How to prevent secondhand stores from overcharging you

One major benefit of shopping secondhand is saving money. But that doesn't always happen. Here's how you can prevent overpaying when shopping online.

There are three things I will always do every time I’m online shopping, especially if I’m shopping for secondhand. These heuristics can also apply when you’re thrifting in person, and taking them seriously can consistently guarantee that you’re getting the most bang for your buck.

What we’re doing here is finding better deals for nearly identical products under the same brand name. So if you’re looking to buy a particular shirt by Brand A, these techniques will help you find the store that’s selling the same product for:

1. A lower price

2. A newer condition

3. Or, ideally, a combination of the two: lower price + newer condition

Then what you’re doing is deciding whether the price difference and the condition difference are worth switching over to the new store you found.

Read on to follow these three tips in this exact order to help find alternative stores selling the same product you’re considering, then read more cautionary things to look out for when using these tips.

1. Reverse image searching

If…