Thrift Trader

I used to go here often to buy vinyl records. Seems that their pricing has gone from «thrift» to «fleece»
What I mean by that is that all records except «Revolver» records were 2 bucks. Now everything is priced in increments of 5 dollars. There are 1 dollar records priced at 20 – 25 dollars. Most records now are in fair to poor condition priced at full retail plus 50%
Over the years I have bought hundreds of discs from thrift traders, but with their new pricing, I have not bought anything for months. If I want to pay full price I go to a record store where they don’t put junk on the shelves

50 cents for a $ 35 sweater and $ 1 for a $ 85 jacket? DO NOT sell or trade here, absolute theft. Better to donate to a good cause.

We were here of vacation from Northern California and happened in this store by chance. We not only loved the store, but Danielle was extremely helpful. I told her I wanted my daughter to come in and shop, but she wouldn’t because she didn’t have any shoes because she lost them at the ocean. Danielle found a pair of sandals in the donation box that fit my daughter perfectly, resulting in us spending 2 hours in the store and buying lots of stuff. Danielle kept showing us more and more and we loved it. She further helped us by hooking us up with a place that sells cheap boogie boards. Awesome experience with an awesome helper, thanks Danielle we will be back next time and hope to see you!

We happened on this store by accident and had a blast. When you walk in the store, look up at the big sign hanging from the ceiling. The sign will tell you about the prices. That is when the fun begins!!! There is something for everyone in this place.
The staff was fun and friendly. The left my friend and I alone to shop but were happy and helpfull when we asked questions.
Smaller, by far, than Buffalo Exchange but I thought it was better organized, friendlier, and much less expensive.
Our new favorite place to thrift shop!

I don’t know if this is an Emperor’s New Clothes sort of thing, where one person writes that it’s great, and so everyone else does, too.
Tiny selection of cheaply-​made, used clothing. The shop was dark, and hot (and it was lovely outside, so the ventilation is very poor). Alice Cooper’s «Bed of Nails» was blasting over the speakers — not what I’d want to hear when I’m clothes shopping.
In the back, there was a decent selection of DVDs and vinyl records.
I wouldn’t come here to buy clothes. Amvets on Sutherland St is a much better option.

Amazing little shop in SD supplying a very nice assortment of records. Always come away with some amazing records. Pricing is perfect. thank you!
Ladies that work there are F’n rad!

Great experience coming in THIS store (as opposed to North Park location). Staff is always happy, helpful, & engaging. They know how to pick the clothes; quality items & I always find something cool.

Super shady place to buy from. Bought a phone at the El Cajon location from Lindsey, the serial number is bad and it can’t be activated on Sprint. Contacted management but never received a reply from them. DO NOT SHOP HERE!

This is the best thrift store I have been in! The clothes are actually very cute but there is also a unique selection. Everything is also reasonably priced for the high quality and it doesn’t smell bad. The staff there is very nice and helpful as well, especially Kristin who will give you honest fashion advice. I have told everyone I know about this store and I will continue to come back whenever I am in San Diego!

Good for the location as well as the clothing. This is the ‘trendy’ thrift store. Right next door is the charity thrift store and the good will chain thrift store. Go here and you have your pick of different thrift varieties. Would only go for clothes though, not so much variety in terms of different kinds of used objects.

I went here today to sell my clothes. Most of them were brand new and a good brand. When I got there the lady started to choose through my stuff and started to make two piles. Then when she was done choosing she gave me the bigger pile which was the clothes she didn’t want. Most of them were brand new!
After all that she only gaved me 50 cents per piece. While they sell it there more expensive. After that the lady behind the counter a white chubby lady with glasses started to give me attitude because I didn’t have my driver liscence. I told her sorry and that I didn’t know. But she just rolled her eyes at me and told me. Not to do that again and walked away.
I’ll never go there again, and will let my family and friends know about there horrible customer service

They have a nice selection of clothes to buy, but if you are trading something in, they only pay $ 0.50 per piece, even for brand new shoes with tags on, I’d rather just donate it to someone in need than getting 50 cents for my items…

This place is awesome. I always come in with reject clothes and 95% of the time they take items. I pay nothing for awesome clothes an it’s such an awesome place to find diamonds in the rough. Only downside is they usually don’t have many workers so it’s not as quickly as it can be.

