Quick Answer: Six checks, in this order: seams and lining, underarms, hems and cuffs, fabric composition, closures, and smell. The order matters because the first three catch the damage that cannot be fixed and the last three catch the things that can. Ninety seconds is enough if you check in this sequence rather than starting with how it looks.

The skill in secondhand shopping is not finding good things. It is quickly rejecting the ones that will disappoint you at home.

Here is the order that catches the most, fastest.

Check 1 and 2: seams and underarms (20 seconds)

These two decide most of it, and both are quick.

Turn the garment inside out at the side seam and pull gently. You are looking for stretched stitching, small holes where the thread has given, and fabric that has thinned along the seam. A stretched seam on a knit is repairable; thinned fabric next to it is not.

Check the lining separately from the shell. Linings fail long before outer fabric does, and a torn lining in a jacket is a thirty to sixty dollar repair, which changes the value calculation on a cheap find.

Then the underarms, both sides. This is where garments die — discoloration from antiperspirant, thinned fabric, and a distinctive stiffness where the fibers have degraded.

Underarm damage is effectively permanent. Yellowing sometimes lifts with treatment; thinning and stiffness never do. This is the single most common reason a secondhand find is unwearable, and it is invisible on the hanger.

If either check fails, put it back regardless of how good the rest is. These are the unfixable ones.

Check 3 and 4: hems, cuffs, and fabric (25 seconds)

Now for wear points and for what the garment actually is.

Run a hand along the hem and both cuffs. These are contact points and they show the true age of a garment better than anything else. Frayed cuffs on a shirt are terminal; a frayed trouser hem is a twenty-dollar fix, so the same damage means different things by category.

Check the back hem of trousers and coats specifically. That is where dragging wears, and it is the spot people forget to look at.

Then find the composition label. This tells you what you are buying and what it will cost to care for. Natural fibers in a well-made garment are what makes secondhand worth doing — a wool coat or a silk shirt at ten dollars is the actual prize.

Blends with high synthetic content pill and do not recover, and a pilled polyester knit is what it will look like forever.

No label is a mild warning sign on newer clothing and completely normal on genuinely vintage pieces, where you judge by hand feel instead: wool is springy and warm, polyester is slick and cool, and cotton creases when you squeeze it.

Check 5 and 6: closures and smell (15 seconds)

The last two are quick and both are more decisive than they seem.

Work the zip fully, both directions. A broken or sticky zip on a dress or coat is a genuine repair — often twenty-five to fifty dollars for an invisible zip on a lined garment — and it is easy to skip in a hurry.

Count the buttons and check for spares. A missing button on an ordinary shirt is nothing; a missing button on a coat with distinctive hardware means replacing the whole set.

Then smell it, honestly, close up. Smoke and mildew are the two that do not wash out reliably. Standard musty-shop smell airs out in a day; mildew is a fungal issue in the fibers and frequently survives multiple washes.

Perfume in the underarm area is a warning sign, not a bonus — it is often masking the discoloration you checked for in step two.

If it smells strongly of anything, factor in that you may not fix it. This is the check people skip and regret most often.

What Nobody Tells You About Thrifting

The best finds are in the wrong sections. Sizing is inconsistent across decades and shops sort by label, so a genuinely useful garment is frequently on the wrong rail. Shop by fabric and shape rather than by size section.

Vintage sizing runs small in a way that is not proportional. A vintage 12 is often a modern 8, and the difference is greater at the waist than the bust because the standard body model has changed. Never reject by label number.

Men’s rails are the most under-shopped source of good shirts, knitwear, and coats. The construction is often better at the same price point and the oversized fit is what people are paying a premium for elsewhere.

The alteration budget is the whole game. A ten-dollar garment plus a thirty-dollar alteration is a forty-dollar garment, and that can be excellent value or terrible depending on what it is. Decide the number before you get to the till.

Go often rather than long. Stock turns over constantly, so four fifteen-minute visits beat one hour, and the ninety-second check is what makes short visits productive.

What is worth buying secondhand and what is not?

The categories are not equal, and knowing which is which saves most of the time.

Excellent secondhand: wool coats, blazers, leather bags, silk shirts, denim, and knitwear in natural fibers. All are expensive new, durable, and easy to assess.

Good with care: dresses and skirts, provided the underarms and zip check out. Fit is the limiting factor rather than condition.

Poor: shoes, most white cotton basics, and anything with elastane. Shoes mold to the previous wearer’s foot and the mold does not reset. White cotton is at the end of its life by the time it reaches a rail. Elastane degrades on a timeline regardless of wear — a stretch garment more than a few years old has lost its recovery whatever it looks like.

Avoid: swimwear, and anything where the fit depends entirely on elastic — waistbands, bra bands, and fitted knits with heavy stretch content.

The rule underneath all of this: buy things that were made to last and are made of something. Secondhand rewards natural fiber and good construction, which is exactly what is expensive new.

FAQ: Secondhand Shopping Questions, Answered

How do I get smells out of thrifted clothes?

Air outdoors for a day first, then wash with a cup of white vinegar in the rinse. This handles ordinary shop smell and light must. Smoke and mildew often do not respond, which is why the smell check happens in the shop.

Should I wash everything before wearing?

Yes, and check the care label before you do. The most common thrifting mistake at home is machine-washing a wool or silk find that survived thirty years and does not survive one hot cycle.

How do I judge fit without a fitting room?

Hold the garment against yourself at the shoulder — the shoulder seam is the one thing that cannot be altered, so if it lands right, the rest is negotiable. Measure your favorite equivalent garment at home once and carry the numbers.

Is online secondhand worth it compared to in person?

For specific searches, yes; for browsing, in person wins. Online removes the six checks entirely, so it works best for brands whose sizing and quality you already know.

TL;DR: Six checks, in order, ninety seconds.

• Seams and lining first — pull gently, check for thinning next to stretched stitching.
• Underarms both sides. Thinning and stiffness are permanent. This kills most finds.
• Hems and cuffs — the same fray means different things on a shirt and a trouser.
• Composition label. Natural fiber and good construction is the whole point.
• Zip and buttons — a lined invisible zip is a real repair cost.
• Smell, close up. Smoke and mildew do not reliably wash out.

Next visit, run them in that order on the first thing you like. It gets to under a minute quickly.