Boxes of chocolates, non-English menus in foreign countries, and shuffled song playlists all share that addictive thrill of discovering something you weren’t expecting. Thrifting, garage sales, and flea markets all operate on the exact same principle for a reason. 

The “Weird (and Wonderful) Secondhand Finds That Just Need To Be Shared” Facebook group does a pretty good job at telling you exactly what they are about. From unhinged tableware to creative lamps, explore this list of items that netizens dug up. Be sure to upvote your favorite finds and comment your thoughts and own stories below. We got in touch with the admins to find out more and we also contacted environmental speaker, climate activist, and sustainability journalist Miglė Vasiliauskaitė to learn about sustainability and thrifting. 

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#1 I Bought This 1989 Enesco Music Box. Yes It Works! Some Of The Mice And Parts Of The Machine Move. Absolutely Adorable Reminds Me Of Cinderella. Paid $11 Value Village, Marysville Washington

Image credits: Trisha Horvath

#2 This Gem Was Sitting Up High On A Shelf Where I Work (Medical Office). Apparently, It Has Sat There Half Hidden And Covered In Dust For Many Years. I Was Pretty Excited When They Said I Could Have It. Green Is My Favorite Color

Image credits: Bethany Smith

#3 Got Her At A Garage Sale. The Lady Selling Her Made Her $2 So Pretty I Think

Image credits: Tina Brown

Bored Panda got in touch with the self-proclaimed “Weird Secondhand Finds Headquarters” to learn more about the group and they were kind enough to tell us more. “I always chuckle a bit when people ask about the motivation behind creating this group because it's kind of a mundane story with a wild outcome.”

“Weird (and Wonderful) Secondhand Finds That Just Need To Be Shared" was actually created specifically for our family to share finds with each other because we thought it would be easier than text messaging. When the group was created it was left as a public group, instead of being set to private, purely because it never occurred to us that anyone else would have an interest in this.”

#4 Helped My Fil Clean Out His Garage And Found A Bunch Of These Acrylic Animals From The 70s. This Frog Was One Of My Favorite!

Image credits: Tina Bouvier Commesso

#5 This Big Hippo Was Part Of A Large Lot Of Figurines I Picked Up At An Estate Sale. There Was A Smaller Pair Of Hippos With It

Image credits: Jeanine Von Essen-Scharpen

#6 At A Friend's Barn Sale And I Said Isn't That Depression Glass? She Said She Didn't Know What I Was Talking About And Never Heard Of It, Told Me To Take It Home For Free!

Image credits: Leeann Fecho-Bradley

“But it turns out we're not the only oddballs out there. A couple of people we didn't know joined and we thought, well heck it might be fun to have a few non-relatives share things. Why not? Then people just kept joining and before we knew it we were up to almost three million members! We like to think that we just have a really big family now.”

#7 It’s Now One Of My Favorite Possessions And Has Taken Up Space Right On Our Kitchen Wall

Image credits: Erin Patricia

#8 I Saw One Of These And Didn't Pick It But Found This One At A Thrift Store Called Eye Of The Beholder. If You're In Mn Check This Place Out

Image credits: Laura Cooper

#9 Went To My Local Second Hand Store Found My New Fancy Dishes Got A Set Of 8 For $ 5 They Make Me Smile

Image credits: Nikki Makara

Having heard that so many people joined this seemingly small group, we naturally wanted to hear the original admins' opinions on why this content has exploded the way it has over the years. “I think this content is popular for two reasons. One, finding something to post is like a treasure hunt where you almost always discover gold.”

#10 Found Some Neato Brass Ibex Book Ends At The Local Antique Shop Here In Salt Lake City

Image credits: Lauren Miller

#11 I’m In Love! I Got Lucky Today. Purchased For $0.99-$3.99 A Piece ??‍♀️? Goodwill- Cape Coral Fl

Image credits: Yari Xoxx

#12 Found At A Local Thrift Shop And Came Home With Us. I Don't Know What He's Supposed To Be, But I Love Him!

Image credits: Lisa McClain-Ringer

“And two, there's a whole huge community that wants nothing more than to celebrate your find with you. This group is so wonderful because its focus is not on finding the value or background of your item. It's not about making fun of or criticizing items or designs. It's purely about reveling in the delight of the existence of these weird and wonderful items,” they shared, a sentiment I think we can all agree on. 

#13 Look At This Beauty I Found At An Antique Store Today! I Told The Owner How Much I Loved It And She Just Gave It To Me! I Cannot Wait To Find It Spot In My Home!

Image credits: Courtney Powell

#14 I Bought This At The Flea Market In Athens, Greece 2 Weeks Ago. A Google Image Search Tells Me It’s Called Empoli Glass. I Was Drawn To It Because I Love Green

Image credits: Suzanne Sherrill

#15 Found This On Fb Marketplace For Dirt Cheap In Az! It’s Taller Than Me! I’m In Love

Image credits: Becca Downs

We also got in touch with Miglė Vasiliauskaitė, environmental speaker, climate activist, and sustainability journalist at “Tvari Lietuva” to ask some questions about the value of thrifting and what the average person can do to help the plant. First and foremost, we were curious to hear how she defines sustainability. “I like this description: being able to do something forever. To me living sustainably also means having in mind that I don't live alone, it's about being considerate.”

