, but shoppers are already leaning toward no longer donating altogether.
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