Where do you get them???

[logdog]

Hi all,

I am just starting out collecting and am wondering where you get cheap (or free) vacuums. I really need help as craigslist around here is people selling 3 Y/O Walmart bissells that cost $100 new for $75. We dont have any thrift stores here besides Goodwill who wants to charge $45 for a dirt devil that still has dirt in it with a clogged filter.

Thanks,
Logan

 

[twocvbloke]

Perseverance, that's what you need, look around places, drive or walk along streets on rubbish collection days, check out any stores that might sell cheap vacs, and scour ebay for mis-spelled & poorly described but pictured auctions...

Also I'm sure if you ask nicely here aswell as other vac collector groups, you might get lucky and get some free or relatively cheap...

 

[henry200]

Perseverance is paramount!  I check craigslist, ebay, and freemarket daily, and have a regular circuit of thrift stores to check out periodically.  I have been noticing the thrift store prices going up significantly lately, with items that used to be marked 10 or 15 now having a pricetag of 30 bucks.   Going to estate sales and garage sales is often more productive for me, and I have no issues with dumpster-diving too.  While going for walks around the neighborhood I have rescued several very good vacuums set out for the trash haulers. 


 


You will discover as you get to know people here that the helpfulness, kindness and generosity of the members is remarkable.   What kinds of vacuums interest you? 


 


Neil

 

[jodan3399]

I've been "curbside shopping" for over 4 years now, I've had some great finds.

Find out when your local trash days are, or the dates of any local clean up events, then go hunting the evening before or early in the morning.

 

[gmerkt]

Southern CA is a tough racket for cheap/free vacs. The competition is fierce. There are pros who do nothing but cruise the streets of neighborhoods on the night before refuse collection occurs. Anything of remote value vanishes quickly. They aren't necessarily looking for collectible vacs; they are looking for anything that they call sell.

Thrift stores usually are not the good source of stuff in so. CA that they are elsewhere. The Goodwill, for example, likes to blow stuff out at their "last chance" stores in large tri-wall boxes which are auctioned off in bulk. That way they don't have to fool around with it; they just bulk it out. Who buys all this stuff from them in bulk? The swap meeters. So. CA with its abundant good weather has a great many swap meets all across the region on weekends and even sometimes weekdays. Lots of people work these swap meets as a full-time job so they are always out scouring.

So, you might as well try one of the swap meets as any place else. Sometimes there are low-priced vacs there that need minor work. You're in Brentwood, so get on the 405 and go down to the Roadium in Torrance, that's a biggie.

 

[petek]

Put want ads on craigslist and freecycle.org. To use freecycle though you first have to offer something for free before you can ask for something.. at least you used to.

 

[atrac]

I have never been Thrift shopping in any other cities, but I can definitely agree that doing so here in SoCal is *brutal* beyond comprehension. The competition is practically laughable. There are, indeed, people who go daily -- thanks to the unemployment rate, it has become their full time job to buy and resell what they find. This has always been the case, but I believe because of the bad economy it's happening even more now. I have seen Thrift Stores where people literally hang out there ALL day/EVERY day. Also, I believe a lot of people who used to donate items are now selling things themselves on eBay or CL.

SO, I basically go expecting to find *nothing.* More often than not, that is exactly what happens. Luckily, vacuums are not the only things that interest me. I also have a fondness for vintage speakers/stereo equipment. I usually find things that are fascinating to look at (even though I'd never buy them). But yes, there are times when I go and there ain't squat. But I still keep going back...and eventually find something (like the recent Tristar CXL I posted about). I only go on weekends, so I believe a lot of what I find are things that the usual vultures didn't want. I consider myself very privileged to have found what I already own.

In our area, I think the Salvation Army has the worst selection. They've resorted to 40/50% off sales EVERY weekend..and they never used to do that. I think they are in trouble (here at least). Goodwill is always hit or miss. The Council Thrift Stores seem to get fairly good stuff. Out of the Closet also does, but they are VERY hit or miss. And of course everything I've just stated changes on a daily basis. It's pretty much always about LUCK.

If you've only gone a few times and saw nothing...you have to go more than that. It pretty much has to be an obsession I think. Patience, perseverance, a good sense of humor and a LOT of luck are all required.

 

[gmerkt]

The problem with hanging around a thrift store for hours or all day for that matter is that you pay for your purchases with time. People who do that could've spent their time in other pursuits. The one thing you can't buy with money or replace in kind is time. Wasted or lost time is just gone.

The economy surely does have something to do with offerings at thrift stores. In a down economy, donations go down with it. And of course, the more people are adrift from work, they try to find other ways to make money and one of them is flogging stuff they find at the thrift stores.

One of the better quality thrift stores in my experience is Deseret Industries, or "D.I." which is run by the Mormon church. These are only found in the far western states; they have one in L.A. and in Colton (out east of L.A.).

For a while, I wondered why their "stuff" was obviously of higher quality than most other such stores. Then a friend clued me in. The Mormon religion requires a certain level of tithing from their members, so many of them make donations that they use to offset the tithing requirement.

 

[petek]

Goodwill has been "upscaling" its stores over the past year or two along the lines of Value Village and so the chances of finding more vintagey appliances in them is also dwindling . Still there's plenty of others around.. St.Vincent de Paul, Bibles for Missions, and my favorite Habitat for Humanity Restore,, check them out. Thing is you have to go and go often.

 

[jfalberti]

My two cents

Also, thrifting, I find, is like yard saling.  You have to get there early, or all the good stuff will be gone.  Petek is right.  You have to go often, but make sure you are there when the doors open to find the best of what was placed on the floor for that day.

 

[twocvbloke]

I just looked at an auction catalogue (the auction was for today, d'oh!!), and in the list they had "2 Old vacuum cleaners", now normally they name & shame the makes & models, so those must have been something old, and I missed it....

But, I wasn't on the ball there, plus I'm saving money for a somewhat more important purchase (to me at least), not saying what though cos it's something just for me...

 

[ralph]

I thought Brentwood was in the Bay Area. I have had good luck with Craigslist but have had to drive a bit to get my vacuums.
• The 518 was in Aptos.
• The 509 was from Rocklin.
• The Royal 889 was found in Salinas.
• The DS-50 came from Huntington Beach. No I did not drive down just for that, I also picked up my youngest daughter from school at the end of the year.
• The DS-50 was in Morgan Hill.

Logdog; if you want it I will gladly donate my Royal 889 to a fellow vacuum fan. I could probable have it taken up to the Oakland Mazda store or a shop in Danville area if that makes the trip easier for you. Please let me know if you want it.

Ally’s stuff and the DS-50…

 

[Klectrolux]

I usually go to buy and sells, thrift stores, and other place like that. Nova Scotia has SLIM pickings in these places, and I do go often. I've only ever once found a vacuum at a buy and sell, and it was my FQ 700. However, Kijiji/Craigslist is where the gold is here. So that's where I go.

 

[twocvbloke]

Last night I spotted a DeStijl coloured Dyson out on a backstreet, not being a dyson fan I left it for someone else, and of course, passing the same spot today, it's gone, but then it was recycling day today so the bin men probably took it...

It's just a case of keeping your eyes peeled for such things, you may get lucky, you may not, it's just a game of chance...

 

[logdog]

Hi all

Hi all,

Sorry I have not replied, studying for finals is killing me with stress. I am looking for (strangely) PlastiVacs. They have always interested me therefore I am looking to find and collect them. However as a student I am on a VERY limited budget so I cant buy new unless I wait for a while to save up. From the looks of it I guess I will have to take a trip around the neighborhood on trash day.

Thanks all