#16 One Of My Favorite Marketplace Finds Ever! Victor And Edgar Plushies From Tim Burton’s Movie, ‘Frankenweenie’. ?⚡️ A Whopping $10 In Fayetteville, Nc

Image credits: Kristina DeMaria

#17 Thrilled To Share My Latest Facebook Marketplace Find, This Beautiful Vintage Hourglass Macrame Side Table ? — Omaha, Ne

Image credits: Lydia Schieuer

#18 Inherited From My Grandma Recently Who Has Had This Bad Boy For 43 Years (Don't Worry, She's Okay, Just Downsizing!)

It sat above her stove for 20+ when I was growing up until she moved a little over a decade ago, so it was pretty dirty. I've been slowly and gently buffing out the old built-up dust from around the seeds. It is stamped with mccoy on the bottom, but I think it might be a popular fake. If anyone knows anything more about it, like age/whether it has lead in it, feel free to let me know lol. I plan on lead testing before making a permanent decision on where it should sit and how it should be handled. I wanted to use it for cookies, but I don't know much about vintage ceramics and lead risks. Still, I've loved this thing my whole life and couldn't be more thrilled to have my strawberry home with me! ?

Image credits: Emily Ryner

“As a person, but also as species: all of the resources that we have on this planet are meant for all living things. So everything I do or choose to use - I keep in mind that someone will also be using it after me: be it water, forests, air, dirt, etc. I really see how this pushes me to close the tap while brushing my teeth or turn off the lights while exiting the room.”

#19 Bought This Off Market Place In “Non Working” Condition. I Fixed It Up And Cleaned It. It Works!!

Image credits: Haley Holland

#20 Drove Across Town In Abq To Get This Magical Facebook Marketplace Snow Globe. It’s From The San Fransisco Music Box Company In True Mint Condition. Hardly Needed Cleaning And It Plays A Lovely, Whimsical Tune. It’s Perfect

Image credits: Nikki Schaffer

#21 My $4 Estate Sale Find!

Image credits: Marti Sue

“I realize these are very small changes in your lifestyle that some could argue if they make any difference, but I believe they are part of the mindset of not wasting anything. One good example I have of this is when I am walking past the automatically opening doors next to the shops outside: I always try to walk a bit further away to not trigger the sensors and save electricity.”

“This may seem excessive, but there was a study done in the USA where they found that these random door openings cost a company about 7000$ per week. This amount also estimates the changes in temperature of the building, which needs to be cooled/heated, the whole system needs more frequent maintenance, and there's also the obvious electricity consumption.”

#22 Found This At A Thrift Store In Alabama Of Course Minus The Ring But I Absolutely Love It And It Holds Things For Me, Which Is A Plus

Image credits: Anna Johnson Burdick

#23 Found These Beautiful Swung Vases In Frederick, Md At A Vintage Shop. Did Not Come Home With Me But Loved The Colors

Image credits: Natalia Pirrone

#24 Found This Fun Spice Rack At The Giving Tree In Topeka Ks For 19.99!

Image credits: Laura Scharf Burchett

We were curious to hear her opinion on the various second-hand things someone can find and to get her thoughts on thrifting. “I love thrifting! I think 60% of my closet are 2nd handpieces. You can always find so many unique things that are not in the "fashionable" shops now, where everyone looks the same. One of my favorite finds is a trench coat that I will be wearing for the 3rd year now!”

“I bought it for 6€ and after a couple of months, I saw the same style of trenches everywhere, which were, of course, more expensive. It is always so exciting to find older pieces or from somewhere abroad and try to imagine, who was the previous owner, what occasions did the clothing see, and how it was taken care of? And to be able to extend the lifestyle of it, take it out on even more places. It creates a relationship between you and the garments, and makes you a more conscious consumer.”

#25 Just Saw This Amazing Set Of Lamps At Rascal Savage Vintage In Highbridge, Nj!! The Owner Also Has A Giant Falkor Head (Which She Was Nice Enough To Show Us!) A Must See!!

Image credits: Tracy Lynn

#26 Found At Goodwill In Tucson, Az. Did Come Home With Me

Image credits: Robert Poston

#27 Got From A Thrift Store

Image credits: Russ T Shackleford

The different pieces here highlight exactly what Miglė was saying, but we also wanted to hear some advice for a person who wants to live sustainably but doesn’t know where to start. “There's one thing that everyone can do today to instantly become much more eco-friendly - ditch single-use things. Bags, utensils, cotton pads, menstrual pads, shaving razors, coffee cups, straws, low-quality clothing, anything that can only be used for a short time - and switch it with a multiple-use item.”

#28 I Climbed To The Back Of The Sofas All Squished Together Because I Eyed Up This Pretty Print Yesterday

I got a discount so it was also half price. Turns out to be a signed and numbered lithograph from around 1970 by the artist pla domenech from spain who was a contemporary of dali. The original gallery tag was still on the back. Unbelievable! So lucky! Those lines are a reflection. Oops!

Image credits: Lola Lombard

#29 ? ? ? Austin, Texas (Goodwill)

Image credits: Aaliyah Olvera Lopez

#30 Here Is The Banana Shot That Everyone Was Asking About In My Previous Post. Marketplace Find $10 Aud For Both 40” … 1050cm

Image credits: Tamara OConnell

“It not only saves the environment but your money as well. As for longer-term changes, I would suggest practicing empathy and spending more time in nature: we take care of things that we care about, so try to be more mindful of your green surroundings and remember that your actions, no matter how small, are directly related to everything,” she shared with Bored Panda. If you want to explore more of Miglė’s work, you can find her information here.