A THRIFTY bargain hunter hit the car boot jackpot when she scored a genuine designer coat worth a whopping amount for less than a quid.
Becky Chorlton couldn’t believe her luck when she spotted the navy Barracuta trench coat tucked among a stall packed with £1 clothes.
The vintage clothing seller had been browsing the car boot with her mum when she noticed the coat hidden in a bin with other bargains.
The 29-year-old spotted the jacket among the piles of trainers, sweatshirts and jeans and knew she couldn’t leave it behind.
Incredibly, the stallholder let the designer coat go for just 70p – a tiny fraction of its £650 retail price, as reported by What’s The Jam.
By the time she left, Becky, from Cheshire, had filled a giant bin bag with clothes for just seven pounds, but the coat was the crown jewel of the haul.
And after getting home, she realised just how lucky she’d been.
The Barracuta trench coat is a genuine designer piece, and similar preloved versions sell for hundreds online – making her find a serious steal.
Other epic finds in the sale included a Timberland men’s sweatshirt that’s going for £30 online, a navy Adidas sweatshirt that retails for just under £32, as well as a vintage white T-shirt that would usually set you back £22.50 on eBay.
While some of the cut-price goodies came stained, Becky didn’t seem to be too fussed about the dirty marks, as the TikToker chuckled she was ”a pro at stain removal”.
Becky shared her incredible find on TikTok, and the video quickly took the internet by storm, racking up 109,000 views.
Fans flooded the comments, asking if the navy trench coat was still available, praising her thrifting skills, and gushing over the haul.
“Love a good car boot sale, and charity shop hunt,” one user wrote.
Another added: “Wow, amazing finds! I’d have a field day there.”
A third chimed in with their own epic find, sharing: ”I got a coat for 50p, it’s nearly £200 online.”
Becky previously told us how she turned a lifelong passion for second-hand clothes into a thrifting empire in just a few years.
The 29-year-old started by selling pieces from her own wardrobe on second-hand clothing platforms Depop and Vinted while studying for a masters at Exeter University in 2019.
BECKY’S TIPS
- Always think: “Is this really something I’d wear myself?” Don’t expect anybody to like something you wouldn’t feel good in.
- Look out for classic labels from the Nineties and Noughties, like Jane Norman and The Sweater Shop.
- For bigger hauls, look out for charity superstore pop-ups on their social media. Oxfam, Cancer Research, Shelter and Age UK all do them.
- Retro sportswear is a good seller and is unisex.
- Dig deep into those uninviting rummage bins.
- Join car boot sale Facebook groups to get the latest updates.
- Talk to car boot sellers to find out what else they might have in storage.
- Don’t forget to take cash and plenty of your own bags to car boot sales.
- Always haggle if you’re buying more than one item.
Since then, she rakes in thousands every a month selling pre-loved goods.
She said: “As a student I had a part-time job in a shoe shop, earning around £6 an hour, but I knew I could earn more from reselling.
“I started off small, selling my own clothes online from a little rail in my bedroom. I already had so much stuff that I’d bought from charity shops and it was all worth more than what I’d paid.”
Soon she was taking home between £2,500 and £3,000 a month. She calculated she could make at least £24,000 a year from her business, the same as she would earn in a full-time graduate-entry job.
She says: “It was scary, but I wanted to work for myself full-time, doing something I absolutely love.
“It’s not just about the financial aspect. Promoting sustainability is important too.
“Some people think nothing of spending hundreds of pounds on a dress, but I feel great in my second-hand outfits and they’re always unique. A bargain outfit is like a badge of honour to me.”
With 473,000 followers on TikTok, 127,000 on Instagram and a booming business, Becky has no plans to throw in the thrifting towel.
