Wasteland — Local services in San Francisco

I don’t go there that often and when I do, I find they reject almost everything and I’m older have been in the clothing reselling business since the mid 80s. I go there as a last resort bc the staff always seem like they are doing you a favor and take their time helping the sellers and just talk among each other as tho you are waiting in a free food line.

They have a thousand reasons that you can’t prove that they say for not taking your clothes and if you go there often enough to learn what they take, they still can come up with an excuse like it doesn’t sell well for them. They seem to want new items from Balenciaga and for you to bring it to them for like 10% of what you paid.

So about 6 or 7 months ago, I brought in a rare women’s leather Claude Montana jacket in great condition from the early 80s. The buyers or senior buyers eyes lit up and said bc of the color, we can’t price it very high. So I asked what they would give me. He said well, you won’t be happy with what they would offer and he said $500. or $550. which is like $150 or $165. He said if it were black or brown, he could price ot for more. So I said go ahead and sold it.

About 2 weeks later, i brought in a black Claude Montana leather jacket from the early 80s that was CM best selling jacket. I figured since this was a 80s iconic designer and jacket, I would be getting more that $500. at their selling price. Bc it was a better CM jacket style and not dated over the other CM jacket I sold them, which happened to have sold within the 2 weeks. But the senior different buyer from the previous time said to the trainee buyer that this designer is highly collectible. But he said they would sell it for $400. I said the last time I was there and sold the Olive colored CM jacket they said they could only sell it for $400. bc of the color and this one is black. So he checked with upper management and made a call and came back saying they could sell it for $600. and that means $180. and I took it. But I was annoyed that I had to prove to them the value of the jacket and push for a better deal and they sell that jacket on eBay for $400. to $700. if you could find one.

So yesterday I decided to sell the same CM leather jacket in a rare blue from the first original collection and before CM made them for his classic label and made reasonless. As soon as o was about to take it out of the garment bag, the buyer reached to see the label. She immediately said this label does not sell. I was shocked & really didn’t even want to sell it and they’ve taken them & sold in the past. So I said are you sure bc I was t sure if that was a store policy that was changed in the last 6 months or of age didn’t recognize the designer? So I said can you ask another buyer and she said no & didn’t explain if she passed bc of the rules or bc she didn’t know the label?

So I understand they know better than I do in what they need, but going from buying one CM leather jacket for $500 to another one for $600. to no thanks and not take??? Shouldn’t vintage high end designer items go for more and alway make room for and go up in value and not diwn or unwanted???

So, it all seems to depend on the buyers &if you get a trainee, you might as well, not wasting your time and keep or donate bc their lack of knowledge on fashion history can be at your loss one way or another. Also, I dislike the fact they don’t give you a higher % for trading. Meaning they don’t even do trade. I try to stay away from stores like this and you feel you’re treated bad and if you say anything to them, they put you on the shyt list and try not to buy from you vs knowing they justice piased you off in the past.

So there is no real standard on how they buy. Meaning the same thing one day could go for this price and another price another day. So how could a highly desirable jacket go from $400. to $500. To I’ll pass and we don’t want it??? I wish they ate more consistent & not one price one day & no thank you another.

I would try to sell the clothes on my own, than to have them buy it cheap or pass...

I just purchased a Louis Vuitton belt from wasteland about 4 hours ago, thinking it was legitimate, after deciding to authenticate it, I realized that it was fake! I’m leaving a 1 star review because I expected that a store that deals high end fashion pieces should be able to spot a fake. After a close examination of the belt, it rang every bell for being a fake, it’s screws weren’t flat, it had Louis Vuitton ingraved in the back or the buckle (telltale sign of a fake) the buckle was off to the side, and the belt said made in France, when the specific model is supposed to be made in Spain. But at the time in the store i didn’t know what to look for, and being in a store that deals with high end fashion regularly I expected them to have at least taken a few moments to authenticate the belt before throwing on a price tag, and not a cheap one either.

Anyway there’s that, it’s also a little bit pricey, which I guess is expected, and some of the employees are rather rude otherwise they do have some cool stuff, but make sure to authenticate whatever you plan on purchasing ...

9/10 Would Recommend- Large selection, unique clothes, pricey

Overall, Wasteland is my favorite thrift clothing store in San Francisco. I’ve found some of my favorite articles of clothing here - leather jackets for $40, All Saints jeans for under $40, countless t shirts and much more.

That said, this isn’t the place to come for cheap clothes. You can expect to spend as much or more shopping here as you would at H&M or Urban Outfitters, BUT the clothing choices are much better in my opinion. You’ll have to sift, but often times there are more unique options and designer labels hiding among the racks.

They have a wide range of clothes for guys and girls. They also carry a lot of marked down designer clothes. I picked up a Comme des garçons shirt a month ago for $70.

The staff is usually friendly and helpful, and while I always leave in awe of how much money I spent, the clothes I buy always get a lot of good use. I send all of my...