Great little shop tucked away down an arcaderead more

It's a little disappointing this store is hidden away down a West Auckland arcade. Though come to…read morethink about it, if my girlfriend new there was a book exchange shop she would be more than happy to discard part of my growing home library. While I find it hard to relinquish books, Leisure Time offers to exchange or sell books out-right to it's customers. I hope the gruff greeting I received when I entered the store was just part of my interrupting something. The book selection itself didn't really appeal to me (focusing on romance novels, Dean Koontz and glossy magazines), but any business offering a book exchange or cheap books is going to attract my attention. With some organizing and advertising, which would create a wider selection of books, Leisure Time could be a great store.

This particular Salvation Army is my choice for furniture and home decor second hand. A few weeks…read moreago I saw a gorgeous lounge suite that had cushions that could fold up (great for owners of a furry cat that leaves his fur everywhere he goes). It was also long enough to sleep a guest, still in great condition and had plush dark red fabric. But silly me hesitated and left it for more than 24 hours to think about and of course such a good deal was snapped up by the next day. I have been back in since hoping of another super great find but alas not just yet. I have bought cushions and large pieces of fabric though. Out the back there is several shelves and containers that stock curtains, cushions, bed linen and off cuts of fabric. They also have a room dedicated to books for all the book worms out there. Clothing is on permanent specials it seems, and it is popular, crowds of folk have been in the place when I have visited.

I don't think 'megastore' is a technical term, but nevertheless this is the Salvation Army…read moreequivalent of that. The focus is less on clothes that at some of the other, smaller places, but that's fine considering the wealth of furniture on offer. As someone who lives in a flat the idea of buying new furniture is laughable, and although Trade Me is pretty good there's a lot to be said for seeing an item up close and in person before you buy it. Additionally - or perhaps even primarily, if your values are anything like mine - they have a good selection of books. Salvation Army bookshelves are never expensive but they're often a mixed bag, sometimes leaning a bit heavily towards the Danielle Steel / Marian Keyes end of the spectrum. A place like this is good though because of its scale - there's enough of a range that if you're willing to trawl you'll probably find something.

I think this is a pretty neat idea. People donate their old, unwanted clothing and household goods,…read moreit gets sold cheaply to people in need and then money goes to save poor defenseless animals. Everyone's a winner. The shop itself is really well laid out and light and airy, and the items themselves seem to be numerous and really cheap as chips. I saw a sofa and chair set in fairly good condition for $80, and the sign in the window says they do specials for beneficiaries as well, so if you had a community services card you could probably know the price down even further. Proof that humanity and altruism do still exist.

Loving this store. I always make the effort to come into this store. A good range of products…read more. clothing and accessories, toys, games, furniture, craft, bric-a-brac and other homeware items. All are set at very reasonable prices. Always leave with something. Staff are friendly.

I love this place. It's where I take my "quality used goods" or whatever they call it on their ads…read more Invariably I am distracted by something to buy so I think it's a win-win situation. And my husband can't even really disagree because it's mere dollars of retail therapy after all and it's for a good cause! So this place is pretty well stocked; I guess it's the socio-economics of its surroundings, yup the shopping here is good. There's books, furniture (more than you usually find at Sally stores), china, bric'a'brac (such a great word/s), shoes, household goods, a lot of junk and a lot of clothes. Maybe because I know it so well I find it easy to shop here but even if you don't it's all laid out well. The staff are really nice, just beware if you reserve something from the window display - the right arm does not always know what the other limbs are doing!

I am absolutely flabbergasted at the number of good reviews for this place. How can anyone go back…read moreto this store and stomach the prices? Every single other Salvation Army store in the country (not to mention the Hospice and Red Cross shops) reasonably price their items because they were donated to them - not Dominion Road. I've never in my life seen such expensive homewares and furnishings at a shop like this. If you're willing to pay for donated goods, that's fine, but bargain hunters should avoid this place like the plague. The other Sallies stores (including one about 2kms up the road) are better stocked and the hospice and Red Cross are better charities to give your money to.

On a day exploring Devonport, my first stop in the historic town was BookMark. If you're a fan of…read moreused books, militaria, collectibles, and local history, this is a must-visit little shop. It was cozy with chair and carpet, plus shelves area organized and clean. The shop has tons of old NZ military memorabilia, which was also fun to see. The cashier was welcoming as well. As I didn't want to carry a bunch of books all day, I left without anything but memories. The world needs more bookstores like this one. If you find yourself in the area, be sure to stop in and have a browse. They also have a bunch of sale carts outside on the sidewalk, a fun way to get you inside.

Ooh- eee! Do I love myself a good secondhand bookshop. It's like a normal bookshop but everything's…read morelike 100 times cheaper and it comes free with that musty kinda smell. This shop claims to have the best selection of used books in Auckland, and I know every seller of something claims to be the best but on this occasion I don't just think their blowing smoke out their asses, this really IS the best selection ever located in the best store ever! They have over 20,000 different titles to choose from, from general fiction to the specialty of this store, military tomes. The owner even goes as far afield as Melbourne on stock missions so you can be guaranteed to find some really priceless items. Overall one of the best things about this store I think is the range of super comfortable looking places to sit down ;so you are actually able to read instore if you want to, a concept foreign to most bookstores these days. Being a hardened book lover myself, I have whiled away many productive hours in this store. Even better on late Night Thursdays they have a 10% discount and a free glass of wine while you are perusing the shelves!

Op shops, there are ample around and the industry is as competitive as mainstream shopping it…read moreseems. They are mostly run by charity organisations and do good, necessary deeds for our community. So, what stands out about this one more than all the others? It has a large selection of men's clothing, simple as that! Men's clothing is hard to come by second-hand, so some people out there might find this information rather useful! This particular Salvation Army also have a $1 rack of clothes for those of you might be a bit cash-strapped.

A small jeweller's just off the main street in Howick. I often go here to replace my watch…read morebatteries (well, you know, as often as such a thing needs replacing) and always experience friendly, efficient service. They don't stare you down or harrass you while you browse the jewellery but are happy to help when needed. It's also no problem if you want to leave the store to run your errands (or for whatever reason, they're not fussed) and come back later to collect your watch. It's nice to be able to go to a place to do this so you can get your other stuff done at other stores without having to go to a mall.

I'm of the opinion that you can never have too many good second hand bookstores in your repertoire…read more This one is so spacious and well designed you would be hard pressed to deduce that you were actually in a secondhand store, there are no dusty crammed shelves, that look like their about to collapse in on themselves in sight. It makes finding certain genres of books super easy as well, having everything so well set up. They also have nice little prints available for sale in the store as well, one which I bought for my office at home. Lastly I would just like to apologise to the cute sales assistant who I may have flashed, while going for a sneaky rearrange of my underwear behind a row of shelves that seemed to be private, UNTIL I saw the camera perched right above me. I hope I didn't scar you for life.

Evergreen has a great reputation in Auckland as a solid destination for second hand books…read more I always have a slight tinge of sadness that quite a lot of space seems to be taken up with popular fiction, and I really think the New Zealand fiction range needs work, but overall, it's a excellent place to spend more than you intended. The sci-fi range is particularly good and all the books are in really good condition, which makes a welcome change from finding a long-sought-after favourite only to discover that it's falling to pieces in your hands. Mucho disappointo. I've also had the welcome surprise at the till of having my order rounded down a couple of dollars, which is a really lovely way to reward customers who are buying a bundle. Overall, I would always come here for a browse when I'm in Devonport, but it's not really a go-to place if you have something specific in mind - in that case, I would head to Hard to Find books first.