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Intimate Thrifting

I'm what used to be politely called a well-endowed lady. I have been since the fifth grade, and it's always been rather a pain in the butt because I have to wear extra-large bras, which are expensive and usually don't fit well. I've tried every brand I could afford, and gradually came to realize that jersey sports bras without wires are the most comfortable for me. They also fit my ample curves without squashing anything.

The last time I bought new bras was about two years ago, and I paid $20.00 each for three. They're nothing fancy but they work. They're wearing out, however, so I've been looking for more. Prices have gone up, of course, and they now want $30.00 each for the bras I bought last time. That's ninety dollars.

I decided to see if I could thrift some bras, and found three at the online auction that were new with tags for a $4.99 buy-it-now option. That's $1.66 a bra. These retail at Wal-Mart for $19.00 each, btw. They had a bunch of the same three bras in the same extra-large size listed multiple times, and no one was bidding on them. Although they looked a little big for me (sports bra sizes are not consistent), I decided to roll the dice and bought one lot. They arrived last month, and after I laundered them I discovered they fit me perfectly.

I went back immediately to see if any of the other lots were available, and found one left that had been price-hiked up to $6.24 for the lot. That's still an excellent bargain at $2.08 per bra, so I went ahead and bought them immediately, so three more are on the way.

Some thoughts on buying lingerie from thrift stores and online auctions:

Don't buy used if you can avoid that. Yes, everything can be laundered, but it's better to go for new with tags.

Buy in person if possible so you can see the condition and read the tags. The only reason I was willing to bid online for my bras is that I can usually tell what's going to fit me even from a pic, and the very low price.

Launder your thrifted lingerie before you try it on. Even pieces that are new with tags could have been worn by someone before they got to you.

Finally, for any lingerie in any condition, always check how much it would cost you to buy them new before you thrift. You don't want to pay more to thrift what you would spend for something new at the store. That's a no-brainer. :)

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