Ha! It's the opposite here… You find an interesting forgotton paperback on the second floor, take it down to pay for it and the trog behind the counter wants to charge you MORE than what's written on the book, acting like you're trying to rip THEM off for a book I know full well has been there for at least 10 years gathering dust and they acquired for less than 60 cents originally. The dick wants to charge over $10…
Once the policy at most places was to charge 50%-75% of the cover price. Now what they do is charge 75% of the cover price the book WOULD have if it was a NEW published book. And for books they've seen have a bit more value on the net they'll be way more.
It gets so you get better value when you get them off the net yourself from the second hand trading sites, or try really hard to find a good second hand bookshop … There are some still about here.
Comic Talk and General Discussion *
Coolest thing you've ever found at a junk store?
Ozoneocean
at 8:09PM, Nov. 10, 2008
last edited on July 14, 2011 2:32PM
json
at 9:10PM, Nov. 10, 2008
i was a manager of a goodwill store here in austin, and i've seen ALL kinds of stuff the people donate! did you know that over 75% of items donated to thrift stores is unusable garbage. i mean literally trash (we've gotten bags of old apple cores and pizza boxes.)
i've seen entire vintage collections of star wars, he-man, g.i.joes (even the old 60-70s joes). some still in the packages. shrunken heads. first printings of classic books. old collector's editions of vintage gaming systems i didn't even know existed, still in the freaking box!!!
on the other side of that coin…..i've seen some stuff that i can't believe people would donate. these are a couple of the stories of things i've witnessed firsthand. the stuff that gets thrown out and the public doesn't know about:
one day this woman came in to the donation center with a box in her hand with some t-shirts. she handed the box to the attendant and said, “here you go. i won't be needing THESE anymore.” of course we figured she meant the old t-shirts but when we went to sort through the items in the box….there was only s shirts and like 17 dildos.
on another occasion, this suit and tie businessman walks in in with this huge box. that this was REALLY heavy. so i helped him unload it and send him on his way. when i sort through the box, in the bottom there is this really heavy trash bag. i dump the contents of the bag onto the table…and it's used S&M gear. whips. chains. gimp mask. a**less chaps. the whole shebang.
now, i have no problem with a healthy m*****batory or healthy s*x life. whatever you gotta do to be you, that's great. but please…for the love of the matrix, why would someone donate that stuff to a thrift store? do they really think we could sell it? blech!! there's a reason we all wear latex gloves.
i've seen entire vintage collections of star wars, he-man, g.i.joes (even the old 60-70s joes). some still in the packages. shrunken heads. first printings of classic books. old collector's editions of vintage gaming systems i didn't even know existed, still in the freaking box!!!
on the other side of that coin…..i've seen some stuff that i can't believe people would donate. these are a couple of the stories of things i've witnessed firsthand. the stuff that gets thrown out and the public doesn't know about:
one day this woman came in to the donation center with a box in her hand with some t-shirts. she handed the box to the attendant and said, “here you go. i won't be needing THESE anymore.” of course we figured she meant the old t-shirts but when we went to sort through the items in the box….there was only s shirts and like 17 dildos.
on another occasion, this suit and tie businessman walks in in with this huge box. that this was REALLY heavy. so i helped him unload it and send him on his way. when i sort through the box, in the bottom there is this really heavy trash bag. i dump the contents of the bag onto the table…and it's used S&M gear. whips. chains. gimp mask. a**less chaps. the whole shebang.
now, i have no problem with a healthy m*****batory or healthy s*x life. whatever you gotta do to be you, that's great. but please…for the love of the matrix, why would someone donate that stuff to a thrift store? do they really think we could sell it? blech!! there's a reason we all wear latex gloves.
last edited on July 14, 2011 1:11PM
Ozoneocean
at 4:10AM, Nov. 11, 2008
That's hilarious Json! lol!
Man that was funny! ^_^
It jogged my memory about the secondhand bookshop/warehouse that a friend of a friend used to own… Probably still does if he's still alive, but he was pretty old at the time. My friend worked there occasionally and I'd take time away from my studio to visit and have a game of chess or scrabble while we roasted there in the heat-
This place was in the middle of a light industrial area, with no trees. A moderately size warehouse with only a big roller door at the front so on the stinking hot Perth days you couldn't shut out the heat: when the shop was open the main door had to be wide open too. No one would come in for ages and ages and we'd be sat there surrounded by mountains of books and shelves arranged in a twisty labyrinth which you could literally get lost in and have to forge a way between shelves into odd spaces behind them in some cases, where you'd find interesting things that'd been lost.
