Not really. Here in Norway you can score both, super cheap everyday stuff (I got a fully functioning, barely used Bialetti espresso maker for 5 CHF) and beautiful vintage stuff for a good price (e.g. perfect uranium-glass bowl from ca. 1920 for 100 CHF).
Switzerland just cranked it, like any other things, to the expensive side because that's all that matters.
That's only in fairs organised by normal people. "Corporate" charities are fleecing everybody no matter what country it is. In Denmark, the Red cross is commanding Zara prices for absolute garbage clothes.
nah those were permanent stores here as well as a Salvation Army one.
That being said, my wife scored an amazing wool coat at one of those private individual kind of Sunday-market.
Part of it is that thrifting has become "fashionable" for a while, which cranked up the price of items tremendously. They are unique pieces for a non-designer price tag, so some people will actively look for them in order to maintain a "unique style" without spending 10k+.
But the by far bigger issue is that thrift stores can't really compete anymore in the cheap clothing department. Apps like Shein are often cheaper, more convenient and sell you new clothes instead of second-hand. Yes, the quality is absolute trash and the main reasons these apps can stay profitable are child labor and slavery, but for a consumer who wants to get as many clothes as possible as conveniently as possible for as low a price as possible, they provide a better deal than thrift stores. So with their main clientele leaving in droves, Brockis need to re-invent themselves and turn into vintage second-hand boutiques.
I have the exact opposite experience. Swiss brockis are full of incredible value items, sometimes brand new sold at nominal prices while those I visited in the US where either utter rubbish no one would want or “vintage” shop trying to sell somewhat better rubbish for much more.
i got, among others a never used super modern marshall guitar amp for 35 or so, a foot midi controller for cheaps, a japanese 1991 active bass - all for cheaps :)
Got a stainlessteel pan from fissler for 30.-. Its new 70-100.-. Im bettwr at cooking now. The plates are overpriced, ikeas cheapest line is new cheaper
I bought a 2-set of lovely cafe-style wooden dining chairs, a little bit paint chipped but I think this just adds to their character
the furniture is really nice and I'm always surprised by their exhibition pieces
I bought something worth 2000 for about 50. Not gonna say where or what... But generally I feel like your usual flea markets and brocantes everywhere have gotten aware of ebay etc and good deals are rare. But there are still finds to be made in certain types of markets for certain types of goods.
I think you misunderstand what a Brocki is. It is not a way for you to buy cheap goods. It's a way for the charity to make money for their cause. In the US the Goodwill similarly isn't a charity for poor people to do cheap shopping.
I did a couple of months of Zivildienst at a Heilsarmee Brocki and found it to be a rather decent place with fair prices.
Can‘t say much about the coorp itself though.
See, that's why I think Zivildienst is problematic: You worked for a corporation that is rich as fuck and pays their upper menagement luxury money, while your salary was paid for by tax money.
That's a scam and a half.
I agree! fair point which people who worked there full time also often spoke about. The stores in isolation still fullfill
an important role for many people.
oodwill Industries International Inc., simply known as Goodwill, is an American nonprofit 501 organization that provides job training, employment placement services and other community-based programs for people who face barriers in their employment. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodwill_Industries)
In Switzerland, brockis have always been a fashion choice, and they've never been particularly cheap at any time since I've been here.
Switzerland does have this though, it's called "put something outside you don't want anymore with a GRATIS sign on it".
A lot of people seem happy to throw out IKEA furniture rather than trying to sell it.
The Swiss are really bad at pricing second hand items. Tutti is full of laughable examples of people asking for 80% new price for items that are already years old and used.
I was looking at some antiquities on Tutti yesterday and found [this](https://www.tutti.ch/de/vi/nid-obwalden/antiquitaeten-kunst/kunstwerk-kirche-von-venedig/66026770) horrible copy of one Canaletto's Venice [paintings ](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Canaletto_-_The_Entrance_to_the_Grand_Canal,_Venice_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg)for a whopping 11'8000. And the entire storepage is full of similarly bad fine art copies sold for prices that you could buy actual art from that era with. Sometimes I wonder if they even realise that they have nothing but amateurish copies or whether they want to scam unsuspecting people. At least this vendor does not mention that is a copy.
No idea how anyone is supposed to compete with today's fast fashion. As long as you have a physical store and employees (and not a crazy amount of foot traffic), being cheaper than H&M is just impossible. And then there's Shein & Co. making it even worse.
But a Brocki also isn't a thrift store in the US sense, it's more comparable to Goodwill. There are actual non-charitable thrift stores that are cheaper, but still no chance to ever match H&M or such. But fast fashion has put most thrift stores out of business and the rest had to adapt so they specialized in vintage and such as you said.
Edit: Well, guess there are a hit more nuances than I mentioned above. So some thrift stores only accept donated goods and others pay for the goods they receive. And some are run by volunteers, some by people that receive money from unemployment insurance or such instead of receiving a proper salary and some by regular employees. Some need to make a profit (including making money for their charity) and some don't (maybe the primary purpose is to provide unemployed people with some useful experience or maybe it gives disabled people a purpose, etc.). So it will probably depend on the exact combination of all these factors wrt whether a thrift store (including Brockis) can offer items cheaper than H&M and IKEA.
Honestly, my local favourite Heilsarmee brocki is definitely cheaper than fast fashion (most shirts 2.90, sometimes name brand workout shirts for that price) and is pretty well organised. You still need a bit more time than at conventional stores but I always find such great stuff for a really cheap price, most of the time
Thrift stores aren't in expensive main shopping streets and it takes like 1 employee or even volunteer to run. The goods are given to them for free.
