Thrift hunting is basically a journey in Wonderland. You never know what you’re gonna find there, but that’s the whole point of it. Initially, buying thrift was something savvy shoppers would do. But soon, it became a whole new trend with professional thrifters and vintage aficionados who, thanks to their trained eye and knowledge of secondhand, manage to dig up some real treasure that stood the test of time.

At the same time, thrifting can bring some pretty unusual and unexpected findings. Thanks to the Instagram account “Ridiculous Thrifter,” we now know what to expect. And it gets weird real quick! Run by a “Professional thrifter and reseller,” the account showcases “the wonderful, bizarre and insanely overpriced items” found at secondhand points from Facebook marketplace to secondhand stores and charity shops.

Below are some of the craziest items found there. Psst! After you’re done reading this post, be sure to check out our previous posts with crazy thrift treasures from people who couldn't believe their luck here, here and here.

#1 Do You Need One Of These? Imagine Always Carrying Around This In Your Pocket Or Purse… Busting It Out When Someone Is Being A Total Whinebag

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Bored Panda reached out to Sean, 41, the creator of the “Ridiculous Thrifter” Instagram account from Atlantic Canada. “I purchase items at thrift stores and re-sell them on eBay and Facebook marketplace as a side hustle,” he told us.

Sean first started thrifting after high school in 1999-2000 when a major thrift store (Value Village) opened up in his city. “They sell items on a much larger scale than the smaller boutique type thrift stores I was used to. They are considered the 'Walmart' of thrift. So as a young & broke college student, I saw a great opportunity to 'flip' these items for a decent profit on eBay… it was a no-brainer!”

#2 Imagine The Absolute Cringe Of The Thrift Store Employee

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#3 If 2020 Was A Shirt... “I Just Can’t”

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#4 Rooster Smash!

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Sean got completely hooked and from then on, he’s been enjoying this side gig for over 20 years now, while working full time as a Youth Corrections Counselor. “Over the years, I’ve brought many of the teenagers I work with out thrifting along with me. As a learning experience, I would teach them my craft, showing them some of the items they can make an easy profit on,” Sean said and added that most of them really enjoyed the experience. “Some of them would even ask, ‘Sean, can we drive to Value Village today?’ Haha. The thrill of the hunt is addictive…”

#5 Shoe-A-Bunga Dudes!

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#6 Cheeseburger Phone! Who Would You Call On This?

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#7 It's Bad When A Thrift Store Doesn't Like Our Odds For The Future

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“Just before the Covid pandemic hit in early 2020, I was at Value Village one evening and I noticed they were selling small bags full of Canadian one cent coins (pennies… around 250 of them in each bag) for $3.99 plus tax. This was crazy! So roughly $2.50 worth of Canadian currency for $3.99 Canadian currency? How was this possible? Whose idea was this?”

The creator of the Ridiculous Thrifter page said that he laughed a lot in the store at how absurd this was while taking several photos of the bags. “When I arrived home, I posted one of the pictures to my personal Facebook profile, which became quite popular. I think it was shared close to 400 times, and because of that popularity, I knew there was something bigger here.” That’s how Sean decided to create a separate Facebook page (and Instagram a little later) to feature this post along with his other “ridiculous” thrift store finds.

“Well, it really took off… it became much more popular than I had anticipated. Followers began submitting their ridiculous thrift store finds as well for me to feature. It has been really enjoyable and I didn’t realize how big thrift culture was.”

#8 The Man Was Then Rolled In The Rug And Thrown In The Trunk Of A 1979 Cadillac Coupe

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#9 “Pickle Me” Elmo - $10.00

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#10 These Thrift Store Chairs Have Cushions With Celebrity Portraits On Them

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“An average thrift journey for me usually lasts about an hour or so. Longer if I find a lot of items I can sell. Some days I can walk out of the stores with absolutely nothing. I mostly concentrate my time on looking for valuable electronics, retro toys & games, video games/consoles, books and movies. Small stuff that’s easy to mail cheaply. On eBay, high shipping costs on big and bulky items can really ruin the profit, so those items I try to sell locally.”

Sean also said that every now and again he discovers an item that he knows nothing about. “I will have to take out my smartphone and search what it sells for on eBay. My phone is so important in this case… several times my battery died in the store and I would have to leave items on the shelf because I didn’t want to take the risk buying a worthless item. But most times I already know the profit that I can make, how much I can sell it for pretty easily.”   

#11 A 1960s Batman Water Pistol Toy For Kids. Interesting Design

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#12 Vintage Cat Novelty Transistor Radio, Made In Hong Kong Circa 1970s For $6.99. This Thing Really Cleaned Up Well With Goo Gone & Microfibre Cloth. What A Score!

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#13 For When Your Relationship Reaches A Certain Threshold...

