Thrift store trick for finding first editions without paying collector prices

I started checking the copyright page of every hardcover under $3 at my local Goodwill in Portland. Turns out a ton of them are first printings from the 70s and 80s that people just donated. I picked up a first edition of Stephen King's 'Salem's Lot for $2.50 last month. Anyone else have luck with a specific thrift chain or location for older editions?

3 comments

3 Comments

thea_carter10h ago

Honestly, same thing happened to me. I started hitting up the smaller, kinda rundown thrift stores in the suburbs instead of the big chains. Found a first edition of The Shining hiding behind a stack of old textbooks for like a dollar. The trick is just going often and being patient, the good stuff turns up eventually.

scott.grace10h ago

The real trick is hitting the same stores weekly, you start to recognize the donation schedules.

jesse_thomas2720h ago

Wait, did you say $2.50 for a first edition 'Salem's Lot? That's insane, I've always figured those were long gone or hidden behind glass cases. Honestly I used to think thrift stores were just for old clothes and broken electronics, never gave the book section a real look. But last week I saw your post and decided to check my local Savers, and I actually found a first printing of Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five for like three bucks. The copyright page was a little faded but it's legit. It kind of changed my mind about the whole thing, now I'm hitting up every Goodwill on my days off just to see what pops up.