Savi – Op Shop Finder

Op shopping is part treasure hunt, part strategy. Whether you’re searching for something to resell, building a sustainable wardrobe, or just love a bargain, a few smart habits can turbo charge your success rate.

Here are some tried-and-true tips to help you take thrifting to the next level.

Wandering aimlessly is fun — but planning wins the goods every time.

1. Shop Hotspots, Not Single Stores

One op shop can be hit-or-miss. Three or more within walking distance? That’s where the magic happens.

Look for:

• multiple op shops close together
• onsite or nearby cafés or food spots
• onsite or nearby toilets (trust us — underrated)

Don’t let hunger, or needing to use the loo, cut your op shopping trip short. Shopping hotspots means you can browse longer, take breaks, and compare finds across stores

2. Know Your Style

Walking into an op shop without a clear sense of your personal style can be overwhelming—and that’s how impulse buys sneak in. When you know the shapes, fabrics, and overall vibe that work best for you, it becomes much easier to scan the racks quickly and spot pieces that truly belong in your wardrobe.

It’s the difference between buying “nice” items you never wear and choosing clothes you’ll reach for again and again. When you know your style, the right pieces tend to stand out on their own.

Are you an Indie, Icon, Influencer, Nomad or Muse?

3. Shop Sales

Op shops run some of their best sales around:

• Black Friday/Cyber weekend
• The lead-up to Christmas
• End of Season: donations increase as people clear out their wardrobes and op shops try to make room for new season’s stock

Many op shops, including the larger chains, have regular colour tag sales and discount racks. Getting to know the rhythms of your local can really pay off. A quick question next time you’re at the counter will set you up for ongoing savings.

Random sale days during store anniversaries and donation overflow, or manager-run clearance days, weekend “everything must go” sales and fill-a-bag deals can be easy to miss: visit regularly, follow stores on their socials and subscribe to their email lists to catch these when they happen. Or use a tool like the Savi Op Shop Finder to get notified whenever an op shop near you is having a sale.

4. Watch What You Wear

Leave the layers and lace up boots at home. Dress with the principle of easy on, easy off in mind — nothing that needs to be pulled over your head, unbuttoned, unzipped, or wrestled with in a cramped change room.

My go-to op-shopping outfit is a fitted cami that I don’t need to take off at all when trying on tops, paired with an elastic-waist, boho-style skirt I can slip on and off with ease. Add thongs, of course (or slides, if you’re feeling fancy).

If you’re shopping for something to wear with a piece you already own, try wearing that item on the outing—it’s the easiest way to see how everything works together. And don’t forget to bring socks if you plan on trying on shoes.

5. Have a Target in Mind

Op shopping can be overwhelming if you try to “look at everything.” It’s not like walking into a carefully curated retail shop where everything is ordered by size and colour, and many pieces will work together because they share a particular “look.”

Instead, pick one focus item for the trip:

• jeans
• jackets
• dresses
• knitwear

Targeted shopping keeps you focused and cuts down the decision-making load. Plus you’re more likely to come home with something you’ll actually wear because it works with other pieces in your wardrobe. Having said that,

6. Plan your trip with the Savi App

The Savi app helps you:

• find op shop clusters and hot spots
• discover new op shops, tip shops and second-hand spots near you, especially the smaller ones others may miss
• get notified when sales are on
• plan smarter, more intentional trips

That means less driving, less guessing, and more time browsing the racks. Plan your route to take advantage of op shops having a sale and get more bang for your buck— or wait until the app notifies you about a sale happening nearby to organise your next trip.

Don’t forget the smaller op shops too—especially the church-run ones, which are often priced lower than the larger chains. It’s worth checking opening hours before you go, as they’re frequently open at irregular times rather than standard business hours. You can also find these smaller shops listed inside the Savi app.

7. Shop Out of Season

This is one of the biggest insider tips.

• Buy jackets and coats in summer
• Buy bikinis and shorts in winter

Out-of-season racks are often:

• less picked over
• discounted
• full of great basics others have skipped

You’ll find greater variety, because people are donating more of these items in preparation for the new season, and fewer people are actively looking for out of season pieces.

8. Learn to Spot Quality

Not all bargains are worth it. Your aim should be to buy less — but better.