Aaaaanyway. Old Don used to get most of his books from small auctions in lots from deceased estates, so he collected other interesting things as well: Beautiful silk Chinese scrolls, a marvellous old, but sadly moth eaten, silk top hat, old telescopes, bizarre old electrical medical devices… (a pair of very grumpy, very dangerous looking lesbian ladies bought those and strangely seemed to know exactly what they were for).
My best find were a pair of 1930's leather motorcycle goggles. The lenses are round so they look very strange.
When my friend was going through it all (I wasn't there at the time), he found a box full of large format signed and numbered photos that documented a performance by the German artist Joseph Boyce. He knew exactly what they were, even though Don didn't, but he was honest and told Don what they were and what they were worth, so they went halves on them and put them up for auction at Christies. I think they got almost $20,000 for them.
Oh, and the books were really, really cheap there too :)
Plus, if Don thought a customer was a bit of a wanker he wouldn't serve them and make them get out… Sort of like Bernard in Black Books, except for real.
Man that was funny! ^_^
It jogged my memory about the secondhand bookshop/warehouse that a friend of a friend used to own… Probably still does if he's still alive, but he was pretty old at the time. My friend worked there occasionally and I'd take time away from my studio to visit and have a game of chess or scrabble while we roasted there in the heat-
This place was in the middle of a light industrial area, with no trees. A moderately size warehouse with only a big roller door at the front so on the stinking hot Perth days you couldn't shut out the heat: when the shop was open the main door had to be wide open too. No one would come in for ages and ages and we'd be sat there surrounded by mountains of books and shelves arranged in a twisty labyrinth which you could literally get lost in and have to forge a way between shelves into odd spaces behind them in some cases, where you'd find interesting things that'd been lost.
Aaaaanyway. Old Don used to get most of his books from small auctions in lots from deceased estates, so he collected other interesting things as well: Beautiful silk Chinese scrolls, a marvellous old, but sadly moth eaten, silk top hat, old telescopes, bizarre old electrical medical devices… (a pair of very grumpy, very dangerous looking lesbian ladies bought those and strangely seemed to know exactly what they were for).
My best find were a pair of 1930's leather motorcycle goggles. The lenses are round so they look very strange.
When my friend was going through it all (I wasn't there at the time), he found a box full of large format signed and numbered photos that documented a performance by the German artist Joseph Boyce. He knew exactly what they were, even though Don didn't, but he was honest and told Don what they were and what they were worth, so they went halves on them and put them up for auction at Christies. I think they got almost $20,000 for them.
Oh, and the books were really, really cheap there too :)
Plus, if Don thought a customer was a bit of a wanker he wouldn't serve them and make them get out… Sort of like Bernard in Black Books, except for real.
last edited on July 14, 2011 2:32PM
Ironscarfs Ghost
at 4:19AM, Nov. 11, 2008
SkoolmunkeeI assume you're talking about the charity shops where deceased old ladies leave their cast offs: admittedly, pickings are slim, but for the repeat attender, there are treasures to be unearthed.
I miss the secondhand stores. They have them here (in England) but they are all tiny little places not worth taking the trouble to go to, unless you live close enough to walk to one, or something. Mostly they just sell clothes.
Behold: The GRAIL!
Er……..boo!
last edited on July 14, 2011 1:03PM
skoolmunkee
at 2:00PM, Nov. 11, 2008
ozoneocean
The bastard second hand bookshops discovered the internet a few years ago
There are some pretty good used book ‘recycling’ sites out there. I use greenmetropolis.com (or is it co.uk?) which is a UK one. Most books cost £3.75 (shipping included, and the seller gets £3 of that) and then you can turn around and sell it on when you are done with it :)
Ironscarf- ‘repeat attender’ sounds an awful lot like ‘repeat offender’…
I can't even figure out what that mug is supposed to be. Some kind of vagina face?
last edited on July 14, 2011 3:41PM
Ozoneocean
at 4:56PM, Nov. 11, 2008
Now those are good prices for books. Postage would be a bit too much here, but man, that's a good deal :)
skoolmunkeeWhat a beautiful mug!
Some kind of vagina face?
last edited on July 14, 2011 2:32PM
Ironscarfs Ghost
at 5:19PM, Nov. 11, 2008
SkoolmunkeeI hadn't actually looked at it like that: the mug is giving birth to another mug. Thrifty!
I can't even figure out what that mug is supposed to be. Some kind of vagina face?
