The Best Op Shops In Auckland Where You Can Find Second-Hand Gold
Alice Rich
Contributor & Former Editor | Urban List NZ
A twenty dollar bill goes a long way in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland op shops: it puts money back into the community's pockets, reduces waste, and gives you bragging rights because—oh, these? They were seven dollars. Besides, when you're feeling the pinch (let's not talk about the cost of living), opshopping is the gold standard. Sequin-studded, even.
So, when you're feeling the urge to flick through racks and bargain boxes, here's Urban List's pick of the best op shops in Auckland the next time you find $20 in your pocket.
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Jump to:
- The Best Op Shops In Central Auckland
- The Best Op Shops In West Auckland
- The Best Op Shops In South Auckland
- The Best Op Shops In East Auckland
- The Best Op Shops On The North Shore
- Vintage And Curated Second-Hand Stores
The Best Op Shops in Central Auckland
Mercy Hospice Shop Ponsonby
346 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby, Auckland
Image Credit: Mercy Hospice Ponsonby | Website
Ponsonby’s Mercy Hospice is absolutely worth a pre or post-Hotel Ponsonby Sunday session rummage. Frankly, it’ll be less of a rummage (merchandising here is not that of your average op shop) and more of a treasure spotting of tightly edited designer finds. This includes (from our extensive research and patronage) one of the best selections of footwear in Auckland.
Insider Intel:
- Shopped up a storm and in need of a refuel? Pop across the road to T_Art Patisserie for one of the prettiest floral-shaped tarts in all the land (and it just happens to be gluten-free, too).
The Charity Corner
1484 Dominion Road, Mt Roskill, Auckland
Image Credit: The Charity Corner | Facebook
More than supporting people with Fatigue Syndrome & Fibromyalgia to live their best lives, The Charity Corner basically answers all of Aucklanders’ second-hand shopping prayers. There’s contemporary sustainable fashion finds, alongside extravagant gowns that scream vintage. Think sequins galore and statement shoulder pads. For something more down to earth, it’s worth noting their electrical appliance section is slick.
Insider Intel:
- These folks are ultra-active on Facebook and open to purchases being made over the phone—ethical shopping has never been easier.
SaveMart
30 College Road Northcote, 21 Veronica Street New Lynn,
295 Church Street Onehunga, 290 Roscommon Road Clendon Park, Auckland
Got some time up your second-hand sleeve? SaveMart is your warehouse wonderland. Think threads for all occasions: chill, fancy, workout, corporate, the enigma that is ‘smart casual’, even wedding attire. There’s always a solid assortment of shoes and bags, and an impressive range of clothing for kids too. Most pieces are around the seven-dollar mark, with designer labels pricing a little higher.
Insider Intel:
- SaveMart's collections are vast so it's best to stop by after a meal, when energy levels are at their peak.
Paper Bag Princess
202 Karangahape Road, Auckland CBD
Image credit: Paper Bag Princess | Facebook
Paper Bag Princess is one of those Auckland thrift stores that just has a charm to it. Glittery dresses, a statement tee, quirky vintage throwback, a fine pair of trousers, Paper Bag Princess will have you covered—minimal fossick and fuss needed (though the teeming 50% off room will command a touch more elbow grease).
Insider Intel:
- The staff are lovely too and are at-the-ready with great styling advice should you need a discerning eye.
SPCA Mt Albert Op Shop
923-927 New North Road, Mount Albert, Auckland
It’s a true pick-and-mix at Mt Albert’s SPCA store. Sharp blazers, sparkling saris, and costumes in surprisingly good nick all swirl about on a floor that’s mostly dedicated to clothing. Speaking of sweeping, the entire windowface displays all sorts of glassware, crockery and home trinkets—perfect for eyeing up martini glasses in rush hour traffic (true story.)
Insider Intel:
- This store gets massive brownie points for being one of the only ones open Sundays.