A great alternative to buffalo exchange. I wouldn’t sell my clothes here (they offer 50 cents a piece for most items), but their trading is a great deal. They are still selective about their merchandise, but unlike buffalo they will take items that are «off trend» so are more likey to take items from last season. It’s definitely thifting (there is a lot of digging), but there are definitely some gems.
There are two gradings of items:
The first at the front of the store are individually priced. These are generally higher quality /​designer items. Great deals
Everything else is $ 5.99 or 4 for $ 20. You can also get a 2 for 1 trade out of this section. The items here are between that of buffalo and goodwill (again some digging).
Take away points:
1. Great place to trade underutilized parts of your wardrobe.
2. More selective than goodwill, better deals than buffalo
3. If you have lots of items for trade, they will give you a trade credit, so you can come back and pick up sone (essentially) free clothes. I think this is the best feature.

Pretty neat place. They have a deal going on right now for their LPs.
Bought 3 LPs in great condition for $ 2 each. You never know what you can find so you might as well just stop by and see!

I never have to pay for anything. They take a large majority of my clothes. I prefer it over Buffalo. So much vintage and unique clothing. A little small and kind of junky, but over all great!

I love their extensive selection of vinyls, and they have pretty good prices.
HOWEVER
I was shopping with a friend of mine, and she tried on a top there (cute chiffon button down) but decided not to get it, so put it on a rack close by. The employee looked at her and rudely barked «could you PLEASE go put that back where you found it? Thanks.»
Later on, she went to check out and buy a sweater, and handed the woman the money and got her change back. She was putting it back in her wallet and didn’t hear the cashier quietly say thank you, when the cashier leaned over the counter all up in her face and yelled «THANK YOU». It was so rude.
Very disappointed in the staff.

The prices aren’t bad, but the selection is pretty minimal here. Expect little to no help looking for anything or even someone bothering to look up at you.
I came in and the two ladies working there were just chit chatting away. When I asked if they had a section for something, they looked so annoyed that I even asked. I’m sorry?
I prefer the Goodwill a couple doors down, but I guess if you’re in the area, you can stop and check it out. Just don’t expect a hi or any help.

This Thrift Trader location is a lot smaller than the North Park shop on Iowa Street. I came in here since I had *3* free items to nab, from a previous trade-​in I made in North Park. One thing I do like about is this location is the racks are nicely organized and it’s easy to find what you’re looking for.
The selection of books is really small — way, way smaller than what the Iowa Street store has. They did, however have a good amount of vinyl.
I was impressed with the selection of designer denim. Unfortunately none were my exact size, but I found plenty of good brands ranging from $ 9.99−12.99 and the jeans were in great condition! I will definitely be looking here for jeans, rather than spending $ 15 – 30 more for similar styles at Buffalo Exchange.
I ended up walking out with a really cute dress from Gap that was white with a floral print on it and looked near new. I also got a cute Arden B dress, and a colorful tank top (from a no-​name brand you can get at Macy’s).
As is usually the case with thrifting, you do have to dig around — sometimes you’ll hit on a bunch of gems, and other times you won’t. Although I ranked both this store & the North Park store a 3, I think the North Park store is better, as it has much more inventory and will give you more of that thrifting «experience» :) Buffalo remains my favorite thrift store in San Diego, but this chain of thrift stores are exceptionally enjoyable if you like the «thrill of the hunt» and have a lot of clothing to trade in!

I hit the vinyl jackpot!
So on my birthday recently, one of the presents I received was a turntable. On my last visit to my parents, I found my sister’s old record collection and wanted to re-​live the good times we had as siblings when she was still with us. What better way than through music.
There was an abundance to choose from… I love the 80s & 90s and ended up picking up a ton of albums on my visit here. They ranged anywhere $ 2 and up so you know I stocked up. Talk about being a kid in a candy store! The hubs had sold a bunch of clothes at Buffalo Exchange down street and we decided to take the rest of them here. Good call because we were about to donate what we had left and the pretty young gal at the register took everything!
Come here to get rid of your gear or if you are a vinyl buff like me. 4 stars!