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When asked whether thrifting has become more popular lately, Sean said that’s definitely the case. “It has actually exploded. Television shows such as 'Storage Wars' and 'American Pickers' have really popularized the hobby. In the early 2000s I was one of only a handful of people in my city who were selling thrift store items on eBay. I was able to pretty much fill my shopping cart full every visit.”

Now, however, thrift hunting became very competitive, says Sean. “There are lineups outside the thrift stores before they open in the morning. The early bird gets the worm… and as I work full-time now, it’s pretty much just for fun for me. I can’t compete with the younger generation. But I’m not upset at this. I’ve had my time in the sun!”

Today, Sean’s thrift store adventures are mostly to gather content for his Ridiculous Thrifter page. “If I happen to stumble on valuable items to sell while doing this, that’s all a bonus. It’s still really fun!”

#14 This Wins The Internet Today! Lol

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#15 Would You Buy This?

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#16 This Is How Legends Are Made

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When asked about the craziest and the weirdest items Sean has found, he said it’s definitely “the bags of Canadian pennies for starters… a normal beach rock for $2.99 (we are surrounded by beach rocks where I live), a 3/4 full bottle of bleach for $3.99, a full-sized canoe made completely out of popsicle sticks and empty (yes I said empty) generic brand tomato sauce jars for $2.99 each, to name a few.”

#17 Gotta Give’m Credit For Clever Marketing

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#18 The Helicopter Ceiling Fan

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#19 Absolutely Hilarious

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“But the weirdest item ever found has to be the rice cooker that actually had cooked rice still in it! I’m not sure how the employees of the store missed that. Completely ridiculous!” Sean told us.

For anyone who’s into thrift hunting, Sean's advice is to keep thrifting fun and enjoy the hunt. “Don’t get upset if you see someone with a shopping cart full of the things you were looking to buy… there’s always another day,” he concluded.

#20 Someone Had A Lot Of Fun At This Thrift Store

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#21 Caution: Beverage May Evaporate In Proximity Of Pillow

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#22 When Your 3 Year Old Wakes Up At 5am And You Aren’t Ready To Face The Day... A Couple Hot Wheels And This Hoodie Will Do The Trick!

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#23 Lol - I Absolutely Love This Thrift Store Find! ??? T-Shirt Fail!

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#24 Face-Off? More Like “Face-On This Backpack Is Kick-A**!”

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#25 This Made Me Laugh A Lot

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#26 This Is “Not Unusual” At All! Lol What A Thrift Find! Carlton Score!

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#27 Get Your Limited Edition Mario Milk Before It Expires!

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#28 Find The Cheetos Crumbs In This Bad Boy!

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#29 I’m Euro-Peeing My Pants!! Value Village In Pembroke Ontario Canada Is Selling 20 Euros For $34.99+tax ($39.54)!! You Can Buy This Bill At Any Bank For $29.68 With Todays Exchange Rate, Tax Free!! They Are Literally Selling Money For More Money!!! This... One... Takes... The... Cake!!! Absolutely Ridiculous!

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#30 Only The Best Brands For Sale At The Double-V...

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#31 It’s Been 45 Years And Cliff Still Can’t Get Over That Terrible Night In 1975 Lol

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#32 This Was A Real Thing And 100% Should Be A Real Thing Again

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#33 The Clerk Said This Lamp Doesn’t “Cast” A Shadow. Wish I Wasn’t “Broke” ... I Certainly Would Have “Foot” The Bill... Spent All My Money Getting “Plastered”

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#34 What Do You Do With Your Chicken Parts?

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#35 Who Remembers This Vintage 1980s Playskool Flashlight That Had 3 Different Colours?

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#36 When Those Covid-19 Pandemic Zoom Calls Finally Fry Your Brain! A Coffee Mug For Every Occasion!

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#37 I Toad-Ally Would Have Bought This Too!

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#38 Some Days I Love Value Village. Look At This 1986 Hasbro Jem & The Holograms Lunchbox With Thermos! Fantastic Condition. $19.99

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#39 Donated Simply Because It Was A Constant Reminder Of That Time They Nearly Burned The House Down

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#40 So Value Village Is Selling Bags Of Pennies For $3.99 Each.... I Can’t Even...

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#41 Ultimate Star Wars Collectors Item

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#42 No Holds. E-Transfer Only

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#43 Ultrasound Machine For Sale At A Thrift Store In Florida For $4,000! I Have Soooo Many Questions

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#44 “It’s Tee-Hee-Ime To Be Bad!” Whatever Shade You Were Mj, You Were The Greatest Of All Time

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#45 There’s Just Too Many People On My Mind!

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#46 Couple Of Better Pics Of The Now Very Infamous Ottawa Value Village Donated Casket - Taken By Paul J Bourque

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#47 If 2020 Was A Photograph

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#48 Haha! Quite The Funny Fb Marketplace Post!

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#49 The Lindsay Lohan Coffee “Mugshot”

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#50 “Jada You’s A Thrift Store Shopper”

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