So for those of you New Yorkers out there, you may be saying COBBLE HILL??? There is no Buffalo Exchange there! But there is! It opened for business Saturday March 31st and I was very excited to go there! It is a gorgeous store!!!
BUFFALO EXCHANGE
Boerum Hill
109 Boerum Place
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 403-0490
Location: off Smith St and Atlantic Ave, Bergen St stop on the F and G trains
Now for those of you not familliar with Buffalo Exchange or Beacons Closet they are a consignment/thrift store hybrid. Bring in your former favorites for trade or cash on the spot! You take your clothing to a buyer in the corner of the store, they price it on the spot (if they want it!) and you get either 50% of the value as credit to shop the store, or you get 30% in cash. You dont have to decide right then. They put the credit in your account (make sure you bring photo id) and as you leave the store you check out. You can get some credit and some cash, all credit, all cash, or leave it in your account and decide at a later date. It doesn't expire.
Now I wanted to take pictures of the inside, but the employees were not going to have any of that. I went on Monday April 2nd, so just the third day it was opened. I had Matt & Nat bags, new with tags James Pearse, and more. I was sure it would be a breeze to sell. NOPE! Think twice. I dont know WHAT this store is about, but it was not a pleasant experience. They did not want my Gucci, Prada or Juicy Couture sunglasses (all new) as they were unsure how well they would sell. The only thing they wanted of mine was the James Pearse skirt and they were going to price it at 14.00! Meaning I would get half of that in credit, or 30% cash. NO THANK YOU! Everything else was a no. They kept saying they didnt know how it would sell.
I took a look around the store and a few coach bags were over priced and they really had nothing else of any quality. It was a big disappointment. I went to the Williamsburg location on my way home and they took EVERYTHING minus one of the three Mat & Nat bags. They said it was hard to sell bags with shorter straps. But I left the store with ninety something dollars and if I wanted store credit would have had about 160.00.
It is quite possible that as the store gets comfortable and they gain experience they will adjust but I honestly found the buyer rude, snotty, and condescending. I try to hit all the stores when I am in NYC but I really have no urge to go back to this location ever again! But who knows. Maybe a second chance a year from now will be worthwhile!
I have a hard time with the Buffalo Exchange in my town. The stores are clean and organized, and I've found great pieces before, but they're SO. RUDE. when I try to sell stuff. I once brought in a bag of clothes to sell, a mix of skirts and dresses and tops. The buyer glanced at the bag, didn't even open it, and refused to buy any of it without looking at individual pieces. They also spoke down to me another time because I brought in sweaters instead of t-shirts, which they were, apparently, looking for. I feel like they're just so hit-or-miss.
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