Thrifting in Zürich: Price Comparisons, in Photos

For your information, here are some hauls of mine. I've included dates, places and costs so you can get an idea of what sort of pricing you can expect.

Please note that I can't always remember the exact prices when it comes from items that came from Brockiland. The reason is that they look at your purchases in bulk and 'calculate' a total price for the lot (the prices aren't fixed, really).

And of course this isn't everything - I've bought a bike helmet (usually not a good idea, but I checked it carefully for damage) for 8 Fr. at the Fahrweid Brockiland and a wire bike basket there as well for something like 5 Fr., a skirt for 5 Fr. and a cotton shirt that was also 5 Fr. Tins there cost 2 Fr. each. Oh yeah, and an adorable wicker picnic case, which wasn't cheap - maybe 8 Fr. Washcloths (great cleaning rags!) are 50 Rappen each, a good deal.

The Fahrweid Brockiland is out of the way (just near Dietikon - a bit of a walk from the bahnhof, but a pleasant one for the most part), and it has less than the downtown location. But I have managed to score some great things (as listed above). If you're in Dietikon at all, consider swinging by (closed Mondays).

Pillowcases are 5 for 5 Fr. at the downtown Brockiland, 2 Fr. each at the Fahrweid location, and individually priced but usually around 2 Fr. at the Heilsarmee.

I've bought three tablecloths from the downtown Brockiland (not shown), one was 5 Fr. (small) and two somewhere in the 8-10 Fr. range. I also bought a honey pot (2 Fr.?), a wooden cross (maybe 2 Fr.?), a bag of small left-over wool and yarn balls (2 Fr.?), and a tape measure (1 Fr.). Totals always seem to end in round numbers at Brockiland locations. Oh, and tongs for the kitchen, which were probably also 1 Fr. And my kitchen curtains, which I think were around 8 to 10 Fr. as well. I also have bought a few little bowls and other serving items - it's hard to remember the cost, but they were reasonable in the 1 - 2 Fr. range each.

I just really loved the retro print on this padded fabric curios box. No idea what it cost (Brockiland's pricing system is very arbitrary), but probably 2 - 3 Fr.

At the Heilsarmee, I bought a serving platter (8 Fr.?), a griddle (20 Fr. - it was in perfect condition, maybe mint), a faux-leather satchel (10 Fr.), a black trenchcoat (like new, for 40 Fr.), a sheer spring shirt for 20 Fr., and a table runner for 4 Fr. I've also bought the odd decorative hanky from there (1-2 Fr.) for unspecified future craft projects. Oh, and 1 or 2 English language paperbacks in the 2 Fr. range. I also bought a long-sleeve but low-quality t-shirt for 6 Fr., which I in retrospect don't feel was worth the moula (though I do like it - it would have been 1 Fr. at 'cheap' CARITAS, I'm pretty sure!). I also have electric blue trousers which I got at the tail end of a 2 Fr. clothing sale (curses! Totally unaware of it until it was very late!) and a heavy man's wool sweater that is pretty ugly but which I look forward to eating well-deserved fondue out of in a late autumn hike (also 2 Fr., hence the splurge!). I almost forgot - I bought a Burda sewing magazine (the kind with pull-out patterns) here for a frank or two, which was a great deal.

5 Fr. for the grey t-shirt, and 1 Fr. each for the tank, light blue and black t-shirt. The latter 3 were from 'cheap' CARITAS and the grey shirt was from 'expensive' CARITAS on Birmensdorferstrasse.

Not pictured are a recent pair of houndstooth-print jeans from the Hardbrücke CARITAS for 25 Fr. - not the best price, but they are in very good condition. Oh, and a pair of silk pj pants for 10 Fr. (zebra-print! Love 'em!). And a beautiful silk scarf for 15 Fr.!

There's a few 'cheap' CARITAS purchases I haven't photographed, too - a weighty fair-isle sweater (would have been 5 Fr.), a belt for 1 or 2 Fr., and a grey silk tank top that I can't remember which Birmensdorferstr. CARITAS sold it, but it cost 5 Fr. (by H&M). Oh, and a tan suede bag that I use for my camera for 5 Fr., and I've bought a second 1 Fr. plain black t-shirt here (loving the cheap staples!).

I also bought grey ski-pants from Arche Brockenhaus for 20 Fr.

All purchases are from late 2013 up until mid-May 2014.

This change bowl cost 2 Fr. from the 'homewares' CARITAS on Birmensdorferstrasse.

I can't precisely remember where this H&M top came from, but I'll bet it was 'cheap' CARITAS and it would have cost 5 Fr. or thereabouts.

These cost around 2 Fr. from the downtown Brockiland (again, exact prices are impossible to say with Brockiland)

Awesome shoes from Arche Brockenhaus - I think I paid something like 5 Fr. for them!

I like TIGEL because they put prices on everything. Basket was 2 Fr., bracelet was 2 Fr., zippers were 10 rappen each or something ridiculous (paid 1 Fr for 10!), and I think the hoop was 3 Fr.