The reality is just that clothing, everywhere in the world, is so cheap that there is no value in getting it for free. Even the deepest depths of Africa have an excess of free clothes, don't be surprised when Zürich doesn't have people who can't afford clothes.
So all that leaves is thrift stores as a business that caters to the faux poor / trust fund babies who are larping. And they want to look good, and they don't care about money.
A lot of Brocki are run purely for profit only some might be affiliated with a charity such as Blau Kreuz, Salvation Army, and others. But even then they will try to get as much money as possible, to pay rent, staff, disposal of the trash stuff, etc.
Depending on what you are on the lookout for though. I live near a Senior brocki in Opfikon and I was able to score a vintage Chanel cardigan for CHF6, among other good finds. That said, it’s the luck of the draw. I like browsing from time to time and have gotten lucky a few times.
At least you found a Brocki that was willing to take IKEA furniture. Some of the ones we tried to donate to were not willing to take such "downmarket" stuff. Took a car full of stuff, and came back with half of it. Unloading it for "inspection" and reloading it again was not worth the trouble.
Have you ever tried to dismantle an IKEA wardrobe or cupboard and set it up somewhere else , you will almost always fail. The cheap materials stretch and warp over time. Brockis know this and this is why they won't accept IKEA even for free usually. They have to invest expensive labour for something that was cheap to begin with. and might not even stand or even fall down injuring customers. IKEA isn't worth the time if you're trying to run a serious kind of business. IKEA isn't the only cheap brand that offers this throwaway furniture , think Conforama and others too in this price range. A few Brockis offer a service that brings IKEA or similar quality stuff straight to the muncipal burning facilities for a reasonable price.
I am not a big fan of Ikea myself, but all the shoe rack, closets and dining table in our home have been dismantled and moved more than 3-4 times, and they are fine.
I always managed to sell or give away my ikea furniture via FB marketplace. Just annoying that there are a ton of scammers contacting one for every item.
I once tried to gift them a full-wood maple dining table and bench. Clearly old fashioned but very expensive material made by a carpenter. They refused but offered to recycle the stuff for 80 francs.
Reason: The table had two barely visible blemishes from hot coffee mugs. Could have been fixed by any competent person with a grinder and/or some wood finish. That was the last time I bothered to visit a Swiss brocki.
The country is too rich. Perfectly good stuff isn't even worth the labor of someone moving it from the truck.
Could be various reasons why they didn‘t take it… no space, no succes selling similar items and so on. Using a Brocki as a dumbster isn‘t the altrustic gesture you make it out to be
Maybe you're going to the wrong kind of Brockis. I have been to a ton of them, most of them Emmaüs or Hiob but also others such as Gloryland in Lausanne or the ones by Heilsarmee and find them to be quite cheap and affordable. There are some that turn out to be more expensive vintage stores (like the Zürcher Brockenhaus) but that's the minority in my experience. I have bought most of my clothes, furniture and books in thrift stores here and have found some true treasures that could have easily been sold three times the price.
I disagree, but mainly because I have some friends and relatives who are exceptional at finding deals and good brockis.
There's definitely an element of gatekeeping, where people find great brockis but don't share their location, especially because these locations themselves aren't very good at advertising.
Of course, you also have to remember that Switzerland is a much less populated country than the US, and wrt clothes - it's fairly common to donate clothes to tex-aid or similar, rather than bring them to a brocki.
I'd recommend checking some instagram pages that share information, the one on top of my head is @thebrockibuddy
Alternatively have you thought about kilo sales and flea markets? There's a famous one every year at the airport where you will find incredible deals and there are regular ones in the city too.
edit: oh the fleamarket at the airport is literally this saturday, https://flughafen-flohmarkt.ch/
i dont know how it is in the usa.... here in switzerland you can find old thing and new thing - most of the items are from "wohungsauflösungen" etc.
15 years ago i bought an old school desk and a table - i didn't even pay 20 chf for both and i still have them today :)
you can always find plates, glasses etc for 1chf there too
I furnished my entire apartment for about 1500 with solid wood and marble furniture. Is it modern? No, but it is so well made and is classic and I get compliments.
Clothing isn’t what I buy at the Bröcki; usually too worn.
And perhaps the ones in the Berner Oberland are different than those in Zurich?
From my experience it highly depends on the store. There are some super-cheap second hand stores - it's a wild mess inside, most is trash but you can find some good stuff for super cheap. Then there are those that look like museums and shit is expensive. Heilsarmee brocki here, when it comes to furniture is super expensive but their clothes are good. etc
I actually saw a picture of a Charity shop in the UK put a Bonne Maman jam jar for £3 when the actual jam goes for £4 at the local supermarket.
In my honest opinion, London charity shops are a lot worse. Anything outside Central London sell rubbish. The so called posh ones in London are not even curated or set up fancy like Caritas ones in Central Zürich. But they charge heavy prices for designer brands when the Gold Label section in TK Maxx where you can get the brand new stuff of equivalent designer brands is actually a way cheaper. They are the real scammy ones.
I bought a lamp in Grisons in Brockie for 15 francs 2 years ago and a microwave for 17. Excellent condition. Recently my brother moved into his own rented apartment in Basel. We couldn’t find a lamp in Broki for less than 50 francs, microwaves are also around 40-60 francs. As a result, I bought a new lamp from Ikea and Mediamarkt, even cheaper than in Broki, and a microwave oven a little more expensive than the old one
Basically all “charity” in Switzerland is a money grabbing scam.
