260: Out-Thrift Most Shoppers: Insider Tips From a Former Thrift Store Employee, feat. Andrew Harper

Want to thrift better than most shoppers? Former thrift store employee and REISSUED creator Andrew Harper shares the insider tips, sourcing habits, and secondhand lessons he learned from years of seeing what comes through the doors and what shoppers leave behind.

On the Get Thrifty Podcast, Maggie Scivicque talks with Andrew about his three years working at a ReStore, the thrifting tips behind his most-viewed YouTube video, and how he spots quality, overlooked potential, and one-of-a-kind pieces. They also get into restoring unwanted furniture, thrifting while traveling, decorating with secondhand finds, and why Andrew has become more selective about what he brings home.

GUEST HANDLES & RESOURCES

• YouTube: @REISSUED
• IG: reissued.studio
• Website: https://www.reissued.studio/

SHOW NOTES

• Why Andrew recommends making two laps around every thrift store
• What materials can signal a quality secondhand find
• Why estate sales, yard sales, and Facebook Marketplace belong in your sourcing rotation
• What working at a thrift store taught him about pricing and the items shoppers overlook
• How Andrew turns unwanted furniture and even discarded pieces into elevated home decor
• Why smaller cities and towns can offer a different thrifting experience than major markets
• How his approach shifted from collecting more to "more detail, less stuff"
• Why learning basic restoration and upholstery skills can open up an entirely new category of thrift finds