The secondhand market is booming, and timing is everything. But which days are best for in-store thrifting and online resale?
The racks at your local thrift store are in constant motion, but not all days — or hours, even — are created equal. As demand for secondhand fashion climbs, the question of when to shop has become almost as important as where. Data from resale platforms and nonprofits alike suggest that both timing and strategy can make the difference between stumbling upon a gem and leaving empty-handed.
The secondhand surge
The resale industry is no longer niche. According to ThredUp’s most recent Resale Report, the U.S. secondhand apparel market grew fourteen percent in 2024, its strongest year since 2021, and is expected to reach $74 billion by 2029. Online resale, which saw growth of 23e percent in 2024 alone, is projected to nearly double to $40 billion within five years.
This acceleration is both economic and cultural. Inflation has pressured consumers into seeking affordable alternatives, while younger shoppers see secondhand as the more stylish, sustainable choice. A 2025 report from eMarketer found that nearly 60 percent of U.S. consumers plan to buy more secondhand apparel this year, rising to 69 percent among Millennials. Secondhand is no longer about compromise; it’s about access, values, and the thrill of discovery.
When to shop: the insider advantage
For brick-and-mortar stores, the beginning of the week is widely considered prime time for the best finds. Goodwill itself highlights Mondays and Tuesdays as the days when fresh donations hit the sales floor. Because most people drop off goods on Saturday and Sunday, staff spend Sunday evening and Monday morning processing items and wheeling them out. Arriving at opening time on those days means encountering racks with the best selection before crowds have had their chance.
“‘Professional’ thrifters like to get to secondhand shops before they open so they can be the first one in the door and the first to get their hands on any items that were put out overnight,” Marielle Conlon of That Table Lady told Martha Stewart Living.
Donation volume spikes around the holidays, with Goodwill regions reporting some of their busiest days between December 26 and New Year’s Eve. Early January weekdays can be some of the best times of year to thrift. Spring cleaning brings another swell, when households purge closets, creating a surge of incoming stock that translates into a replenished floor by the first two weekdays of the week.
If price is more important than novelty, mid- to late-week can offer more value. Many thrift chains, including Goodwill, operate color-tag sales where items with a designated tag color drop by 50 percent starting midweek. Senior and teacher discount days often fall on Wednesdays or Thursdays, further enhancing savings for those segments. That trade-off is simple: come early in the week for the widest selection, or later for deeper markdowns.
And Conlon says it’s not just when to look, but where. “People tend to just browse the shelves at eye level. Give your legs a workout and do some squats to see what is on that bottom shelf,” she says. This means committing time to look everywhere in the whole store. Explore the sections in-depth; people often put back things in strange places in thrift stores. One overlooked hotspot is the end of rows where shoppers may dump items that they decide against.
After dark, online thrives
Online resale has its own tempo, and it runs in the evenings. Across e-commerce, afternoons and nights drive the bulk of consumer activity, and resale is no exception. eMarketer notes that digital thrifting is now an evening ritual for many consumers, who log on after work or dinner to scroll through new listings.
Platform-specific mechanics make timing even more critical. On Poshmark, a price drop of at least ten percent triggers a six-hour shipping discount and pushes alerts to users who have liked the item. For savvy shoppers, that’s the moment to strike. Auctions on ShopGoodwill, meanwhile, typically run seven days, often ending in the evening. Bidding wars are fiercest in the last minutes before close, which means being online at the right hour matters as much as the bid itself.
The RealReal, Depop, and eBay each reflect similar cycles. Depop’s Gen Z-heavy base scrolls and posts into late-night hours, while The RealReal’s luxury consignments refresh daily, with desirable listings snapped up within minutes of appearing. eBay, the stalwart of online resale, still sees peak bidding activity in the evenings, underscoring the persistence of this daily rhythm.
A secondhand shopper’s playbook
Seasoned thrifters will tell you that success in secondhand shopping isn’t just about timing — it’s about following a few unspoken rules. Some lean into superstition, others into practicality, but all are worth remembering the next time you head to your favorite shop.
One piece of folk wisdom insists you should resist the urge to grab a cart immediately. “It’s like a superstition almost — if you grab a cart it means you aren’t likely to find anything good,” Lisa Hogan, the founder of House of Happies in Pinehurst, North Carolina, told Southern Living. “But if you start your thrift with empty hands it means you’re more likely to fill your arms with treasures and then will have to go get a cart so you can continue on your hunt!”
Practical checks are equally essential. Before purchasing, inspect items closely. “Check all over for damage and wear,” Caroline advises. Price also shouldn’t be the only factor. Tempting as it is to snap up cheap pieces, think ahead. Really try to envision where the piece could go in your wardrobe or your home, if it is practical, and if you truly love it.
So what is the best day — or time — to thrift?
For brick-and-mortar, aim for Monday or Tuesday mornings to capitalize on fresh donations. If discounts matter most, midweek through Friday offers a better shot at markdowns. For online thrifting, build habits around evenings: set alerts, save searches, and be ready to pounce when platforms send notifications or auctions near their end.
The growth of secondhand means there’s more competition than ever, but also more supply, more platforms, and more opportunities to shop strategically. Timing has become its own form of style, dictating who finds the luxury sweater, the archival jacket, or that vintage bag.
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