Issue Date: 4/17/06
Shop secondhand to stretch tight student budgets
- Page 1 of 1
Feel the thrill of finding an Abercrombie T-shirt for $1 or the excitement of nabbing a Stephen King novel for 50 cents.
Palomar bargain hunters can find clothes, books and other items at a fraction of retail cost through secondhand sources. Bargains are as close as the computer or the house next door.
Click and save
Web sites sell used items as well as help track down local secondhand products. Dollar-stretchers may find exactly what they want from the comfort of home, 24-hours per day.
eBay presents a virtual warehouse of used items in any theme, color or size imaginable. Enter a search as specifically as possible, for example women's size 2 Gap jeans or an EverQuest video game, then place a bid for the exact item or price desired. eBay's secondhand video game market attracts students like Brian Rodriguez, a Palomar engineering major, who suggests carefully reading the fine print.
"Games cost a lot less on eBay," he said, "but I always check the return policy."
Half.com specializes in secondhand books, CDs and DVDs. Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com have similar selections of used material. Students such as health sciences major Jessica Lugan often turn to these Web sites for college textbooks.
"Amazon or Half.com have way better deals than even the used books at the school bookstore," she said.
Bargainlink.com lists local book sales, swap meets, auctions and other resales throughout San Diego County. Craigslist.org offers community-based classified ads of local items for sale and barter. Freecycle.org allows postings for give-away items, and interested parties can enter their e-mail address to be contacted when an item is listed within driving distance of their zip code.
Thrifty shopping
Hidden behind unassuming storefronts, thrift stores often receive high quality items because donations are tax-deductible. Selection, convenience and savings turn students into enthusiastic thrift store fans.
"Obviously the price is a great deal, especially if you're on a budget," nursing major Carol Ihde said. "You can get major nice things at thrift stores."
On busy days, regulars wait at the entrance of Escondido's huge AMVETS Thrift Store to grab a cart from someone departing. Stand-outs include shoes, hardcover books, evening gowns, and racks of clothing displayed in a colorful rainbow across the concrete floor.
AMVETS uses color tags to indicate which day employees put an item on the racks, and each day's discount of 50 or 75 percent favors a different color. The lowest price without a discount is 95 cents. The largest thrift store in North County is at 2085 E. Valley Parkway and is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
In Oceanside, seasonal displays of glittering decorations greet customers entering the front door of the Disabled American Veterans Thrift Store. The large store incorporates collections of vintage comic books, vinyl LPs, furniture and long stands of clothing hung in stair-step formation by size.
Instead of daily discounts, D.A.V. places well-worn or long-displayed clothing on their 25-cent racks. Their next-lowest price is 65 cents. The store is open from 9 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Monday through Saturday and is located at 1624 Pacific Coast Highway.
Home-grown sales
Rummage sales and garage or yard sales, usually held on Saturdays, present a less expensive and less organized inventory than other secondhand sources. Penny-pinchers often tackle challenging piles of cast-offs.
A display of unwanted items in a yard or driveway frequently identifies a garage sale; a sign confirms it. Some sellers label everything with a price tag and refuse to haggle, while others say, "Make an offer." Veteran buyers drive through upscale neighborhoods before dawn in search of desired items, cruising into the afternoon loaded down with goodies.
"Garage sales are great," Lugan said. "You can get things that don't necessarily need to be brand new, for a good price."
Rummage sales represent the combined discarded possessions of an organization, such as a church or school. Though often unadvertised except to members of the group, sales may use classified ads, signs, flyers and word-of-mouth.
Indicators include a parking lot or gymnasium dotted with mountains of clothes, shoes, toys and other items; signs that read, "Fill a bag for $1;" and people diving under someone's legs to reach that coveted Abercrombie t-shirt.
Palomar bargain hunters can find clothes, books and other items at a fraction of retail cost through secondhand sources. Bargains are as close as the computer or the house next door.
Click and save
Web sites sell used items as well as help track down local secondhand products. Dollar-stretchers may find exactly what they want from the comfort of home, 24-hours per day.
eBay presents a virtual warehouse of used items in any theme, color or size imaginable. Enter a search as specifically as possible, for example women's size 2 Gap jeans or an EverQuest video game, then place a bid for the exact item or price desired. eBay's secondhand video game market attracts students like Brian Rodriguez, a Palomar engineering major, who suggests carefully reading the fine print.
"Games cost a lot less on eBay," he said, "but I always check the return policy."
Half.com specializes in secondhand books, CDs and DVDs. Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com have similar selections of used material. Students such as health sciences major Jessica Lugan often turn to these Web sites for college textbooks.
"Amazon or Half.com have way better deals than even the used books at the school bookstore," she said.
Bargainlink.com lists local book sales, swap meets, auctions and other resales throughout San Diego County. Craigslist.org offers community-based classified ads of local items for sale and barter. Freecycle.org allows postings for give-away items, and interested parties can enter their e-mail address to be contacted when an item is listed within driving distance of their zip code.
Thrifty shopping
Hidden behind unassuming storefronts, thrift stores often receive high quality items because donations are tax-deductible. Selection, convenience and savings turn students into enthusiastic thrift store fans.
"Obviously the price is a great deal, especially if you're on a budget," nursing major Carol Ihde said. "You can get major nice things at thrift stores."
On busy days, regulars wait at the entrance of Escondido's huge AMVETS Thrift Store to grab a cart from someone departing. Stand-outs include shoes, hardcover books, evening gowns, and racks of clothing displayed in a colorful rainbow across the concrete floor.
AMVETS uses color tags to indicate which day employees put an item on the racks, and each day's discount of 50 or 75 percent favors a different color. The lowest price without a discount is 95 cents. The largest thrift store in North County is at 2085 E. Valley Parkway and is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
In Oceanside, seasonal displays of glittering decorations greet customers entering the front door of the Disabled American Veterans Thrift Store. The large store incorporates collections of vintage comic books, vinyl LPs, furniture and long stands of clothing hung in stair-step formation by size.
Instead of daily discounts, D.A.V. places well-worn or long-displayed clothing on their 25-cent racks. Their next-lowest price is 65 cents. The store is open from 9 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Monday through Saturday and is located at 1624 Pacific Coast Highway.
Home-grown sales
Rummage sales and garage or yard sales, usually held on Saturdays, present a less expensive and less organized inventory than other secondhand sources. Penny-pinchers often tackle challenging piles of cast-offs.
A display of unwanted items in a yard or driveway frequently identifies a garage sale; a sign confirms it. Some sellers label everything with a price tag and refuse to haggle, while others say, "Make an offer." Veteran buyers drive through upscale neighborhoods before dawn in search of desired items, cruising into the afternoon loaded down with goodies.
"Garage sales are great," Lugan said. "You can get things that don't necessarily need to be brand new, for a good price."
Rummage sales represent the combined discarded possessions of an organization, such as a church or school. Though often unadvertised except to members of the group, sales may use classified ads, signs, flyers and word-of-mouth.
Indicators include a parking lot or gymnasium dotted with mountains of clothes, shoes, toys and other items; signs that read, "Fill a bag for $1;" and people diving under someone's legs to reach that coveted Abercrombie t-shirt.
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