How To Source Vintage : My Top 10 Favorite Ways To Find Vintage Goods
Perhaps you are a vintage collector (clothing, accessories, home goods, furniture, etc.) and want some more ideas on where to find vintage pieces. Or you may be new to the whole “vintage” game and want some tips before you dive in. Regardless of your experience, I have outlined some of my favorite places to find and source a multitude of vintage (and antique) treasures! This particular blog post will serve more as a list of where I have had success finding pieces in the past. This includes vintage clothing and accessories for my shop as well as my personal collection. I have also had luck with each of these methods finding vintage and antique home goods and furniture for my own home. Obviously - and not on the list- you should also check out actual vintage shops if you are looking for personal use! More comprehensive posts about each individual sourcing technique will come later.
My top 10 ways to find and source vintage goods :
Friends and Family Members - FREE
Private Appointments - $$
Thrift and Resale Shops - $ to $$$
Garage Sales - $
Estate Sales - $$ to $$$$
Auctions - $$ to $$$$
Facebook Marketplace - $$
Reseller Apps - $$$
Flea Markets - $
Antique Malls - $ to $$$$
1 . Friends and Family Members:
For my own home and my closet, there is nothing more meaningful than a family heirloom or an antique gift from a friend. I count myself lucky to have numerous treasured pieces – including furniture, artwork, clothing, dishes, jewelry, etc. – from both my and my husband’s families all over our home. These items are especially prized due to the family stories we have been told about who originally owned them. Obviously, I have not purchased and will not sell these pieces unless I was given it with the intention of it needing to be sold . . . Most of these are gifts that have been passed down from generation to generation or given to us by our closets friends. If you are lucky to have such pieces, I urge you to keep them if you can!
2. Thrift and Resale Shops :
Most people that I know tend to equate vintage sellers with thrifting and resale shops, and for good reason. These places have been great sources to find affordable, quality, and often really old and rare vintage pieces, and used to be one of the best methods to find quality vintage clothing. While it can still be a fruitful method to source, it is more difficult to find quality vintage pieces than in the past. And often the big-box thrift stores have become very expensive lately. While I don't find as much as I used to and walk away many times with only one or two pieces, it is always worth a shot . . .
One of many thrift shops I have picture of in my camera roll… they are everywhere and I highly recommend you go to at least a couple!
3. Private Appointments:
Sometimes you get really lucky as a vintage seller and come across loads of personal collections people want to sell. Through my business – by way of good word of mouth from very kind clients – I have had people reach out to me asking if I would like to buy their collections of vintage. Oftentimes these collections are gowns and outfits from a family member who has recently passed, but sometimes it's collections from the original owner themselves. Either way, these appointments are always memorable. I feel so honored being entrusted with such precious family pieces from others and love being able to obtain the original context of the owner and these vintage pieces (a rare occurrence outside of this method to be sure). Pricing for such collections, however, can vary significantly.
4. Garage and Yard Sales :
Very much a hit-or-miss form of sourcing, you usually cannot tell from the road what you will find at these sales. Trust the process. Oftentimes you will need to dig in big bins, so be ready. Also, know that pricing can vary significantly, even at the same sale. Pricing at these events can serve as a barometer of how much a person truly wants to part with their items or if they are just fishing, so just know that and respect it. And bring cash!!
The best sign to find on the side of the road! “Garage Sale” ! Make sure to always bring a little cash with you.
5. Online and In Person Auctions:
I think it's important to establish that there is a big difference between in-person and online auctions. While both can be a hit or miss and each has buyers' premiums one needs to consider, most everything else about the process from these two types of sourcing tends to vary significantly. Personally, I prefer to only use online auctions solely for art because, once you factor in buying premiums, taxes, and shipping, the items are usually cost prohibitive for resale purposes. You need to make sure you are not buying from a company that also prohibits resale of items if that is your intention. Conversely, the in-person auction is my absolute favorite method for finding and purchasing vintage, antiques, and random things I probably don’t need! The best part is, you get to see the items in person as there is usually a viewing period before the auction starts. Also, if it's a small local auction house there are usually not that many people around and competition tends to be less crazy than with other methods - which tends to keep pricing down. Unfortunately, this form of auction is getting harder and harder to find.
6. Facebook Marketplace:
I have found that Facebook is a great way to find vintage home goods, art, and furniture. I do not particularly enjoy it for clothing. In my experience, people want close to retail prices for clothing items that are VERY dirty or need a lot of repair, which obviously is not feasible. But for things to purchase around the house, it can be great - many times people are just trying to clean out old furniture items in their home so prices are often reasonable! Just be cautious and remember to try to meet publicly where you can.
7. Estate Sales :
Estate sales are probably the most well-known places to purchase vintage clothing, home goods and furniture amoung the reseller community. However, it requires early mornings and some significant preparation if you are wanting to get the best pieces. It is difficult to determine what sort of pricing an estate sale company will have, unless you have been to one of their sales in the past. In my experience, pricing is either reasonable or higher than retail . . . and not much in between. Nonetheless, you really can find some incredible treasures at estate sales. Also, if it's for personal use, sometimes that higher price is worth it. For a deep dive into Estate Sales, click HERE.
A great thing to stop at - even if you miss the first rush in the morning. You may still find a treasure or two!
8. Reseller Apps:
There are a number of reseller apps out there that many people use to both buy and sell vintage pieces. I have personally found this a great way to buy vintage clothing and holiday decor for my own personal collection, though this is probably not the place to look for furniture. I have used poshmark extensively in the past (especially to sell before I opened my own shop) and found it to have many benefits. For one thing, this particular app has a great search engine - so finding certain labels and styles is really easy. Pricing has gone up A LOT in the last few years, but because I use it for personal use, the higher cost is justified for me.
9. Flea Markets:
Once again, these can be absolute treasure troves of goodies . . . and junk. But, as they say, “one man's junk is another man's treasure”! I am sure many people have looked at what I have purchased and thought I was crazy . . . to each their own, right? Like auctions, flea markets are becoming less and less common. HOWEVER, when you do find one, it likely has a regular weekly schedule and multiple vendors - making it a good, consistent place to find a lot of different items. Again be prepared to dig! Prices can vary, but generally items tend to be cheap . . . though more often needing more work than from your other methods.
Digging around in bins is a nature of the beast at many forms of sourcing… but sometimes you find exceptional pieces!
10. Antique Malls:
I absolutely love going to any type of antique store that I can find, especially when traveling. I specifically use them as great places to source vintage artwork and vintage ceramic plant pots for my home. I have even had luck finding decently priced mid century furniture on occasion! Pricing for antique malls can vary significantly even within one store, depending on each individual booth as well as the types of items you are looking at. But again, if it is for personal use sometimes the higher cost is justified.
Conclusion
As you can likely tell, there are many ways you can find great vintage and antique treasures for your home and wardrobe. Each method has their own set of pros and cons, and I have tried out every single one of these at least once. While I favor some of these methods more than others, each is useful depending on what I am looking for and for what purpose (i.e., personal or business). In future posts I plan to provide a more comprehensive look at each individual sourcing technique.
As always, best of luck hunting!
