Vinnies houses both trash and treasure, depending on personal taste and preference. Great bargains…read moreand finds can be found here. Second hand books and clothing are the most popular items which have been donated to Vinnies as a result of closet and garage clearouts. If you're looking for vintage finds and one-of-a-kind pieces, Vinnies provides the perfect opportunity to buy goods at affordable prices. Everything goes to a good cause, with the proceeds forward on to those in need. Do you have an upcoming dress up party or are you in need of a complete wardrobe overhaul? Head to Vinnies for some inspiration!

We've found some great finds here (Books, ceramics and other hidden treasures). We've ran, drove…read moreand walked by this store many, many times before. One day running, in the window I saw two great hardcover books that I've wanted for only $10 each!!! They were closed so I forgot about it for a day or so, then driving by I decided to stop off and pick them up. Unfortunately one of the books was sold already (you snooze you lose). The staff was ultra friendly, trying to see if it was just placed somewhere else or if they could source another one. They said if we see something we want and they aren't open, just drop a letter in the door and they will hold on to the item for us (so nice). It's also great to know that The St Vincent de Paul Society is doing such a great job providing the local community with affordable clothing and goods while supplying resources to people in need.

As we walk into Reverse Garbage in Marrickville we are met with gigantic paint brushes and pencils…read more The exterior of this recycling warehouse is almost an art installation more so than a shop. "You can't look for something here. You just have to look and hope you find something." I am told when I ask what we are looking for. The answer to my innocent question both profound and vague. We scour the aisles looking for props and set pieces for the music video we've been hired to make. The gigantic dinosaur head is no good, nor are the various blow up hippopotami with back packs on. There are buckets full of circuit boards and shelves full of old digitised and erased film and audio reels. It would seem that everything you could ever imagine would be, at one point or another, housed within these walls. There's a book section out back and I sneak in to have a look, I should be looking for music video props but can't help myself and scour the children's section looking for Seuss. No such luck, there never is. I find 'The Little Match Girl' by Hans Christian Anderson and being that it is in great condition and only $1 I decide to buy it, even though I know that it will make me depressed. A warehouse full of everything you need as long as you don't know what you need.

This place is simultaneously the biggest hoarder of crap and a gold-mine. Depending on what you're…read moreafter. If you're after 20 of the same birthday card, 100m long reams of paper, a never ending supply of pipe cleaners, rolls of carpet and maroon velvet or manikin feet and arms, then you may just be in luck. Or, rather, if you're not exactly sure what you're after then you may be in luck here too. I'm a bigger fan of The Bower, a similar joint next door with a tad more class, but a trip to Reverse Garbage can be rewarding - we bought 50 cardboard drums from Reverse Garbage which we used as seating for a performance and then recycled into punch bowls, a fortress and super-sized bowling pins in the future. Perfect for a themed party, you can pretty much base your theme on whatever you find the most of at Reverse Garbage. NB: Specified items may or may not actually be stocked by Reverse Garbage. But rest assured that similar such crap will be.

This is where you would go if you had to start from scratch…read more The shop occupies an enviable corner location and is as big as three regular shops. It is also right at the top of the shopping strip. In a lower room (just a couple of steps down) is furniture. Good quality lounges, wardrobes, shelves and desks for example. In an ante room was men's and kids clothing, and also women's sleep attire and dresses. Toys were in there as well. A good number of tracks contained the men gear. Denim, trousers, jackets, shirts, tees, ties, belts... There must have been about 100 women's shoes. Half of the main room was also women's shirts only. More space was then dedicated to jackets, costs, tips, belts, scarves, bags and even wedding dresses. Books galore, DVDs, CDs, even Vhs. Vinyl. A back wall houses the house hold items. Everything from dinner sets to decorations. Then there were buckets of bits. For example, one bucket contained button sets (the ones you'd buy at the supermarket). Jewellery as well. I got op shop fatigue in there. Prices were extremely good. I picked up two fashion dresses for $8 a piece.