They were called Ugly Mugs and were a craze that never took off some years ago. The fact that they were all painstakingly hand crafted and completely pointless may have contributed to this.
Er……..boo!
last edited on July 14, 2011 1:03PM
HippieVan
at 5:25PM, Nov. 11, 2008
Ironscarfs GhostSkoolmunkeeI assume you're talking about the charity shops where deceased old ladies leave their cast offs: admittedly, pickings are slim, but for the repeat attender, there are treasures to be unearthed.
I miss the secondhand stores. They have them here (in England) but they are all tiny little places not worth taking the trouble to go to, unless you live close enough to walk to one, or something. Mostly they just sell clothes.
Behold: The GRAIL!
Holy crap! I have your brother funny-faced cup thing! I had to scan it in because my camera isn't powered up right now, but here it is.
last edited on July 14, 2011 12:49PM
Ozoneocean
at 5:34PM, Nov. 11, 2008
Hippie VanIt looks like the ghost of a Vag-face mug…
It drowned at sea in a storm :(
last edited on July 14, 2011 2:32PM
Ironscarfs Ghost
at 6:41PM, Nov. 11, 2008
Hippie VanWhy am I not surprised?!
Holy crap! I have your brother funny-faced cup thing!
OzoneoceanThey left persecution behind to forge a new life in Canada. Many were lost on the dreadful sea passage. :(
It looks like the ghost of a Vag-face mug…
It drowned at sea in a storm
Er……..boo!
last edited on July 14, 2011 1:03PM
Ozoneocean
at 7:12PM, Nov. 11, 2008
Ironscarfs GhostWhere they became bushy, bearded, filthy, stinky lumberjacks.
They left persecution behind to forge a new life in Canada. Many were lost on the dreadful sea passage. :(
Because only then could they dress in appropriate attire.
As we know from the song.
last edited on July 14, 2011 2:32PM
mishi_hime
at 7:48PM, Nov. 11, 2008
Donated sex toys and ugly hippie drinking ware? woooooow.
I, myself am pretty good at finding treasure. My mom is a shopaholic, so it's something I've taken away from her.
I've gotten things way cheaper than intended, new clothes for almost nothing, lots of books. You can also find a lot online. (dunno if that counts, sometimes ebay feels like a junk store)Lately my kick is electronics. Buy a broken system that would be several hundred dollars for like 20 bucks and replace parts/clean.
I, myself am pretty good at finding treasure. My mom is a shopaholic, so it's something I've taken away from her.
I've gotten things way cheaper than intended, new clothes for almost nothing, lots of books. You can also find a lot online. (dunno if that counts, sometimes ebay feels like a junk store)Lately my kick is electronics. Buy a broken system that would be several hundred dollars for like 20 bucks and replace parts/clean.
Signature.txt
last edited on July 14, 2011 2:04PM
Insizwa
at 3:45PM, Nov. 12, 2008
I have a Value villiage in my town and it kicks ass. If you`re not familiar with value villigae this is what it is: Peopl ebring used junk, clothes, shoes…etc to the store, and the store sells it for dirt prices.
At value vilage I got 2 awesome sports jackests (one looks like it`s made out of carpet) $7each, I got a red zipper tie (A tie you just zip on) $2, and a Cheeck and Chong t-shirt. My one friends got a leather trenchcoat that looks like it came straight from the matrix, my other friends got a Average Joe t-shirt (from teh movie dogeball), and a GTA vide city T-shirt. My firend also found a porno, but didn`t get it due to embarassment.
I also got this at a store that sells bongs:
One of my favorite bands, but thier shit is SO RARE! I also have 4 other shirts of thiers, but I had to order online.
At value vilage I got 2 awesome sports jackests (one looks like it`s made out of carpet) $7each, I got a red zipper tie (A tie you just zip on) $2, and a Cheeck and Chong t-shirt. My one friends got a leather trenchcoat that looks like it came straight from the matrix, my other friends got a Average Joe t-shirt (from teh movie dogeball), and a GTA vide city T-shirt. My firend also found a porno, but didn`t get it due to embarassment.
I also got this at a store that sells bongs:
One of my favorite bands, but thier shit is SO RARE! I also have 4 other shirts of thiers, but I had to order online.
last edited on July 14, 2011 1:01PM
Ochitsukanai
at 10:28PM, Nov. 13, 2008
json
did you know that over 75% of items donated to thrift stores is unusable garbage. i mean literally trash (we've gotten bags of old apple cores and pizza boxes.)
Wish I'd gotten interesting stuff when I worked at a secondhand store. Most of the stuff is just disgusting.
