Best Thrift Stores In LA: 6 Thrift Stores Where You Can Pay $30 For $600 Outfits

Everyone knows that the best thrift stores are in LA. But with so many incredible thrift stores to choose from in LA, it’s hard to know unless you visit a few in person.

As an avid thrifter based in Los Angeles, I’ve visited dozens of thrift stores so you don’t have to.

In this list, I share the best thrift stores in LA for finding clothing. Whether it’s vintage clothes, trendy brands, or high-end clothing, these thrift stores were chosen based on getting the biggest bang for your buck.

In my personal experience, clothes and accessories at these six locations are always on trend, and the prices are unbeatable.

The Council Shop Thrift Stores – Los Angeles

There are three Council thrift stores in LA. I’ve been to all three of the Council thrift stores and I can honestly say that they’re all amazing. Each one has a different vibe, but if you’re looking for second-hand goods in all their glory, you can’t go wrong with any of these locations.

I’ve found some great deals on clothes and accessories at all of them—everything from designer pieces to everyday essentials. There’s always something new to find, which is what makes it so exciting! The prices are also incredibly reasonable, especially considering the quality of the items.

1. The Council – Westwood

10960 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025 

2. The Council – Sawtelle

11801 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025

3. The Council – Mar Vista

12120 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90066

Here’s the bottom line: All The Council Stores are great. I’ve consistently thrifted $100 clothing items for $7 to $10, including shirts, jackets, pants, and shoes.

The Council is a hidden gem that charges a fixed price for clothes. For example, long-sleeve t-shirts, pants and shoes (if not marked with a price) all cost $7.99 an item. Everything is pretty neatly organized into sections, with one section usually carrying more high-end designer brands like your Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and other brands of that same caliber. 

At this Council thrift store, I’ve found long-sleeve LuLulemon shirts, Theory pants, Thousand Fell sneakers, Allbirds (so many Allbirds), and much more. While there aren’t a ton of vintage clothes that I’ve found here, this is a great spot to find high-quality basics, especially for men’s clothing. Basics by solid-tier brands like Buck Mason, Optimism, Oliver Spencer, and more can be found here. There are also a lot of mid-tier priced brands that come brand new or in great pre-owned condition, like Banana Republic-level, which can be found here for cheap too.

Also, this is a great LA thrift store for furniture shopping. There’s an entire side of the section for furniture, including chairs, desks, lamps, and dressers. Home goods are laid out neatly on tables, where you can find neat little home decor additions to your living space.

Please note, there are no dressing rooms at this location and all sales are final, meaning no refunds or exchanges.

With that said, the amazing finds still make this one of the best thrift stores in LA.

Here’s an overview of The Council thrift stores in LA:

Pros:

• Consistent upper middle tier brand name clothing
• Frequent new merchandise
• Variety of items – Clothes, furniture and home goods
• Fixed pricing for clothing

Cons:

• No changing room
• Sales are final – No returns or exchanges

4. Goodwill Southern California Outlet Store: The Best Goodwill Outlet In LA

Goodwill Outlets used to be a hidden gem, but now that they’re being shared on TikTok and YouTube, they’ve become the talk of the town. Everything you shop for at a Goodwill outlet is by the pound, which means you can find incredible thrift hauls for the biggest bang for your buck, especially if you’re a reseller who wants to flip your items for profit.

Goodwill Southern California Outlet

3150 N San Fernando Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90065

If you’re in California, you’re in luck. You can thrift at 17 different Goodwill Outlets in California that offer the greatest variety and selections of clothing brands in the country. When you visit thrift stores in LA, it’s common to come across items that retail between $75 to $250 that you can purchase for less than $10. You can find deals so good, you might never want to pay full price for new items again.

But it can get competitive, so if you’re looking for items to flip for profit, I would suggest going early in the morning, during weekdays, or late at night when there aren’t many other people around.

Goodwill outlets are a great place to shop if you’re looking for a deal on designer clothing and accessories—you never know what you might find. You can find everything from designer brands like Louis Vuitton to vintage clothing from the 70s or 80s.

If you’ve been thinking about giving Goodwill another try after hearing all these amazing stories about people finding amazing treasures there, now is definitely the time.

Pros:

• Large quantity of clothing items
• Price is By-The-Pound
• New merchandise rotated daily
• A true treasure-hunt shopping experience
• Excellent sourcing area for re-sellers

Cons:

• No changing room
• No kids allowed
• Competitive shoppers
• Sales are final – No returns or exchanges

5. Crossroads Trading Co – Silverlake

The Crossroads Trading Co is the only thrift store on this list that doubles as a consignment store. This means you can bring your used clothes when you visit and Crossroads will cherry-pick the items that are trending (that they can re-sell), then pay you in cash or store credit. 

As far as the quality, price, and variety of clothing you can find at this thrift store, it’s among the top-rated options overall for second-hand clothing items.

Let’s dive into what the shopping experience here is like and some of the treasures I’ve found here before. 

