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Anyone know of an online used clothes store for normal folks?

 
Posts: 200
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I am a big fan of thrift stores, but I can never find overalls in the right size, and man it hurts paying $40+ for them. I can sure find as many good jeans etc.., but I guess there just ain't many overall wearin' folks that donate to thrift stores. I just see clothes as something I am legally and neighborly wise required to wear, so I absolutely hate spending more then I must on them. I do like wearin' overalls, though. I am a carpenter/odd man for handy jobs/farmer, and they are just functional for me.

Any suggestions?
 
pollinator
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Mick Mclaughlin : First, and I can't say this enough, the ladies that work at Thrift Stores, and the people who work at Habitat for Humanities RE-Stores are Great
people, they are volunteering their time, get out into the community and lead more active lives AND enrich the whole area by their gifts of time and expertise.

Everytime you go to ether of these places you should look for a chance to help out, often the building is in poor condition, and un-rentable or in a very poor
neighborhood, and in the thrift stores calling the average age, middle-aged is being generous, if the walk needs doing, don't ask, just do it and then tell them
its done ! Often doors need to be rehung ,re-moved or swapped, A partition or divider taken down,that half rotten front door that is in terrible condition can be
swapped out for the back door that has been blocked off for 20 years, a new outlet - How many times have you heard someone say Does this work? followed
by three old ladies in a flutter till the gadget is tested to pass or fail ! A faucet washer, often the hot water is turned off because of a leak or the temp needs to
be turned down !

Make yourself useful, offer to be a taxi cab sometimes when you can ! This will give you a chance to talk to and be recognized by the staff and magically the
very thing you were looking for last time you were there will be found the very next time you are there ! It will probably fit better than what you would have
picked out yourself ! Them that Does, Gets ! Big AL !
 
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Mick...


Do you feel a morally compelled to only buy at thrift locations and only second hand? If not, I suggest good old ebay. There are a lot of companies that buy up unsold stock from clothes sellers and put them for bid on ebay. I suspect overalls may not sell out nationally. OR, A google search will put you in direct contact with online sellers asking a set price at their online store and through sites like amazon. I rarely do too much thrift store shopping anymore; they tend to be too time consuming and too far away; online ones are ok; I just find I spend less on the new items that were overstocked.
 
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Overalls will be tough. Guys that wear them tend to wear them until they are completely worn out. Only chance is if someone gained/lost a lot of weight but even then they get used up before they could be reused. or died.
 
out to pasture
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I don't buy overalls, but I do go on ebay to find military surplus sellers to get good work clothes for my son. He wears black or camo, nothing else. And it took a lot of effort to get him into camo, so I like to buy him a few t-shirts and one or two pairs of trousers a year just to keep him interested and not wear black incessantly.

He hasn't managed to wear *any* ex-army trousers out yet, and it's not for want of trying! Goretex jacket and overtrousers have been brilliant, too, but they are still quite 'new' and I don't know how long they'll stay waterproof and intact. Doing well so far though!
 
mick mclaughlin
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Well, I certainly would not be morally opposed to buying new, but everyplace I have found on line was more expensive then buying locally, when shipping was added. Ebay is flat ridiculous.

Yea, I wear mine until they are flat worn out. I guess I am hoping for the folks who have gotten fatter.

Although when I go to thrift stores I never can quite understand why there is so much good stuff there.

 
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mick mclaughlin wrote:Although when I go to thrift stores I never can quite understand why there is so much good stuff there.



At the risk of being grim... some fellas die before they wear out the overalls. Shrug.
 
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mick mclaughlin wrote:I am a big fan of thrift stores, but I can never find overalls in the right size, and man it hurts paying $40+ for them. I can sure find as many good jeans etc.., but I guess there just ain't many overall wearin' folks that donate to thrift stores. I just see clothes as something I am legally and neighborly wise required to wear, so I absolutely hate spending more then I must on them. I do like wearin' overalls, though. I am a carpenter/odd man for handy jobs/farmer, and they are just functional for me.

Any suggestions?



Hi Mick! My neck of the woods has estate sales, where they can sell anything from Tiffany lamps to kitchen plastic wrap. This past weekend, there was a pair of XL & Tall Walls insulated coveralls (the kind with the sleeves, tan with red insulating) for $10.50
I shop these sales a LOT and sell many things on-line. If I knew what size/kind you needed, I could keep an eye out.

Also gotta consider location, location, location. How insulated coveralls ended up in central TX is beyond me (although we are currently in a cold snap). Point being: things like that are cheaper in certain parts of the country. So don't give up on eBay! Or maybe even try your local craigslist community. People sell the weirdest stuff there!

Good luck... and PM me if you're interested in the help!
 
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The best source for work gear of all sorts is to run an add looking for it. Ex-girlfriends, ex-wives, widows and really old guys often want to sell overalls, work boots, tool belts...
The only way to find these people is to advertise. I don't argue price too much with the widows. They are usually very reasonably priced. The exes are looking to purge their lives of reminders of some guy who ran off with a floozy. Sometimes everything is free.
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Al mentioned the age of the people who volunteer at the thrift store. A couple years ago, I built a clothing sorting table along a wall at a food bank/thrift store. This place gives most stuff away. Everything was designed to accommodate three ladies who use wheelchairs. This place also has a kitchen where the street crowd come to eat. Several of the guys who come for meals came over and helped with the project. I was fed well and I met a guy who has helped me at work.

There's one older patron who has mental issues and can't hold a regular job. He has a big trailer for his bike. He scours better neighborhoods far from the thrift store and gathers up useful things that people put at the curb. (When people are done with kid's bikes, clothes etc. in Victoria, it's common practice to put a free sign on it and place it by the sidewalk.) I've seen that guy with 200 lb. of apples in the trailer and I've loaded him up with clothing and toys from demolition projects. This has become his job. I think he does it every day.

Thrift stores are a great place for marginalized people to contribute and fit in with a welcoming social group.
 
mick mclaughlin
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Brinklen, thanks a lot! 36-32 is what i normally wear. Keep your eye out! I hadnt thought of estate sales!

Dale, i hadn't thought of advertisement. I have actually searched craigslist, but never advertised.

Thanks folks!
 
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