I love antiques and when it comes to home decor and furniture I almost always prefer them over something brand new. I’ve been asked more times than I can count to share the thrifted items I’ve been collecting for the house we’re building. So by popular demand, I’m going to share some of my thrift shopping tips and five of my favorite new found, second-hand treasures!

We’ve been hard at work hand-building our new home the past few years and I’ve simultaneously been collecting a wide variety of second-hand items and antiques. Bringing in things like beautiful solid wood furniture (that has some patina) and antique decor will help our new home have more of a cozy, lived-in feel to it. Not only can you find wonderful period pieces thrifting, but you can really get great savings when thrift shopping!

You just cannot get the look of a period piece of wood furniture and patina in a store. They use to build things to last a lifetime and the craftsmanship is something that’s hard to find in new furniture. I’m always so grateful when I find a beautiful old piece of furniture, that with a little restoration, will shine again.

After years of second hand and antique shopping, I’ve picked up a lot of new found treasures and quite a few shopping tips along the way! I want to share some of my favorite finds first and then I’ll go over my thrift shopping tips.

5 Of My Favorite Second-Hand Finds (and what we paid)

I have been shopping second hand and antique markets for so long now that it’s getting kind of hard to find something in my house that I bought new! The list of items we need for the new house, is started to get a lot smaller. We’ve collected everything from antique furniture, to china, light fixtures, brass faucet taps, hardware, artwork, doors, desks, stools, and lamps just to name a few.

1. Solid Wood Arched Salvaged Doors (and french doors) with brass hardware for our entire house -$900 (Priced at $1,500)

I found a listing on FB Marketplace for an entire household of doors with the original brass hinges and door hardware. They are solid wood and have a segmented arched top. We only needed 15 interior doors, but he said he’d let them go for $600 less if we took the whole lot. He was in a hurry to get them out of his garage so we took all 39 doors!

We bought them before framing up all the door rough openings on the new house, so we just took an inventory of what we had made our openings to fit the doors. The doors currently have a clear coat on them without any stain. I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to stain them or paint them, but either way, it’s going to be quite an undertaking.

2. A Large Wood Fireplace Mantel surround-$500 (priced at $700)

If you follow me on Instagram then maybe you saw this antique find! We were on an antiquing road trip and my husband wanted to stop at this massive warehouse in the middle of Detroit.

The shop was so shady looking that I didn’t even want to go in! I locked the doors and stayed put while he went inside to look around. A few minutes later, he texted me that he’d found the exact style of fireplace mantel I had been searching for all year (in the right dimensions and everything)!

I can’t believe we actually found something good in that mess of a second-hand shop, but we did. So, lesson learned. Don’t judge a shop by how it look…but maybe don’t go in alone either…just in case, lol!

3. Dining Table with 2 leaves and 12 custom made dining chairs -$1,000

I had been checking marketplace occasionally for a few months for a large table with at least 10 chairs. We have a huge extended family and we love to host, so the more chairs, the better.

One day, I found an old table that I liked with 10 chairs, so we rented an enclosed trailer and started driving the 6 hour trip to pick it up. A couple hours into the trip, I get a message on Marketplace replying to me from weeks ago (I assumed that table had sold) saying their table was available and it had 12 chairs.

So we course corrected and started driving in another direction. Our 6 hr road trip turned into a 12 hr trip with an overnight stay in Chicago:) Not only did we find a much prettier and larger table, but the chairs were even better than the set we originally set out to pick up.

I ended up reupholstering the dining chairs and I’m thrilled with how they turned out! Be sure to check out the entire process of refinishing the 12 chairs over on YouTube

4. Old Wood Church Entry Doors-$400 (priced at $600)

I was hoping to find salvaged doors with some character to use for our front entry on the new house. I wanted doors without windows because we have SO many windows and I didn’t want more glass.

I was really excited when we found these old doors. I love that their solid wood, super heavy and unique looking and they kind of have special place in my heart because they’re from an old church and I grew up as a pastors kid!

They defiantly need a lot of work (I have already started working on repairing them) but I’m hoping I can get them in good enough shape to paint them in high gloss. It’s going to be quite a challenge so more on that another day.

5. Very Old Secretary Roll Top Desk With Upper Shelves- $600 (priced at $750)

This desk is probably the oldest thing we’ve ever brought home from an antique store. We actually stopped at a little shop on our way to Chicago that same day we were getting the dining table and 12 chairs. My husband found it, loved it told them if they’d take $600, we’d pick it up on our way back home.

