I live in NYC, so it’s easy to find stylish, well-made things for cheap at the Goodwills and Salvation Army stores here, thought it does depend on the neighborhood. Once when I lived near a wealthy part of Manhattan, I was able to amass in a few months 10 gorgeous cashmere sweaters from the 50s & 60s, when a girl’s first cashmere sweater was a rite of passage. I’m talking four-ply. All from the Salvation Army. The most I paid for one was $8. I got a vintage 70s-era Coach bag at a Goodwill once for $10.
We also have Housing Works, which is a thrift store that helps the homeless and people with AIDS. That one’s more expensive, but their clothes are either more stylish, breathtakingly gorgeous, a one of a kind piece or of designer vintage. There’s also Beacon’s Closet for the Brooklyn hipster looking for that Jefferson Starship concert t-shirt from 1981, but it’s $90. Second-hand and vintage clothes here can cost as much as clothing from retail outlets, if it’s in a desirable style or it’s a unique piece.