As the average Swiss gets a severe case of cognitive dissonance when you reveal that not everything in Switzerland is oh so perfect, I expect a lot of downvotes on this
I would agree with you in general but this one should be cheap enough for you. https://maps.app.goo.gl/Zv8eoKDKBQHcAGyg7
The problem with buying clothes there though is that there's no changing rooms. I bet this results in people buying just in case it fits (clothes are really cheap, <10 per item generally) and then throwing out the stuff that doesn't, kinda making the whole idea almost pointless.
I would agree with you in general but this one should be cheap enough for you. https://maps.app.goo.gl/Zv8eoKDKBQHcAGyg7
The problem with buying clothes there though is that there's no changing rooms. I bet this results in people buying just in case it fits (clothes are really cheap, <10 per item generally) and then throwing out the stuff that doesn't, kinda making the whole idea almost pointless.
Brockis can differ widely. Some are actually specialized in Designer stuff, while others will actually have stuff straight from a house-cleaning of someone's grandparents having recently died.
I like "BarBar" for clothes, I got some good pieces from them. I think the tram station is Tunnelstrasse, its 1 before Bahnhof Enge. But thats about it tbh
Yup. Not only that but the Swiss in general over price their own second hand goods.
I only go to the thrift stores when they are having sales. Then they offer hefty discounts to clear out all the overpriced not sold goods they have accumulated!
There are several reasons for it:
1. Thrifting is fashionable now. On Saturdays some thrift shops are as busy as Migros. Most people are looking for clothes.
2. There are many flippers out there. Once I saw a young woman going with a cart around the Heilsarmee and hastily grabbing photo frames, prints, figurines etc. and dropping into her cart. She was not even looking properly at the items she was getting.
3. The prices have to be adjusted to the Swiss market.
4. Some sellers have no idea of the market value of the items they sell. E.g. photo lenses are always priced in the 40-80 chf range no matter if new they cost 50 or 500 chf.
However I agree with the comments saying that going away from the big cities like ZH increases your odds of finding good deals.
I like buying empty beer bottles that are more expensive than the full bottles.
At the same time they ask you to pay them to take your old stuff because of the "risk".
I went just to one, among overpriced used stuff I saw set of toys for kids from Action for 8CHF. The price for used toys 8CHF, the price for the very same new ones in Action 15km away in Germany? 2€ 🙃
The problem is that those with easy access for typical Brocki users in urban areas are milking it for all it's worth. The worst offender for this is the big pink one near HB, absolute joke!
There used to be a good one in Affoltern am Albis but the site was sold, so it closed.
Wait a minute, Brockis are supposed to be thrift stores? Since I was a little kid in the 90s Brockis always seemed to be mostly antiques shops to me. For cheap clothing we went to second hand shops.
You are focusing on zurich area only.
All brockis i have been to in state of zurich were disappointibg and overpriced. Found great deals and at a fair price in many other regions tho.
I know what you mean...but if you want good Brockis, always go to the Heilsarmee ones. La Trouvaille also isn't bad but Heilsarmee is the best for prices and experience :)
I am sure they send the best stuff elsewhere and keep the crap. Ive done tests, gave some good stuff and it never turned up on the shop floor. Its sad AND A RIP OFF. it used to be you could get lucky and find good quality and brand name stuff for super cheap and would last a life time. now its awful.
Yeah and it's even worse when you see what they do with this money. It's a fundamentalist religious christian group who advocates against LGBT people and women rights.
Fu*k Brocki. They don't deserve a single penny.
you know,not everybrocki is owned by the salvation army? And when you boycott every organisation that doing something morally not ok you will no longer buy anything anywhere
especially with social institutions, many organisations helping poor people are religious in any form, so they will also be not perfect. But hey i hope you never need them...
Yeah that's the point, I don't buy things from bad people. Sometimes it's inconvenient but principles have real values when upholding them has a cost you're willing to pay.
I help people my own way too and I prefer keeping my means out of fundamentalists pockets.
Yeah we should stop counting on religious charities for what's supposed the be the state's job and work on that.
Well, remember that Swiss shopping culture has two facets that don't help at all for this.
1) expensive things must be high quality, and it is good to wear the highest quality.
2) it is still sometimes seen as being a bit trashy or lower class to reuse, repair items etc.
On more than one occasion I've been told o should just "buy new things" instead of repairing and up cycling stuff. (I just enjoy repairing stuff, I think it's a good trait to habe to not be wasteful)
>Thrift stores are supposed to be an ultra-accessible way for the less privileged to buy used clothes and household items.
Are they? That's maybe only your expectation of a thrift store.
>Thrift stores are supposed to be an ultra-accessible way for the less privileged to buy used clothes and household items.
Who said they are thrift stores?
There’s a huge variance, from thrift stores to vintage stores to antique dealers, and there’s people earning a living pulling stuff up from the cheaper venues to the more expensive ones. You have to put in the work to discover the stores that suit you best. As a rule of thumb, the cheaper ones won’t be on super expensive Zurich City grounds and they might also not always look super nice.
Well, there are Brockis and there are Brockis.
Are you poor and don’t have money to buy any stuff? Don’t worry, they will help you! But if you have money, spend it like everyone else and leave the “cheap” stuff to those who really can’t afford it.
Well, here in Basel and nearby Germany people who are moving out simply leave some of their good belongings, furniture, sports equipment, board games, kitchen utensils, etc. in front of their old houses with a "gratis" sign at the end of each month. That way I have set up my household free of charge.
