WE all love bargains at flea markets.
But one mother got more than she bargained for when she bought her daughter a bag for just 50p.
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Chloe had been searching through the boxes at the front of one of the stalls and found the adorable rainbow bag and immediately grabbed it for her daughter.
She took it home and thought no more of it.
But when she opened it, she was surprised to find that inside were two expensive bracelets.
“I got home and I opened it up and I found this bracelet right here – it’s a Joma jewellery bracelet that should be £18!” Chloe said in a video about her and her friend Bootsale Mums TikTok page.
Read more Boot Sale stories
The elegant silver bracelet had a small gold star on one side and looked almost new, without any discoloration or anything like that.
Her shock was even greater when she pulled out a Pandora bracelet.
“I asked my friends and a few of them said this is real,” Chloe added.
The double leather bracelet retails for around £55 at the famous jewellery store and even came with a charm, which would have cost the owner around £20.
In total she managed to score £93 worth of jewellery for just 50p.
There were even some small clip-on earrings in there, but Chloe wasn’t sure if they were worth anything.
“So all that 50p!” she concluded.
“I’m not going to lie, I feel a little guilty!
“But what a find!”
“Boot sale surprise!” Chloe captioned the video.
People were quick to respond on TikTok, with one person writing: “When my daughter was younger, her bags were always full of stuff like this.”
“No way! That’s good lol. I love that Joma wears them all the time,” added another.
Top tips for thrift stores to score bargains
Ross Dutton has been Crisis’ charity shop manager for four years and currently runs the charity’s Finsbury Park store in London.
Choose your area – Generally speaking, the more upscale the neighborhood, the better the quality of the donated clothing.
Don’t get stuck – If you see something you like, buy it because it will probably be sold out when you come back
Beware of cut labels – Some of your favourite high street shops have deals with local charity shops to donate stock that doesn’t sell in their own sales. Often part of the deal is that they have to cut the labels off the clothes.
Stay home – While some charities have their own site, such as Oxfam and Crisis. Many also sell through specialist eBay stores, such as the British Heart Foundation and Scope. You won’t get the range of bargains you would in a physical store, but if you’re looking for something specific it might be worth looking online.
“I was so shocked when I opened it at home!” Chloe replied.
“I bought a Pandora three charm ring from a charity shop for £1,” said a third.
“The bracelet was £99 at the time!”
Others argued that Chloe had no need to feel guilty about her find.
“It’s not your fault, they should have checked it before selling it,” one person wrote.
“I wouldn’t feel guilty!”
“It’s the seller’s fault for not checking before selling,” added another.
“I always check all bags/clothes I sell.”
“You BOUGHT it!” someone else commented.
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