It might seem odd to review your local charity shop, but every time I go in (which is often) the…read moreplace is chockas with people, reminding me how central they are to the local community. When shopping at Vinnies, not only are you supporting a charity that does wonderful and necessary work in the community, you're promoting the notion of recycling and reuse, not to mention that you might be lucky enough to stumble across a treasure. Staffed completely by volunteers (my metaphorical hat off to you O wonderful creatures) it's a great place to pick up kid's clothes, books, and those bits and pieces we all need and don't necessarily have the cash to spend a lot on. I couldn't begin to put a number on the amount of books I've bought here over the years, and I suspect I'm not the only cash-strapped voracious reader that it has kept from the finger-gnawing insanity of not having anything to read. The amount of people I see in here every week is a testament to the service Vinnies provides, not only with the money used for charitable purposes that they make from sales but for families on a budget able to pick up what they need at still amazingly cheap prices. And those cheap prices are no reflection on the quality of items that can be found. It doesn't hurt to donate a bit of extra change as well. Thanks Vinnies.

It's duel of the competing Charity Shops…read more While the Presbyterians have the edge on style next door, the Anglicans here have numbers. Lots of stock, of varying quality, as you'd expect. There was a kiwi-adorned bucket hat in the window and you could take a tour of the world via the range of t-shirts they have inside, I daresay discarded by a welter on backpackers passing through. Prices are super cheap and there's lots of clothes for the kids. I thought I spied a possible bakelite bracelet on the jewellery rack, but by the time I got to it, someone else had nabbed it. Darn. Sorry, Church premises. Does that count as swearing?

I go here when I can to search for good quality vintage (or at least vintage looking) clothes and…read moreI've been lucky with quite a few pieces. They sometimes have 50% off specials which make the clothes such a steal at $2-$3. I've been lucky with books as well, I've managed to score bestsellers like Lord of the Rings, J.R. Ward novels and relatively new edition travel and photography books. One time, I saw they had a Super 8 video camera on sale for $99, I'm sure that would've been snapped up pretty quickly by an enthusiast or a collector. There are plenty of good finds here if you're patient with looking at everything. The shelves are always organised, the volunteers do a great job of keeping it that way. It makes me feel good buying here knowing the money I spend, no matter how small it is, is going to a good cause.

2nds World offers Factory Seconds, Carton Damaged and Factory Run Out Models. I'm all for…read morepurchasing factory seconds however my experience hasn't been the best. After purchasing a vacuum I have now had to return the vacuum twice due to faulty parts. I also find the staff to lack product knowledge, they're constantly checking with other staff and their colleagues to answer product related questions. Located on Victoria Avenue they're surrounded by Harvey Norman, The Good Guys and JB-HiFi, having said this their prices aren't that competitive and the willingness to bargain is minimal.

From the owner: Brand New, Factory 2nd, Refurbished and Carton Damaged Appliances…read more Choose the way you save! 2nds World is a privately owned family business based in Sydney. We are Sydney's original factory second outlet and have been bringing savings to Sydney's bargain hunters for over 35 years. We offer genuine Factory Seconds, Carton Damaged, Factory Run Out Models and Brand New gas and electrical appliance bargains - all directly from the manufacturers complete with the manufacturers warranty.

Formerly 'Linen and Lace' this treasurebox of vintage gorgeousness has recently had a major revamp…read more Run as a charity by the Presbyterian Social Services, Frippery puts your average op shop to shame in terms of style. Decked out with tremendous flair, the vintage and secondhand clothes, linens, laces, crockery and sewing patterns on sale vividly demonstrate the life old and loved things can still have in them, given half a chance. They also stock a bunch of locally made beautiful things, including some great kids' clothes made from recycled vintage fabric. When I popped in the other day, they had a basket out front overflowing with lace placemats and doilies - you could fill a paper bag for $10. You can use them in all sorts of ways - be creative! With all profits going to charity, it's hard to fault such a worthwhile shop, and there's some lovely things to discover, with new stock added often. You could walk out with a handful of vintage buttons to jazz up a plain jacket, a chiffon dress, or a gift for a friend. Check out the website for details on the shop philosophy of reuse and recycling.