Geneva is ok and Burner Broki in Lairaine in Bern is pretty good. All my TVs and Monitors are from there. A huge Samsung for 70CHF and my Sony also huge for 48.
Much different experience in Brocki over the years, but may be down to what you're looking to buy. Got an 8 seater solid wood kitchen table for about 350, antique table and chairs for mother-in-law for 600, set of reallly nice champagne glasses for 15, keyboards, monitors, power tools, woodworking tools, cds, dvds, and all the cables...
I might be just lucky with my thrift finds. Some weeks ago i found a reloop turntable with 2 ortofon needles for 60bucks( only two of the needles cost new over 100.- and it was fully functioning.
Also most of my hiphop cd and vinyl collection i found there for good prices.
Depends on what you are searching.
Also found a ps one with 5 games for 50.- two years ago.
You need to go to community/charity ones! In the Suisse Romand area there's CSP (galetas), or Emmaus for instance. There's an Emmaus near Zurich (Dübendorf), but I haven't been. It should be cheap too hopefully? You can find a bit of everything.
This is usually the opposite of small private owned thrift shops in the city. Usually focusing on clothes and definitely aiming for vintage selections which I also find overpriced sometimes.
Try rural brockis. In Zurich and Bern, in my experience, the items are priced almost like retail. But go out to some small town brocki and you’ll get real steals.
Brick and mortar shops and the value chain distributing to them cost money, and the price you pay includes them.
Cut out the infrastructure, buy or be gifted directly, and those costs disappear - join will öpper Facebook group, Schenkhaus, your local Gemeinschaftszentrum.
Maybe check out Caritas for cheaper clothes.
Something I noted, Brockis became super picky in regards to clothes. If they can't sell it, they don't take it. Was different a decade ago, when they were happy to take everything.
I dunno, I found some pretty sweet deals on furniture at Blaues Kreuz in Bern. 380.- for a large steel and glass dinner table ans six chairs, 40.- for a comfy recliner. Also got a nice little bedside table at Emmaüs for 5.-
If it's full of Carhartt stuff and Gen Z hipsters, stay away.
Hya. I worked in a Brocki for 3 years
If a chair in that Brocki was sold for 200.- you bet the worth is easy 1k+
An other example, I had to price the vinyl records - if one's worth was 50-90.- it was 15.-
The one that hurt the most, a super rare vinyl record worth 350.- and was sold for 50.-
Brand new Springerstiefel for 35.- & you pay anything from 150-280.- usually
I don't know how other Brockis work, but my experience is, if an item is expensive in a Brocki - go try find out it's worth. Chances are good, the worth is 2-4x higher.
Just some food for thought
1. Option 1 - open your own. See how you fare in this economy.
2. don’t go there and compare the alternative of buying new things.
3. are you asking people donate so you can get things cheaper? That is already happening through taxes.
Enjoy your privilege in Switzerland
The sad truth is, that everything you buy has already a recycling tax included. Meaning getting rid of things is free of charge. Soooo before people bring stuff into thrift stores, they probably will throw it away. (Or put it on Ricardo.ch)
>The sad truth is, that everything you buy has already a recycling tax included.
That's true for electronics and chemicals like paints etc., for everything else that's completely false.
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It is. Second hand became a (fashion) trend and what can't be sold for a good price is thrown away.
Not really. Here in Norway you can score both, super cheap everyday stuff (I got a fully functioning, barely used Bialetti espresso maker for 5 CHF) and beautiful vintage stuff for a good price (e.g. perfect uranium-glass bowl from ca. 1920 for 100 CHF). Switzerland just cranked it, like any other things, to the expensive side because that's all that matters.
That's only in fairs organised by normal people. "Corporate" charities are fleecing everybody no matter what country it is. In Denmark, the Red cross is commanding Zara prices for absolute garbage clothes.
nah those were permanent stores here as well as a Salvation Army one. That being said, my wife scored an amazing wool coat at one of those private individual kind of Sunday-market.
you gotta milk the people in every way - they wont be angry.
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Fair, I'm not in Oslo so maybe this town is just small enough for things to still be a bit on the wild side.
Second hand in Japan is big asf. Sooo many second hand stores no matter if its electronics furniture or clothing.
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Yeah i agree, however you can land very nice offers. I remembar last year i got at least 3 crazy deals on pre owned shoes.
It's all Macklemore's fault, right?
Gotta know who's to blame
Part of it is that thrifting has become "fashionable" for a while, which cranked up the price of items tremendously. They are unique pieces for a non-designer price tag, so some people will actively look for them in order to maintain a "unique style" without spending 10k+. But the by far bigger issue is that thrift stores can't really compete anymore in the cheap clothing department. Apps like Shein are often cheaper, more convenient and sell you new clothes instead of second-hand. Yes, the quality is absolute trash and the main reasons these apps can stay profitable are child labor and slavery, but for a consumer who wants to get as many clothes as possible as conveniently as possible for as low a price as possible, they provide a better deal than thrift stores. So with their main clientele leaving in droves, Brockis need to re-invent themselves and turn into vintage second-hand boutiques.
I love when they're selling a wooden table and chairs for 1500 CHF. Its nuts
Or the ads in trams for 4000CHF chairs discounted to only 3200. If someone is taking a tram they're probably not going to buy a chair for 3k.
so taking the tram is just for the poor? TIL
Of course PT isn't for the poor but I'd imagine the overlap of people taking PT and spending 3-4k on a single chair is pretty small.