Sure enough, they called us back the next morning to accept our offer. This 1890’s roll top desk is one of our favorite finds ever and we would have never found it if we hadn’t course corrected and went to pick up the other table.

Funny how things just work out like that sometimes and it sure makes for a memorable story!

Thrift Shopping Tips for Facebook Marketplace

There is always room to negotiate price. They may be willing to drop the price if they’re moving asap, need quick cash, or cleaning out an estate (property manager).

If you need to drive quite a distance, rent a trailer or truck, or book a hotel they may lower the price for all the effort you’re making to pick up the item. I’m pretty sure I’ve never paid asking price for anything on marketplace…there is almost always wiggle room to negotiate.

FB Marketplace- Questions I Always Ask The Seller

Does it smell? -It must be a smoke free home if the furniture is a sofa or or chair or something that absorbs smell like a rug. Smoke free is always a must for me. Pet free depends on the item. If it’s something like a wood dresser or table lamp, of course it’s no big deal if they have pets. It’s really only an issue if it’s something the pets could have soiled (gross, I know, but worth mentioning).

Condition- Does it need significant repairs? Is anything ripped, cracked, broken or stained?If a chair is broke or even wobbly, I pass. If there is broken glass on a hutch or something, I pass. I’m only looking for things that are in good condition or I can restore myself. I’m not looking for things that I’ll have to hire a professional to restore it. If I found something really amazing that was out of my wheelhouse, maybe if I got a really good deal, I’d hire someone to restore it…but that definitely hasn’t happened yet.

History- Sometimes it’s nice to get the history on an antique, if the seller has information! Look for markings, brands or furniture stamps. Often times the seller doesn’t know the history, but you can research the maker. I find the seller often doesn’t know the actual value, they just need to get rid of it.

Safety- This is a must! I would never meet up with strangers alone, I always send my husband or go with him. Also, look at the sellers page and determine if it’s a scam or a safe/normal person. If something looks too good to be true, stay clear. You just can’t be too safe these days.

The Dimensions- It baffles my mind sometimes when I read the description on some of these marketplace listings. It’ll say “Large rug” and won’t list the length or width…it’s so funny to me. Who in the world buys a rug without having any idea of the size!? Not me! So most of the time I end up asking the seller for an actual measurement of the item. I need to know if it’s going to fit in my home before I take the time to go look at the item. If it’s small, like a little framed painting or something, then I don’t worry about it.

Don’t forget took at the sellers other listings. Sometimes the seller will have more items listed that are a similar style or what not. We’ve had times where we went to pick something up and came home with more items than we came for. If you like their decor style, it doesn’t hurt to ask them if they have anything else for sale. It’s worked well for me in the past.

Antique Shops vs. Thrift Store

I love shopping antique shops and thrift stores equally. Antique shops are usually better staffed, more organized and have nicer antiques. Thrift stores are more like a yard sale…you have no idea what you could find and if you find an antique it would be a surprise. I don’t shop thrift stores as often as I shop antique shops, only because we don’t have very many local thrift shops.

Antique shops usually have more valuable pieces. Sure, some have things that are not really “antiques” or that valuable, but for the most part, antique shops are more curated towards collectors. Most antique shops have different venders throughout and a lot of the time a vendor will give you 10% off just for asking! So don’t be shy. You’ll get to know what antique shops have firm set prices and what ones will budge as you shop your local places.

Antique Markets vs. Flea Markets

Flea markets and antique markets are usually outdoors and could be at a local fair ground. They’re similar in the sense that they both have vendors that rent a booth for the duration of the market, but flea markets tend to be more casual. They sell a wide range of second-hand goods, can have valuable items, but tend to have items that are lower priced in general.

Antique markets however usually have much more valuable and curated items. Vendors may specialize in a certain time period or items and their booths will often be beautiful and set up just like a shop. A good example of an incredible Antique Market is The Found Cottage Mercantile Market. This market is one of my favorites to shop each year. I always find one of a kind pieces at this market. Whenever we travel to an antique market we bring the truck (and sometimes a trailer) because I’m guaranteed to need it!

My All Time Favorite Marketplace Find! This One Is Going To Be Tough To Beat!

I have one more MAJOR second-hand find, but I’m keeping under wraps for now. I’ll just say that I saved tens of thousands of dollars on this one item and I am still in disbelief that we found it second-hand. It’s in brand new condition and has never even been used! I can’t wait to share all the details…but that story is a long one and it’s for another day! If you think you can guess what item we found…leave a comment! I’d love to see if anyone can guess the one big splurge I was planning to have to pay full price for (and then found it on Marketplace). I’ll give you a hint…it’s for the kitchen! Any guesses???