Sales I Actually Shop as Someone Who Buys Mostly Secondhand

Navigating BFCM shopping as a sale-skeptic and secondhand obsessive

Nov 28, 2025

Happy Friday! I hope you had a restful and delicious day yesterday. I rocked the Thanksgiving Sweater as promised and have an insane amount of pumpkin pie in my fridge.

Now onto today’s pressing topic…

Black Friday just doesn’t hit like it used to.

The sales aren’t so much doorbuster as they are gentle whispers of a discount. And as someone who shops secondhand as much as possible, the tornado of marketing emails and digital sale banners and targeted ads just feel mostly icky.

So, I treat BFCM as an opportunity to get discounts on things I’m already going to buy. Whether it be a restock of a practical item for me or a pre-planned gift for a loved one, I feel best about sale-shopping when nothing is impulsive.

I’ve compiled sales I find worthwhile because the products are practical, not secondhand-able, and long-time tested to ensure purchases feel thoroughly vetted.

Negative Underwear

Sale: 15% off

My #1 bra of all time is the Negative Whipped Whipped Non-Wire Bra. They achieved a miracle with this thing: supportive enough for D cups but comfortable enough to sleep in. I own six colors and wear one every day.

Thriftbooks

Sale: Free shipping on $15 purchases

(“Free shipping” normally feels like such a fake sale, but with only a $15 minimum, it makes a big impact on the order percentage wise. I especially love that this sale is still secondhand.)

I think everyone on your gift list deserves a book. You can grab a Like New edition of “The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook” for only $11.59, add a $4.59 copy of “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” to the cart, and you’ve knocked out presents for your loud aunt and introverted teen cousin with free shipping.

Dieux

Sale: 20% off everything, 30% off sets

This set is exactly what I’d gift a beauty guru in my life. Dieux is like your skincare’s favorite skincare, and this moisturizer + serum combo is a perfect luxurious intro to what is sure to be their new favorite brand.

Loop Earplugs

Sale: Up to 25% off

I just bought these sleep-specific earplugs. My radiator has been actively plotting against me each night, clicking away at random intervals, driving me to the point of insanity with torturous repetition. I tried cheap foam earplugs from the drugstore, but they 1. didn’t work well and 2. were actively painful. All my hope lies in Loop now.

Gap

Sale: 50% off, use code FRIDAY for an extra 10% off

I loooooove Gap 100% cotton boxers. I sleep in them every night, and I wear them until they’re threadbare. Recently, a pair of boxers I’d had for 10 years ripped right down the middle while I was sleeping, if that gives you any insight into my dedication to pajama sustainability. Gave a new meaning to the phrase “ass crack of dawn.”

Fur

Sponsored mention!

Sale: 30% off

I’ve raved about Fur’s body oil before — it’s one of the best smelling products on the planet. I love it especially during the dry months as an extra layer of moisture underneath a thick body cream. My partner and I are also very into the Ingrown Eliminator Serum, and if I were in charge of stockings for anyone with facial hair, I’d be sticking at least one bottle in with the candy and socks.

Hero Cosmetics

Sale: 20% off

I’ve tried a hundred different brands of pimple patches, and Hero Cosmetics makes the best ones by far. I buy the surface patches and cut them into smaller, zit-sized squares — customizable per breakout and incredibly cost effective.

Nodpod

Sale: 30% off

lowkey chic

I can’t live without the Nodpod sleeping mask. It’s like a weighted blanket for your eyes (their clever line not mine) and it’s my emotional support sleep accessory at this point. I own two and I bring one with my everywhere I travel.

Glossier

Sale: 25% off

I’m so loyal to Glossier’s mascara. It creates a perfect natural-looking lash that doesn’t smudge but still comes off easily with water at the end of the day. I always take advantage of this sale to buy a new tube.

To gift: The original You is one of my all-time favorite perfumes. If I could I’d gift a personalized bottle to everyone I love. And Balm Dotcom is an elite gift for tweens that checks all the boxes: not-makeup that feels like makeup, cool “adult” brand, all in deliciously sweet scents. It’s a guaranteed hit.

Last but certainly not least…

Yeehawt is on sale!

Now through Christmas, upgrade or gift a subscription for only $30/year with this link. Not only is this 50% off the regular monthly price, you’ll be grandfathered in at that yearly price forever. The gift that keeps on giving.

The paid tier will be increasing in price in the new year (with sooo much more good stuff on the horizon), so grab one before it goes up or send to a friend who loves vintage and secondhand as much as you do.