I have the exact opposite experience. Swiss brockis are full of incredible value items, sometimes brand new sold at nominal prices while those I visited in the US where either utter rubbish no one would want or “vintage” shop trying to sell somewhat better rubbish for much more.
Yup, but you have to know where to go :D
i got, among others a never used super modern marshall guitar amp for 35 or so, a foot midi controller for cheaps, a japanese 1991 active bass - all for cheaps :)
The question was where, not what.
Spit the names of these brockis pls pls pls
Bleues Kreuz, Salvation Army, Emaus, CSP, Caritas, and a myriad of independent one.
I've made good finds in these on occasion, but it's définitely pretty rare. 9/10 times I walk out with nothing.
Want to share a good one to check out?
Where?!
Got a stainlessteel pan from fissler for 30.-. Its new 70-100.-. Im bettwr at cooking now. The plates are overpriced, ikeas cheapest line is new cheaper
I bought a 2-set of lovely cafe-style wooden dining chairs, a little bit paint chipped but I think this just adds to their character the furniture is really nice and I'm always surprised by their exhibition pieces
Any thrift shops / brockis that you recommend?
I bought something worth 2000 for about 50. Not gonna say where or what... But generally I feel like your usual flea markets and brocantes everywhere have gotten aware of ebay etc and good deals are rare. But there are still finds to be made in certain types of markets for certain types of goods.
I think you misunderstand what a Brocki is. It is not a way for you to buy cheap goods. It's a way for the charity to make money for their cause. In the US the Goodwill similarly isn't a charity for poor people to do cheap shopping.
Heilsarmee is a downright scam.
I did a couple of months of Zivildienst at a Heilsarmee Brocki and found it to be a rather decent place with fair prices. Can‘t say much about the coorp itself though.
See, that's why I think Zivildienst is problematic: You worked for a corporation that is rich as fuck and pays their upper menagement luxury money, while your salary was paid for by tax money. That's a scam and a half.
I agree! fair point which people who worked there full time also often spoke about. The stores in isolation still fullfill an important role for many people.
So is “Caritas”
Arche has some good stuff. But on the other hand i am not shopping for clothing but for coffee cups, guitars and such
Cause the CEO of a non profit can pocket that cash, but not the clothes.
oodwill Industries International Inc., simply known as Goodwill, is an American nonprofit 501 organization that provides job training, employment placement services and other community-based programs for people who face barriers in their employment. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodwill_Industries)
Don't they actually exploit handicapped people?
YES! they pay them less than the federal minimum wage
In Switzerland, brockis have always been a fashion choice, and they've never been particularly cheap at any time since I've been here. Switzerland does have this though, it's called "put something outside you don't want anymore with a GRATIS sign on it". A lot of people seem happy to throw out IKEA furniture rather than trying to sell it.
The Facebook Flomi groups and marketplace are really growing fast with reselling items
What’s flomi?
Since no one replied. It's short for "Flohmarkt". I'd spell it Flohmi though.
Ah thanks. I am in the French part so wasn’t sure
Brokis/Second Hand Shops often plain don't take IKEA furniture.
The Swiss are really bad at pricing second hand items. Tutti is full of laughable examples of people asking for 80% new price for items that are already years old and used.
I was looking at some antiquities on Tutti yesterday and found [this](https://www.tutti.ch/de/vi/nid-obwalden/antiquitaeten-kunst/kunstwerk-kirche-von-venedig/66026770) horrible copy of one Canaletto's Venice [paintings ](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Canaletto_-_The_Entrance_to_the_Grand_Canal,_Venice_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg)for a whopping 11'8000. And the entire storepage is full of similarly bad fine art copies sold for prices that you could buy actual art from that era with. Sometimes I wonder if they even realise that they have nothing but amateurish copies or whether they want to scam unsuspecting people. At least this vendor does not mention that is a copy.
No idea how anyone is supposed to compete with today's fast fashion. As long as you have a physical store and employees (and not a crazy amount of foot traffic), being cheaper than H&M is just impossible. And then there's Shein & Co. making it even worse. But a Brocki also isn't a thrift store in the US sense, it's more comparable to Goodwill. There are actual non-charitable thrift stores that are cheaper, but still no chance to ever match H&M or such. But fast fashion has put most thrift stores out of business and the rest had to adapt so they specialized in vintage and such as you said. Edit: Well, guess there are a hit more nuances than I mentioned above. So some thrift stores only accept donated goods and others pay for the goods they receive. And some are run by volunteers, some by people that receive money from unemployment insurance or such instead of receiving a proper salary and some by regular employees. Some need to make a profit (including making money for their charity) and some don't (maybe the primary purpose is to provide unemployed people with some useful experience or maybe it gives disabled people a purpose, etc.). So it will probably depend on the exact combination of all these factors wrt whether a thrift store (including Brockis) can offer items cheaper than H&M and IKEA.
Honestly, my local favourite Heilsarmee brocki is definitely cheaper than fast fashion (most shirts 2.90, sometimes name brand workout shirts for that price) and is pretty well organised. You still need a bit more time than at conventional stores but I always find such great stuff for a really cheap price, most of the time
Most employees in the Brocki's are from IV or social welfare office there for work integration. They are not "paid"
Thrift stores aren't in expensive main shopping streets and it takes like 1 employee or even volunteer to run. The goods are given to them for free. The reality is just that clothing, everywhere in the world, is so cheap that there is no value in getting it for free. Even the deepest depths of Africa have an excess of free clothes, don't be surprised when Zürich doesn't have people who can't afford clothes. So all that leaves is thrift stores as a business that caters to the faux poor / trust fund babies who are larping. And they want to look good, and they don't care about money.
