How to Find Vintage Clothing at Goodwill – My Top Thrifting Tips • The Dapper Dahlia

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Goodwill is one of my favorite places to shop for vintage clothing. To celebrate National Thrift Shop Day on August 17, I’m sharing my top thrifting tips on how to find great vintage clothing at Goodwill and Goodwill online. These days I’m trying to save as much money as possible, so Goodwill is one of my go-to stores to find vintage clothing on a budget.

This post is not sponsored. I just really enjoy shopping at Goodwill! I’ve found pretty vintage dresses, unique vintage handbags, fun vintage hats and more on trips to Goodwill. However, one could easily spend an exhausting day in Goodwill searching for treasures. Beyond clothing, Goodwill sells everything from vintage records and Halloween decorations to furniture and microwaves. To help you from feeling overwhelmed, I’ve compiled a list of what I’ve learned during my thrift store escapades.

If and when we can safely go thrift shopping again, I hope you’ll find these ideas helpful. (If you do venture out, please wear a mask! It’s for your safety and for the safety of those around you.) Additionally, since I’ve been spending more time at home because of the pandemic, I’ve taken advantage of the Goodwill online store, so I also have tips for shopping Goodwill online.

Here are my top thrifting tips for finding vintage clothing at Goodwill.

Have a strategy

Firstly, you’ll need to decide if you do indeed want to devote the entire day at Goodwill looking at every item available, or if you’d rather search for a few items you have in mind.

If you choose the latter, I suggest giving the racks a once over before diving in to see if anything stands out. For clothing, I look for materials like silk or sturdy cotton that stand out from the synthetic fabrics that are more common in modern clothing. Then I inspect the item more closely for labels, buttons and other details that would be unique in vintage clothing.

If I’m looking for a dress, I start by scanning the bottom of the dress rack. Vintage dresses are often longer than modern dresses, so I pick out which dresses I want a closer look at based on the length and the material.

Look in every section

Things get moved around a lot at Goodwill and could end up in the wrong section. I’ve founded dresses in the swimwear section and vintage swimwear near the handbags. You might have to look through a few sections until you find something that speaks to you.

Don’t forget about those small shelves on the ends of the clothing or shoe racks. I’ve found vintage gloves in pristine condition and even vintage stockings still in the packaging in those little shelves. I try to make it a point to check those first before getting lost in the clothing racks.

Search outside of your size

Since vintage sizes aren’t the same as modern sizes, a beautiful piece of clothing may be tagged with a size that doesn’t match its measurements. If I’m only going to look for dresses one day, I’ll take my time looking through all of the dresses in all size sections to find one that will fit. Also, things can move around, as mentioned, so the perfect dress may be hiding in the wrong spot!

This also applies to shopping Goodwill online, which brings me to my next tip…

Check online thrift stores

Thanks to the many online shopping options we have these days, finding amazing vintage clothing and accessories is easier than ever. I’m especially grateful for that now that I’m going out less because of the pandemic.

If you prefer not going into a brick-and-mortar Goodwill store, you can search shopgoodwill.com for vintage items for sale at Goodwill locations across the country. The site is set up much like eBay, where you have a certain number of days to bid on an item and the item goes to the highest bidder. Some items you can buy right away for a higher price than the starting bid.

I’ve found a lot of vintage pieces in great condition by shopping Goodwill online, including vintage Betsey Johnson dresses, 1950s hats and more.

Goodwill online thrifting tips:

Use the search tool to enter specific items you’re looking for like “vintage dress” or “vintage hat” or for a specific designer. I’ve seen vintage Oscar de la Renta, Versace and more designer items on the Goodwill website. Some items are listed with the abbreviated “vntg” instead of “vintage” so you may try searching for both “vntg dress” and “vintage dress.”
Shipping charges from other Goodwill locations can be a lot. I like to start in the 1 cent shipping section, which you can find in the menu bar. Then you can narrow your search by category, price, etc.
Search your local Goodwill. In my experience, if you find something on the Goodwill online store that’s at your local Goodwill, you can call the store and ask for a hold on the item for pickup. Then you don’t have to pay the shipping charge, or wade through the racks upon racks at the store!

Visit other Goodwill locations

Try venturing out a few miles from where you live. There are a handful of Goodwill locations near where I live and they all offer something different. One store usually has better shoes and handbags while I find better clothing at another store.

Your city, or a nearby city, may also have Goodwill Outlet Store where you can find even better deals. And don’t forget about Goodwill when you’re traveling, if and when that happens again. I’ve found great vintage pieces at Goodwill stores in other states in the past.

Do you have thrifting tips for finding vintage clothing at Goodwill? Let me know on Instagram @thedapperdahlia!

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