Crossroads Trading Co – Silverlake, CA

2656 Griffith Park Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90039

As someone who thrifts regularly, I could always rely on finding quality brands in good condition at The Crossroads. This specific location in Silverlake, CA, is larger than other Crossroads thrift stores that I’ve visited and had an incredible men’s and women’s section.

My favorite personal finds at this exact store are a pair of brand new Rothy’s white sneakers (paid $40, retails for $180), a couple of basic shirts by Vince, and a couple of jumpsuits for my girlfriend.

What makes this thrift store one of the best thrift stores in LA, in my opinion, is the selection for the price. Crossroads Trading Co isn’t known to be the cheapest thrift store. But this store, compared to several other Crossroads Trading stores I’ve gone thrifting at, has reasonable prices and racks full of hidden treasures. Not to mention, the men’s clothing section had multiple racks of clothes and was fully stocked. That, by itself, makes it superior for thrifters who are looking for men’s clothing specifically.

Tips For Selling Your Used Clothes To CrossRoads Trading Co

Because it doubles as a consignment store, they are selective with the brands they buy, which also means they are selective with what they sell. If skinny jeans are phasing out, they’re keen on that fashion trend immediately. It’s what makes their merchandise so good – it’s all hand-selected. With that said, if you plan to donate your clothes as you would at Goodwill, don’t be surprised if they reject most of your clothing. The due diligence they go through also means that trendy clothes that are in poor condition or are stained may also be rejected.

If you’re planning on making a visit, I recommend bringing a small bag of clothes that are nice, but that you don’t wear anymore. Sell them in exchange for store credit, then shop around for ‘new’ second-hand items to add to your wardrobe.

A psychological pro tip: Donate your used clothes in a nicer bag (if you have a nice tote bag or grocery tote, this works). It’s a simple tip that can make your donation clothes appear of higher quality. Imagine being the buyer. Receiving clothes in a black trash bag versus a LuLuLemon tote bag is an automatic indicator that the seller cares about their clothes, even if they’re about to get rid of them.

Pros:

• Great selection of quality brand names
• Always offers up-to-date trends
• Vintage clothes can be found here
• Changing room available
• Men’s and women’s sides are full of stock
• Clothes in excellent condition
• Exchanges accepted (for store credit)

Cons:

• More expensive than other thrift stores
• New merchandise is slower to be stocked

6. American Cancer Society Discovery Shop – Westwood, CA

Another hidden treasure of LA’s best thrift stores has to be the American Cancer Society Discovery Shop, or what I refer to as the “Discovery Shop.” Everything in this thrift store has such clean vibes and the clothes are always neatly organized throughout the thrift store.

While it’s not the largest store, it does offer both men’s and women’s clothing (more women’s clothing) and has an incredible cause. Based on the name, you probably can figure it out. This resale store takes 80% of its sales and reinvests it into cancer research, advocacy, and patient support. By shopping here, you’re doing good – for your wallet, your wardrobe, and those lives that have been affected by cancer.

But if I were judging this thrift store purely based on merchandise, it would still make the list as one of the best thrift stores in LA. 

American Cancer Society Discovery Shop – West Los Angeles, CA

2460 Overland Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90064

If you’ve never been to a Discovery Shop, it’s without a doubt a smaller thrift store compared to the other ones on this list. In LA, there are several Discovery Shops, but this location is my favorite. Parking is challenging at times because it’s in the middle of a busy road right off the freeway, but it’s well worth the visit.

During my visits to this exact Discovery shop, I’ve picked up a pair of John Varvatos jeans (paid $13, Retails for $200 to $300) and a basic Pima cotton shirt by Robert Barakett (paid $8, retails for $70). The women’s section is larger than the men’s section, but there are some seriously good finds hidden in the clothing racks. From that same visit, I spotted Patagonia shirts, LuLuLemon, J. Crew pants, and several pieces of wool clothing that were made in Italy. A few brands I searched up were high-end brands I never heard of that retailed for a minimum of $300 for a shirt or sweater.

But this store doesn’t just sell clothes. Scattered around the store, you can find jewelry, electronics, video games, and stuffed animals, to name a few. If you’re a re-seller, you can actually get lucky finding sealed electronics for cheap. But it’s not common.

While this store is definitely one of my favorite thrift shops in LA, the other Discovery Shops in LA don’t make the cut. Not because of the poor selection of merchandise, but because most other locations are more of a resale boutique, where you’ll find very high-end brand names like Burberry coats, that are priced at $200. 

Not all Discovery Shops over-price items, but some do. As you might guess, the one I listed here is one that doesn’t overprice their merchandise.

Overall, if you’re looking for a really comfortable, clean thrifting experience, this is the best place to thrift on this list (and maybe LA).

Pros:

• Changing room available
• Men’s and women’s clothing sections
• Clothes in excellent condition
• Supports cancer research

Cons:

• A smaller selection of merchandise
• More expensive than other thrift stores
• New merchandise is slower to be stocked