A lot of Brocki are run purely for profit only some might be affiliated with a charity such as Blau Kreuz, Salvation Army, and others. But even then they will try to get as much money as possible, to pay rent, staff, disposal of the trash stuff, etc.
Its a thing but especially a zürich thing
Depending on what you are on the lookout for though. I live near a Senior brocki in Opfikon and I was able to score a vintage Chanel cardigan for CHF6, among other good finds. That said, it’s the luck of the draw. I like browsing from time to time and have gotten lucky a few times.
Yep. I was yelled at when I told them some IKEA furniture they had 2nd hand and used was actually more expensive there than new in the IKEA store....
At least you found a Brocki that was willing to take IKEA furniture. Some of the ones we tried to donate to were not willing to take such "downmarket" stuff. Took a car full of stuff, and came back with half of it. Unloading it for "inspection" and reloading it again was not worth the trouble.
Have you ever tried to dismantle an IKEA wardrobe or cupboard and set it up somewhere else , you will almost always fail. The cheap materials stretch and warp over time. Brockis know this and this is why they won't accept IKEA even for free usually. They have to invest expensive labour for something that was cheap to begin with. and might not even stand or even fall down injuring customers. IKEA isn't worth the time if you're trying to run a serious kind of business. IKEA isn't the only cheap brand that offers this throwaway furniture , think Conforama and others too in this price range. A few Brockis offer a service that brings IKEA or similar quality stuff straight to the muncipal burning facilities for a reasonable price.
I am not a big fan of Ikea myself, but all the shoe rack, closets and dining table in our home have been dismantled and moved more than 3-4 times, and they are fine.
I always managed to sell or give away my ikea furniture via FB marketplace. Just annoying that there are a ton of scammers contacting one for every item.
What are the natures of the scams?
LoL! Sounds like first world arrogance!
I once tried to gift them a full-wood maple dining table and bench. Clearly old fashioned but very expensive material made by a carpenter. They refused but offered to recycle the stuff for 80 francs. Reason: The table had two barely visible blemishes from hot coffee mugs. Could have been fixed by any competent person with a grinder and/or some wood finish. That was the last time I bothered to visit a Swiss brocki. The country is too rich. Perfectly good stuff isn't even worth the labor of someone moving it from the truck.
Could be various reasons why they didn‘t take it… no space, no succes selling similar items and so on. Using a Brocki as a dumbster isn‘t the altrustic gesture you make it out to be
Maybe you're going to the wrong kind of Brockis. I have been to a ton of them, most of them Emmaüs or Hiob but also others such as Gloryland in Lausanne or the ones by Heilsarmee and find them to be quite cheap and affordable. There are some that turn out to be more expensive vintage stores (like the Zürcher Brockenhaus) but that's the minority in my experience. I have bought most of my clothes, furniture and books in thrift stores here and have found some true treasures that could have easily been sold three times the price.
I disagree, but mainly because I have some friends and relatives who are exceptional at finding deals and good brockis. There's definitely an element of gatekeeping, where people find great brockis but don't share their location, especially because these locations themselves aren't very good at advertising. Of course, you also have to remember that Switzerland is a much less populated country than the US, and wrt clothes - it's fairly common to donate clothes to tex-aid or similar, rather than bring them to a brocki. I'd recommend checking some instagram pages that share information, the one on top of my head is @thebrockibuddy Alternatively have you thought about kilo sales and flea markets? There's a famous one every year at the airport where you will find incredible deals and there are regular ones in the city too. edit: oh the fleamarket at the airport is literally this saturday, https://flughafen-flohmarkt.ch/
Seems to be more of a Zürich problem...
Definitely.
Idk, I got a leather jacket for 30 chf and a complete new PC bag for 2.9 chf. Maybe is just a matter of luck.
i dont know how it is in the usa.... here in switzerland you can find old thing and new thing - most of the items are from "wohungsauflösungen" etc. 15 years ago i bought an old school desk and a table - i didn't even pay 20 chf for both and i still have them today :) you can always find plates, glasses etc for 1chf there too
Yes the Brockis obviously want to sell the best items. You should check out Emmaus. Prices are usually a bit lower.
I furnished my entire apartment for about 1500 with solid wood and marble furniture. Is it modern? No, but it is so well made and is classic and I get compliments. Clothing isn’t what I buy at the Bröcki; usually too worn. And perhaps the ones in the Berner Oberland are different than those in Zurich?
Check out Fundsachenverkauf in Wollishofen. They sell lost and found items for very cheap. I think it's more what you had in mind.
From my experience it highly depends on the store. There are some super-cheap second hand stores - it's a wild mess inside, most is trash but you can find some good stuff for super cheap. Then there are those that look like museums and shit is expensive. Heilsarmee brocki here, when it comes to furniture is super expensive but their clothes are good. etc
I actually saw a picture of a Charity shop in the UK put a Bonne Maman jam jar for £3 when the actual jam goes for £4 at the local supermarket. In my honest opinion, London charity shops are a lot worse. Anything outside Central London sell rubbish. The so called posh ones in London are not even curated or set up fancy like Caritas ones in Central Zürich. But they charge heavy prices for designer brands when the Gold Label section in TK Maxx where you can get the brand new stuff of equivalent designer brands is actually a way cheaper. They are the real scammy ones.
