BIN Bundle

Last week I decided to use the buy it now option to purchase this yarn and floss lot at the online thrift auction for $19.95 several reasons. Primarily it has yarn I need for some upcoming projects, including a hard to find Bernat yarn. That used up the rest of my thrift budget for April and a few bucks more, but I wasn't trying not to spend this month. I'm going out thrifting this weekend, too, so I expect to spend again. I'll just have to tough it out. :)

I had a very good feeling about this lot, and not just because I got it for a very decent price. I've already thrifted one skein of that black/gray/white striped Bernat blanket yarn, and it retails for $14.99. As for the rest, it looked to me as if it was definitely worth $5.00 per skein resale, or $119.99. I counted 22 skeins of yarn in the listing pic for this bundle (it's a pile, so I knew there might be more), and that made the price I paid break down to about ninety-one cents per skein.

In contrast, the cheapest yarn I saw at Michaels last week was a basic, nothing special acrylic at $3.99 per skein. Buying 22 skeins at that new retail price would have cost me $93.93 with tax.

The box with the yarn and floss lot shipped almost instantly and just arrived, so let's take a look.

I have to say that when I opened the box and saw the skein of yellow Bernat Giggles on top I laughed and wondered if it was a bad omen (you may remember I had a very tough time with that yarn when I was making the Iris throw.) But I think it's instead become my lucky charm, because the lot turned out to be absolutely superb.

There are actually thirty skeins of yarn, all with labels, and mostly in new/unused condition. Here you can see everything that came in the lot.

The most expensive is a still-bagged unused mega skein of Lion Brand "I want to make a blankie" yarn in Pearl Grey at the top left there. The skein weighs 28 oz. (that's 1-3/4 lbs.) and contains 437 yards of Super Bulky polyester yarn, which I think everyone will agree is unbelievably huge. This one cake makes a blanket. Just one cake. That's probably why it retailed for $34.99. It has also been discontinued, so it will be worth more in the future. I am absolutely making a blankie with it. :)

Other notable yarns in this pic: the black/gray/white Bernat blanket yarn that retails for $14.99. I already have another skein of it that I thrifted from a brick and mortar, so I'm delighted to add it to my stash. I've never tried the Premier Parfait XL, but I've heard a lot about it (not all good) so that might be up for a thrifty crochet test. I'm delighted that the lot came with lots of Red Heart yarn, most in colors I've never tried.

The lot also includes a skein of Mandala Baby in Echo Caves (what a poetic name for this color), a variety I've never tried; some Homespun (also discontinued) in a gorgeous shade called Seafoam (I have the perfect project for this!), and some Red Heart Unforgettable roving-type yarn in beautiful artistic variegated shades of Pearly and Echo.

I loved every skein in this lot (well, not the Bernat Giggles, although it did make me chuckle.) I decided to look up the retail price on everything because all of the skeins had their labels, most have never been used, and I was just curious about the retail value, even for the discontinued lines.

Hold onto your hats, folks. When I totalled up the prices the retail value of the lot was a whopping $235.43 -- almost double what I estimated as the resale value. I paid $19.95 for the lot, or about 66 cents per skein.

This little mound of embroidery floss was included with the lot, and I'm not going to put a price on this. It's just icing on the cake.

I always go with my instincts when thrifting yarn, and they haven't let me down yet. I'm super happy, and thrilled to add this beautiful yarn to my stash.

Image credit: the first image in this post came from the original Buy It Now listing on ShopGoodwill.com.