Train your eye to check:

• fabric quality (not rippling or losing its shape)— check the care label to identify fabric type
• stitching and seams (even and tight)
• thoughtful construction (patterns matched at seams and quality lining)
• avoid fast fashion brands like Anko, Shein, Boohoo, Supre and Cheep if you’re looking for quality pieces (although in our humble opinion there’s a lot to be said for giving a fast fashion knock off a second life instead of going to landfill)
• real leather, rather than synthetics, for shoes, belts and bags.

Once you know what to look for, you’ll skim racks quickly and zero in on the good stuff.

9. Google is Your Friend

If you’re unsure of the quality of something, or curious to know what it’s worth in the wild, open Google on your phone, tap on the camera icon in the far right of the search field, point your camera at the item and take a pic of it. Underneath the photo you’ll see a heap of listings pop up for potential matches.

10. Time Your Visits

When you shop matters almost as much as where.

Best times:

• Mid-morning on weekdays
• Shortly after stock rotation days (find out when this happens at your favourite stores)
• School Holidays (parents with more time at home seize the opportunity for a clear out and donations increase)
• Fridays: for pre-weekend promos

Late afternoons and weekends are often busier and more picked through.

11. Try Everything On

Sizing varies wildly in second-hand clothing. Don’t restrict yourself to your usual size—always consider items within a size or two either side. And remember, people in a rush often put things back in the wrong place so if you have time, it’s worth a quick skim through the whole rack.

If fitting rooms are open:

• try it on
• move around
• check comfort

If you don’t have time to try something on, at least hold it up against your body—it’s quick and easy to check if the waist fits, and the arm/leg length. There’s no point paying for something that’s going straight back to the op shop the following week.

12. Make a Wish List

Keep a running note on your phone of the items you’re actively looking for—whether for yourself or as gifts for others. A quick glance at the list as you walk through the door helps refresh your memory and keeps your focus sharp while you browse.

It’s also smart to store your key measurements in the same note. You can quickly check them against a brand’s sizing chart, or use Google Image Search to track down the exact item and confirm its measurements before committing.

13. Speed Shopping

Seasoned op shoppers who are pushed for time rely on speed-shopping techniques. Try skimming the racks—running your hand lightly over the clothes to pick up on the feel of silk or other quality fabrics before really looking. Over time you can get surprisingly good at this. Remember to touch test first, inspect second.Weight and texture often reveal quality faster than your eyes.

Some shoppers use visual skimming instead, scanning quickly for colours, patterns, or textures that jump out, and only pulling those pieces out for a closer look. Be size blind at first—sizing is wildly inconsistent in op shops, and it’s better to check the fit only after something has caught your eye.

Speed shopping is about instinct. Try the hanger flick: push hangers aside quickly and pause only when something interrupts your rhythm—your eye usually knows before your brain does. If a piece makes you stop, it’s worth a second look. If you’re already trying to talk yourself into it, move on.

14. Learn to Go Home Empty Handed

Spending hours shopping and coming home with nothing can feel disappointing—but it’s far better than buying something that will lurk in your wardrobe, unworn and unloved, when it could be working hard for someone else. Set a higher bar for what earns a place in your closet. If it isn’t right for you, leave it behind for someone who will truly love it.

When a piece of clothing needs to be worn at least 30 times to be considered sustainable, there’s simply no space in your life for anything you won’t reach for again and again.

15. Be Open Minded

There’s a lot to be said for staying open to finding a hidden gem you didn’t even know you were looking for—that’s part of the magic of op shopping. Sometimes an item will leap out at you, practically demanding to come home. Other times, you’ll spend all night thinking about it, counting down until the shop opens the next day so you can pop back in and get it.

As Lynette Carcassonne from South Australia—who’s been op shopping for over 30 years—puts it: “Do not approach the op shop with a preconceived idea of what you ‘need.’ The op shop will tell you what you need.”

Op shops are also the perfect place to experiment with new styles. Because items are cheaper than buying new, you can take a chance—and if something turns out not to be you, it can make its way back to the racks for someone else to discover.

16. Treat Op Shopping Like a Skill

Practice makes perfect: the more you go, the better you’ll get!

Regular op shopping helps you:

• learn which stores suit your style
• recognise restock and discount patterns
• build instincts for quality

Not every trip, or every piece of clothing, will be a win — but that’s part of the fun!

Shop Smarter with Savi

Op shopping like a pro isn’t about luck. The best op shoppers know which stores to prioritise, when to visit, and what suits them—and when you have that information, op shopping feels easier, faster, and far more rewarding.

There’s an easier way to approach your next op-shop run—without losing the joy of discovery.