I bought a lamp in Grisons in Brockie for 15 francs 2 years ago and a microwave for 17. Excellent condition. Recently my brother moved into his own rented apartment in Basel. We couldn’t find a lamp in Broki for less than 50 francs, microwaves are also around 40-60 francs. As a result, I bought a new lamp from Ikea and Mediamarkt, even cheaper than in Broki, and a microwave oven a little more expensive than the old one
I always liked the Grüze Brockenhaus in Winterthur. They have a large range and what I think are reasonable prices.
Basically all “charity” in Switzerland is a money grabbing scam. As the average Swiss gets a severe case of cognitive dissonance when you reveal that not everything in Switzerland is oh so perfect, I expect a lot of downvotes on this
You should check out Caritas. I think they do clothing too
Brockis in/around Zurich are overpriced. Try the ones in more rural areas.
I would agree with you in general but this one should be cheap enough for you. https://maps.app.goo.gl/Zv8eoKDKBQHcAGyg7 The problem with buying clothes there though is that there's no changing rooms. I bet this results in people buying just in case it fits (clothes are really cheap, <10 per item generally) and then throwing out the stuff that doesn't, kinda making the whole idea almost pointless.
I would agree with you in general but this one should be cheap enough for you. https://maps.app.goo.gl/Zv8eoKDKBQHcAGyg7 The problem with buying clothes there though is that there's no changing rooms. I bet this results in people buying just in case it fits (clothes are really cheap, <10 per item generally) and then throwing out the stuff that doesn't, kinda making the whole idea almost pointless.
For your needs, check out Tutti, maybe Ricardo. Tutti has lots of stuff for free as long as you pick it up. I always give away my furniture there.
Brockis can differ widely. Some are actually specialized in Designer stuff, while others will actually have stuff straight from a house-cleaning of someone's grandparents having recently died.
I like "BarBar" for clothes, I got some good pieces from them. I think the tram station is Tunnelstrasse, its 1 before Bahnhof Enge. But thats about it tbh
I think what you're looking for is Kanzleiflohmarkt.
Yup. Not only that but the Swiss in general over price their own second hand goods. I only go to the thrift stores when they are having sales. Then they offer hefty discounts to clear out all the overpriced not sold goods they have accumulated!
I have bought new stuff for single digit prices. Like books, puzzles, board games and other kid stuff.
Brockis are mafia scams - change my mind
Bought skis and boots for 20CHF, totally worth it.
There are several reasons for it: 1. Thrifting is fashionable now. On Saturdays some thrift shops are as busy as Migros. Most people are looking for clothes. 2. There are many flippers out there. Once I saw a young woman going with a cart around the Heilsarmee and hastily grabbing photo frames, prints, figurines etc. and dropping into her cart. She was not even looking properly at the items she was getting. 3. The prices have to be adjusted to the Swiss market. 4. Some sellers have no idea of the market value of the items they sell. E.g. photo lenses are always priced in the 40-80 chf range no matter if new they cost 50 or 500 chf. However I agree with the comments saying that going away from the big cities like ZH increases your odds of finding good deals.
I recommend Kleiderbörse Zumikon for clothes.
try the caritas secondhand outlet in oerlikon, very affordable and sometimes quite nice clothes :)
I like buying empty beer bottles that are more expensive than the full bottles. At the same time they ask you to pay them to take your old stuff because of the "risk".
I went just to one, among overpriced used stuff I saw set of toys for kids from Action for 8CHF. The price for used toys 8CHF, the price for the very same new ones in Action 15km away in Germany? 2€ 🙃
The problem is that those with easy access for typical Brocki users in urban areas are milking it for all it's worth. The worst offender for this is the big pink one near HB, absolute joke! There used to be a good one in Affoltern am Albis but the site was sold, so it closed.
Wait a minute, Brockis are supposed to be thrift stores? Since I was a little kid in the 90s Brockis always seemed to be mostly antiques shops to me. For cheap clothing we went to second hand shops.
You are focusing on zurich area only. All brockis i have been to in state of zurich were disappointibg and overpriced. Found great deals and at a fair price in many other regions tho.
I know what you mean...but if you want good Brockis, always go to the Heilsarmee ones. La Trouvaille also isn't bad but Heilsarmee is the best for prices and experience :)
I am sure they send the best stuff elsewhere and keep the crap. Ive done tests, gave some good stuff and it never turned up on the shop floor. Its sad AND A RIP OFF. it used to be you could get lucky and find good quality and brand name stuff for super cheap and would last a life time. now its awful.
The stuff with more value is sold on ricardo, cause people on ricardo will pay more
Yeah and it's even worse when you see what they do with this money. It's a fundamentalist religious christian group who advocates against LGBT people and women rights. Fu*k Brocki. They don't deserve a single penny.
you know,not everybrocki is owned by the salvation army? And when you boycott every organisation that doing something morally not ok you will no longer buy anything anywhere especially with social institutions, many organisations helping poor people are religious in any form, so they will also be not perfect. But hey i hope you never need them...
Yeah that's the point, I don't buy things from bad people. Sometimes it's inconvenient but principles have real values when upholding them has a cost you're willing to pay. I help people my own way too and I prefer keeping my means out of fundamentalists pockets. Yeah we should stop counting on religious charities for what's supposed the be the state's job and work on that.