Good Stuff
127 Symonds Street, Eden Terrace, Auckland
Image credit: Good Stuff | Instagram
Preloved, vintage, and designer fashion await you at Good Stuff. Better still, 100% of sales are donated to The Auckland City Mission—Te Tāpui Atawhai which supports people through homelessness, hunger and getting access to healthcare. Shop here for neat threads with a side of warm fuzzies.
Insider Intel:
- Got some spare time up your sleeve? These folks are always on the lookout for volunteers to help out in-store.
Salvation Army Family Store
652 Dominion Road Balmoral, 310 Onehunga Mall Road Onehunga, 691 Mt Albert Road Royal Oak
A purchase at the Sallies helps to kick poverty to the curb and end social and spiritual distress for people in need so you can feel pretty happy about snagging that rad onesie. While there are stores dotted all over Auckland we love the variety of clothing at the Royal Oak, Onehunga and Balmoral stores.
Insider Intel:
- The Sallies' Balmoral location is a go-to for great shoes.
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The Best Op Shops in West Auckland
GoJo Recycled Clothing
1/1 Riverbank Road, New Lynn, Auckland
Image credit: GoJo Recycled Clothing | Instagram
You know that the thrift store is bound to be good when an owner describes a garment as “a deceptively regal dress,” so says Go Jo’s owner Jo Bratton, before adding in some historical tidbits. Sure, $20 won’t land you with a mountain of clothes, but golly gosh, these prices are affordable and the selection of genuinely vintage fashion will blow your mind.
Insider Intel:
- Thrifting through the racks is a sequin-studded, unofficial museum tour through Aotearoa’s fashion production history. The secrets these tags hold, we tell you.
New Lynn Hospice Store
17 Delta Avenue, New Lynn, Auckland
Plug yourself in, blast some metal, put your head down, get trawling. You’re going to walk out of New Lynn Hospice Store with something fab in hand. Pricing is fairly simple here: a blackboard spells out blanket prices for all categories of clothes and shoes (a whole wall of them, mind you). And books are mostly a flat dollar or two—and all colour coded. Frankly, it’s one of the few thrift stores in Auckland where a crisp $5 will land you a stack of new reads. Truth be told, we considered gatekeeping this one.
Insider Intel:
- Flair is Hospice West Auckland's schmick online and brick-and-mortar store in Westgate and is just as worthy of a peruse.
The Best Op Shops in South Auckland
Papatoetoe Family Store
308 Great South Road, Papatoetoe, Auckland
Image credit: Papatoetoe Salvation Army Family Store | Facebook
This second-hand shop—one of Auckland’s most loved—is all kinds of wholesome. We rate the Papatoetoe Salvation Army Family Store for having one of the best selections of vintage clothing patterns, alongside plenty of existing pieces of clothing, should you sidestep the needle and thread.
Insider Intel:
- Heading into your first big kid job? There’s collared shirts and blazers lined up for the occasion (and a few dollars) here.
Vinnies Tāmaki Makaurau
32 Coronation Road, Māngere Bridge, Auckland
Image credit: Society of St Vincent de Paul in New Zealand | Facebook
The members and volunteers at Vinnies (formally St Vincent de Paul Society) work hard to promote human dignity and personal integrity. You can make a difference, too, with your small change. Their Māngere Bridge store gets a thumbs up from us for the great store layout. It’s cosy, not cramped, with great bargains to be had.
Insider Intel:
- Op shopping is just the tip of the iceberg for Vinnies, which also tackles community food security, financial capability, emergency housing and family well-being.
The Best Op Shops in East Auckland
Remuera Mercy Hospice Shop
1/320 Remuera Road, Remuera
Image credit: Tamsin Robb | Google
Second-hand shop or department store? You be the judge. Glossy counters, sky-high designer bag displays, and the floor-space-to-display-rack ratio you only find in luxury boutiques—it’s no wonder the Remuera Mercy Hospice Shop is one of the best op shops in Auckland. Considering it's smack bang in the middle of Remuera, the chances of encountering designer bargains are at an all time high. We’ve seen everything from Chanel to Karen Walker, fine jewellery to silk ties galore here.