The clothes with hideous yellow stains, looking AND smelling like they found a wading pool of chewing tobacco spit and just flung themselves in it. The beaten-up toys with the remnants of body waste smeared on them were also a nice touch. One can't simply discard these things. One must consider the less fortunate!
One of my favorites was an older woman who dropped off a box of junk, like cassettes and such, and underneath it there were two of those decorative bottles filled with peppers in vinegar. Only there was just a ludicrous amount of floating mold in them. I imagine her keeping them in the kitchen; it's all she has to talk to. “How aaare you, Cecil? Growing nicely, I see. And your brother Algernon! Lovely.”
Always, I wanna be with mew, and make believe with mew
and live in harmony harmony oh nyan
last edited on July 14, 2011 2:20PM
json
at 1:06PM, Nov. 14, 2008
Ochitsukanaijson
did you know that over 75% of items donated to thrift stores is unusable garbage. i mean literally trash (we've gotten bags of old apple cores and pizza boxes.)
Wish I'd gotten interesting stuff when I worked at a secondhand store. Most of the stuff is just disgusting.
The clothes with hideous yellow stains, looking AND smelling like they found a wading pool of chewing tobacco spit and just flung themselves in it. The beaten-up toys with the remnants of body waste smeared on them were also a nice touch. One can't simply discard these things. One must consider the less fortunate!
One of my favorites was an older woman who dropped off a box of junk, like cassettes and such, and underneath it there were two of those decorative bottles filled with peppers in vinegar. Only there was just a ludicrous amount of floating mold in them. I imagine her keeping them in the kitchen; it's all she has to talk to. “How aaare you, Cecil? Growing nicely, I see. And your brother Algernon! Lovely.”
HAHA!! it's funny because it's true.
the most disturbing thing i've seen: a really huge black trash bag filled with large stuffed animals. tigers, lions, and wolves. we initially started sorting them into the kids toys. the ones that didn' have the stuffing removed from the back parts of half of them making them look deflated. that's when i noticed all of the unfortunate child's playthings had a single bottlecap sized hole cut in their posterior. i thought the “yiffing” fetish was just an internet joke up until this point. we threw them all in the dumpster.
the coolest things i found, since this is about cool stuff and not workers' personal horrors, well i had to think on this for a couple days. i found the first pressing of “the clash - give ‘em enough rope”, the first printing of “splinter of the mind’s eye”, generation 1 “soundwave” and “jetfire” transformers in near mint condition minus gun. i also tripled my star wars figure collection over the years of working there.
last edited on July 14, 2011 1:11PM
Scheiden
at 4:29PM, Nov. 15, 2008
An old piano glass figurine. Classy and elegant. Very shiny too *o*
last edited on July 14, 2011 3:24PM
deleted-byrequest-03
at 11:38PM, Nov. 15, 2008
I got these cool high heels that I can't walk in. But they're fun to look at.
…God, I'm pathetic…
…God, I'm pathetic…
last edited on July 14, 2011 12:05PM
Ochitsukanai
at 7:53PM, Nov. 16, 2008
json
the most disturbing thing i've seen: a really huge black trash bag filled with large stuffed animals. tigers, lions, and wolves. we initially started sorting them into the kids toys. the ones that didn' have the stuffing removed from the back parts of half of them making them look deflated. that's when i noticed all of the unfortunate child's playthings had a single bottlecap sized hole cut in their posterior. i thought the “yiffing” fetish was just an internet joke up until this point. we threw them all in the dumpster.
Oh god! o_O I thought it was bad to get ones with old crusty poo on them, but no, that's the worst. The real horror is when you realize “I held that innocently in my hands.” Aside from that, though, it's actually fun to sort through things.
I found handmade knee-length skirts that were in the most godawful patterns possible, combined in layers that couldn't ever match (red with white polka-dots over red and white checkers, blue flowers over yellow checkers, etc). They looked like something people would have worn in a low-budget reenactment of a fifties era barn dance of some kind. I was like “Ah do declare, this heah is mah new wardrobe.” Unfortunately, I was a little low on cash and couldn't justify buying them. :(
We also found a shirt that simply said “I HEART DICK.” That was a great day.