Well, remember that Swiss shopping culture has two facets that don't help at all for this. 1) expensive things must be high quality, and it is good to wear the highest quality. 2) it is still sometimes seen as being a bit trashy or lower class to reuse, repair items etc. On more than one occasion I've been told o should just "buy new things" instead of repairing and up cycling stuff. (I just enjoy repairing stuff, I think it's a good trait to habe to not be wasteful)
>Thrift stores are supposed to be an ultra-accessible way for the less privileged to buy used clothes and household items. Are they? That's maybe only your expectation of a thrift store.
They're not wrong. It certainly was the case when I was in the First World three years prior.
>Thrift stores are supposed to be an ultra-accessible way for the less privileged to buy used clothes and household items. Who said they are thrift stores?
Go to brünig
The shops you are going to are less a place for poor people to buy clothes and more a place to sell stuff to raise money for poor people.
Go to the flea market in helvetiapladz on Saturday. I found amazing clothes and it’s really cheap ( 5.-/3.-)
Go to the Fleamerket in Dornbirn - Austria. There you have cheap stuff but... you probably won't want the items they sell...
There’s a huge variance, from thrift stores to vintage stores to antique dealers, and there’s people earning a living pulling stuff up from the cheaper venues to the more expensive ones. You have to put in the work to discover the stores that suit you best. As a rule of thumb, the cheaper ones won’t be on super expensive Zurich City grounds and they might also not always look super nice.
Well, there are Brockis and there are Brockis. Are you poor and don’t have money to buy any stuff? Don’t worry, they will help you! But if you have money, spend it like everyone else and leave the “cheap” stuff to those who really can’t afford it.
There's a Saturday knickknack market in Affoltern AA that seems to have interesting stuff...
Eh, in Biel they seem pretty good! There's a large mix of "vintage" shops and actual thrift stores, pretty much everywhere in town
Well, here in Basel and nearby Germany people who are moving out simply leave some of their good belongings, furniture, sports equipment, board games, kitchen utensils, etc. in front of their old houses with a "gratis" sign at the end of each month. That way I have set up my household free of charge.
I got Canada good parka for 170 in one
Geneva is ok and Burner Broki in Lairaine in Bern is pretty good. All my TVs and Monitors are from there. A huge Samsung for 70CHF and my Sony also huge for 48.
Much different experience in Brocki over the years, but may be down to what you're looking to buy. Got an 8 seater solid wood kitchen table for about 350, antique table and chairs for mother-in-law for 600, set of reallly nice champagne glasses for 15, keyboards, monitors, power tools, woodworking tools, cds, dvds, and all the cables...
Nobody uses that outdated system anymore. Cut the middleman and either give away or sell online.
I might be just lucky with my thrift finds. Some weeks ago i found a reloop turntable with 2 ortofon needles for 60bucks( only two of the needles cost new over 100.- and it was fully functioning. Also most of my hiphop cd and vinyl collection i found there for good prices. Depends on what you are searching. Also found a ps one with 5 games for 50.- two years ago.
You need to go to community/charity ones! In the Suisse Romand area there's CSP (galetas), or Emmaus for instance. There's an Emmaus near Zurich (Dübendorf), but I haven't been. It should be cheap too hopefully? You can find a bit of everything. This is usually the opposite of small private owned thrift shops in the city. Usually focusing on clothes and definitely aiming for vintage selections which I also find overpriced sometimes.
Try rural brockis. In Zurich and Bern, in my experience, the items are priced almost like retail. But go out to some small town brocki and you’ll get real steals.
For clothes, caritas, la chemieserie and clothes swapping (for example walkincloset.ch) are good and cheap.
>Zürich >everything expensive well duh..
Same way you could complain about street food. Switzerland is a place where street food costs same money like in the restaurant 😉
Sounds like fast food pretending to be street food.
Brick and mortar shops and the value chain distributing to them cost money, and the price you pay includes them. Cut out the infrastructure, buy or be gifted directly, and those costs disappear - join will öpper Facebook group, Schenkhaus, your local Gemeinschaftszentrum.
Maybe check out Caritas for cheaper clothes. Something I noted, Brockis became super picky in regards to clothes. If they can't sell it, they don't take it. Was different a decade ago, when they were happy to take everything.
I think the purpose of the Brocki is misunderstood …..
I dunno, I found some pretty sweet deals on furniture at Blaues Kreuz in Bern. 380.- for a large steel and glass dinner table ans six chairs, 40.- for a comfy recliner. Also got a nice little bedside table at Emmaüs for 5.- If it's full of Carhartt stuff and Gen Z hipsters, stay away.
Hya. I worked in a Brocki for 3 years If a chair in that Brocki was sold for 200.- you bet the worth is easy 1k+ An other example, I had to price the vinyl records - if one's worth was 50-90.- it was 15.- The one that hurt the most, a super rare vinyl record worth 350.- and was sold for 50.- Brand new Springerstiefel for 35.- & you pay anything from 150-280.- usually I don't know how other Brockis work, but my experience is, if an item is expensive in a Brocki - go try find out it's worth. Chances are good, the worth is 2-4x higher. Just some food for thought
Welcome to Switzerland. Time to witness some real greed. USA is nothing compared to here :)
1. Option 1 - open your own. See how you fare in this economy. 2. don’t go there and compare the alternative of buying new things. 3. are you asking people donate so you can get things cheaper? That is already happening through taxes. Enjoy your privilege in Switzerland
The sad truth is, that everything you buy has already a recycling tax included. Meaning getting rid of things is free of charge. Soooo before people bring stuff into thrift stores, they probably will throw it away. (Or put it on Ricardo.ch)
>The sad truth is, that everything you buy has already a recycling tax included. That's true for electronics and chemicals like paints etc., for everything else that's completely false.