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By Jack Beresford
Senior Reporter
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A man thrifting at his local goodwill noticed a Disney plush sitting on the shelves, then he checked the tag and realized he’d found something special.
In a video posted to TikTok under the handle @wildmantt, Josh offered up a glimpse of the Goofy soft toy he paid “less than $10 for.” “This is why I never skip a day at the thrift stores guys,” he said on the clip, while holding up the toy. “I have never found such a jackpot find.”
Josh is one of the many millions of Americans who has turned thrifting into a hobby that borders on obsession.
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The U.S. is home to somewhere in the region of 25,000 resale, consignment, and not-for-profit resale shops, according to data collected by Capital One Shopping, so there are bargains to be had and, as Josh’s story demonstrates, money to be made.
Josh’s thrifting habit was born out of necessity. “I actually got into thrifting just to pay off my car early after I ran out of things to sell around my house,” he told Newsweek.
Pretty soon, however, he found he was doing it, as much as anything, for the thrill of the chase. “I realized I really enjoyed the treasure hunt every day,” he said. “There’s no telling what you’ll find each day and I’m constantly learning about vintage items.”
Since then, he’s been regularly posting about his finds on TikTok and encouraging others to take a closer look at the items filling the shelves at their local thrift store. “I tell my friends that it’s the modern-day gold rush because once you find gold, you keep going back hoping to find more,” he said.
The Goofy Plush is a case in point. Josh admits that he would “usually ignore” Disney plush but he sensed there was something different about this one. Then he took a closer look.
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Josh said: “I knew it was something special when I checked the tag and saw it said ‘Folkmanis,’ which I’ve never seen a Disney plush with another tag on it. So that motivated me to research it real quick and learn that I found something special.”
A quick Google revealed eBay listings for the same Goofy plush that had the toy valued at anywhere between $300 and $500. That was more than enough to convince Josh to pay the low amount his Goodwill had it priced as.
Though Josh has come across many bargains and items he’s been able to turn around for a profit in the past, this one feels particularly special. “This was definitely my highest valued plush I've found at Goodwill,” he said.
He hopes this video and the others he posts like it encourage people to go thrifting. They just better know they’ll have stiff competition with Josh around.
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