Always, I wanna be with mew, and make believe with mew
and live in harmony harmony oh nyan
last edited on July 14, 2011 2:20PM
fern
at 8:47PM, Nov. 16, 2008
I once found an old vinyl record of Skip James with a song called Devil Got My Woman that I just fell in love with. I think I must have heard that song 40x's that night… The next day I went back to ask the guy if he had any more but he said, “no,” plus he turned out to be a perv… Long story short, I get on a bus never to seen again…
last edited on July 14, 2011 12:28PM
Walrus
at 6:12PM, Nov. 17, 2008
last edited on July 14, 2011 4:45PM
johnkeating
at 5:33PM, Nov. 20, 2008
When I was little I was a huge Popeye fanatic. I was at Cape Cod with my grandparents and I stumbled on this book of Popeye cartoons. Turns out it was a book of collected EC Segar Popeye comic strips put out by Kitchen Sink Press. It was a long, thick book and contained the complete “Eugene the Jeep” and “Poopdeck Pappy” storylines. I must have read that book nine hundred times and still have it today.
Of course when Fantagraphics reprinted the complete EC Segar Popeyes I bought those as well, but I still have the original one…all beat up and dog eared :)
Of course when Fantagraphics reprinted the complete EC Segar Popeyes I bought those as well, but I still have the original one…all beat up and dog eared :)
last edited on July 14, 2011 1:10PM
zaneeba_slave
at 6:21PM, Nov. 22, 2008
A Zelda picture book, a super mario picture book, An old painting of Captain Cook, An old african battle stick, An Amish Buggy, and Chinese ivory-sculpted people.
I like that store.
I like that store.
I like to imagine myself as a goblin in a tuxedo. -Zaneeba_slave
last edited on July 14, 2011 4:54PM
Walrus
at 6:35PM, Nov. 22, 2008
Ironscarfs GhostSkoolmunkee
Behold: The GRAIL!
I'm not drinking out of that…
last edited on July 14, 2011 4:45PM
Ryan_Scott
at 9:27PM, Nov. 23, 2008
For all you fans of the old british show ‘The Young Ones’ I found a copy of Neil's Heavy Concept Album on vinyl a year or so back… I love 2nd hand records
last edited on July 14, 2011 3:15PM
patrickdevine
at 11:04AM, Nov. 29, 2008
I found a Darth Vader helmet once at The Bins, (not the mask, just the helmet.) I ended up giving it to someone so he could make a costume of some kind.
last edited on July 14, 2011 2:41PM
keithmccleary
at 12:51PM, Dec. 2, 2008
Bes thing, hands down, I have ever found at a junk store were copies of a couple of issues of the Puma Blues, this super weird comic series from the 80's. Not rare in the high-monetary-value sense, but very rare and special nonetheless. I'd never read the series before – it was written by Stephen Murphy, who now works heavily with Ninja Turtles, and drawn by the amazing Michael Zulli, who many know from his work on Sandman.
Anyway, finding those issues ended up turning me into a huge Puma Blues fan. If you want proof, look the series up on Wikipedia and ask yourself who wrote that entry… ;)
Anyway, finding those issues ended up turning me into a huge Puma Blues fan. If you want proof, look the series up on Wikipedia and ask yourself who wrote that entry… ;)
last edited on July 14, 2011 1:14PM
Puff_Of_Smoke
at 1:02PM, Dec. 2, 2008
I
I have a gun. It's really powerful. Especially against living things.
last edited on July 14, 2011 2:56PM
Druchii
at 11:45AM, Dec. 12, 2008
Phantasy Star for the Sega Master System - $5 (with unbroken sticker seal)
RAM expansion cartridge for Sega Saturn - $1.50
Box of 200 plus comics for about $10 (had a bunch of Uncle Scrooge comics!)
Panzer Dragoon Mini for the Sega Game Gear - $11 (rare as hell game even in japan)
RAM expansion cartridge for Sega Saturn - $1.50
Box of 200 plus comics for about $10 (had a bunch of Uncle Scrooge comics!)
Panzer Dragoon Mini for the Sega Game Gear - $11 (rare as hell game even in japan)
last edited on July 14, 2011 12:17PM
json
at 11:13PM, Dec. 13, 2008
Puff_Of_Smoke
A NES. AND THE ORIGINAL METROID.
FUDGE YES.
working as the manager of a goodwill store for 2 years i saw 15 copies of the original metroid. and 2 copies of metroid 2 for game boy. all of which were priced at $2.99. i NEVER came across super metroid………my personal copy was stolen 10 years ago, and i would have loved to get a “free” replacement copy!
last edited on July 14, 2011 1:11PM
thought thief
at 3:43PM, Dec. 19, 2008
A really, really soft and fuzzy tight black sweater. It goes great under a pinafore with tights.
last edited on July 14, 2011 4:30PM
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