Anyone who knows me knows that I am a thrift shopping aficionado. To me, there’s nothing better than waking up on a Saturday morning and hitting half-off days at the Salvation Army. But as much as I love rifling through racks of clothing and shelves of homewares, you can’t always find what you’re looking for in your local store. 

Old meets new

The online vintage shopping world has everything you could imagine and more. Shopping for vintage online makes you feel like a kid in a candy store. But, of course, the experience is far from the same—and so are the prices. What would cost you a dollar at your local Goodwill might cost you $50 (plus shipping!) on places like Ebay or Etsy.

Email marketing = bargaining power

But as any seasoned bargain hunter knows, patience really is a virtue. On marketplaces like Ebay and Etsy that cater to vintage shoppers, favoriting an item or adding it to your cart all but guarantees that the seller will take notice and offer you an item discount or a shop coupon. (On places like Ebay, you can even counteroffer!) Since places like Ebay and Etsy already have your email and your consent, sellers are able to use email marketing to sneak into your inbox and try to move you down the sales funnel and into a purchase.

Savvy shoppers, strategic sellers

With the advent of email filters and folders, this practice isn’t even close to a nuisance. I have my email set up in such a way that all of these emails end up in my promotions folder. Far from meaning that I never see these emails, this practice allows me to have power over when I see marketing and promotional emails and in what context. It has not only allowed sellers to have a way to provide real monetary value to their customers in the form of discounts, but it allows stores operating inside of these marketplaces to have an easy, built-in way to promote their items to customers. 

There is no doubt that email marketing is alive and well, and has continued to evolve over time on par with other flashier digital marketing practices. These new email marketing practices have allowed both sellers and consumers alike to become savvier and more strategic in the way they exist within the digital marketplace. So the next time you’re about to hit “Buy Now,” do a little waiting, check your email promotions tab, and see how close to thrift store prices you can really get.

LET’S CHAT

Have you ever used this “leave in cart” trick to get a discount emailed to you?