Insider Intel:
- Feeling peckish? Pop across the road and down a lane and you'll find Pie & Pinot.
SPCA Op Shop
217 Onehunga Mall, Onehunga, Auckland
The SPCA Op Shop lets you enjoy all the wonders of op shopping with the added bonus of helping some furry critters. Their Onehunga store is a cute one with great bric-a-brac for all those who love to rummage and friendly staff. Score a neat jumper with a side of warm fuzzies.
Insider Intel:
- A successful op shopping spree demands celebration (because let's be real, you've now got cash to splash) and you ought to take it straight to Mr. T's Baked Goods & Eatery which just so happens to be a one minute walk away.
Dove Hospice Mega Store
185 Apirana Avenue, Glen Innes, Auckland
Image credit: Dove Hospice Mega Store | Facebook
Love op shopping but find yourself fighting the urge to reorganise the store? The coloured dot pricing system and delightfully logical layout at Dove Hospice Mega Store will make you weak at the knees. Did we mention proceeds go towards supporting people affected by life-threatening illnesses?
Insider Intel:
- Highlights from our last visit include their enviable crockery range, a partially stained minion onesie and a pair of what we could only assume were sushi shop uniforms.
Habitat Op Shop Panmure
131 Pilkington Road, Panmure, Auckland
More than a mere thrift store, Habitat for Humanity’s Panmure warehouse is almost a spiritual journey: a visualisation of your more creative, together self, as you wander through vignettes filled with furniture, art pieces, trinkets and plenty of clothing.
Insider Intel:
- Keep an eye out around Christmas and other holidays, they usually put out a cornucopia of colourful, themed knicknacks for the occasion.
The Best Op Shops On Auckland's North Shore
Henrietta's Preloved Clothing
72 Commercial Road, Parakai, Auckland
Image Credit: Herietta’s Preloved Clothing | Facebook
No, you aren’t in a fever dream—those bralettes and vintage swimsuits swirling above you at Herietta’s Preloved Clothing are all part of the fun. As is resident cat, Little Un, who owner (of said cat and store) Henrietta Nisbet-Smith warns of with “do not believe that oh so innocent expression, she’s far from it!” But let’s be real, we all need a naughty devil on our shoulder when we’re umming and ah-ing over a pretty vintage dress (which you’ll no doubt find here).
Insider Intel:
- Check their Facebook page for opening days and hours.
SPCA Devonport Op Shop
45 Victoria Road, Devonport, Auckland
If you needed another reason to saunter about Devonport’s picturesque stores, let SPCA's Devonport Op Shop be it. As far as opshops in Auckland go, this one nails the basics—beautifully. There’s equal parts homeware, clothes, books and jewellery on their shelves, and all are in perfect nick.
Insider Intel:
- Vintage shopping finds secured, we vote you celebrate with a wine at Vic Road Wine Bar.
Second Avenue
55 Hurstmere Road, Takapuna, Auckland
Image Credit: Second Avenue | Facebook
Second Avenue hits a double home run. Firstly, it’s one of Auckland’s best places to consign your clothes for cash. Secondly, they double-dose their vintage finds by adding handpicked second-hand clothes to the mix. And trust us, they have excellent taste—finding everything from chic Aje activewear to Dior slides that look like they’re straight our of Samantha Jones’ wardrobe. “Our mission is to reduce the build up of textile waste while offering our customers high-quality unique fashion at affordable prices,” notes the team. Well, Second Avenue *checks scorecard,* you pass with flying colours.
Insider Intel:
- Consigned clothes have a selling schedule of eight weeks where prices are reduced by 50% after five weeks.
Vintage And Curated Second-Hand Stores
Crushes
235 Karangahape Road, Newton, Auckland & Online
Image credit: Crushes | website
Ok, so Crushes isn't exactly a second-hand store. A better description would be a treasure trove of New Zealand made pieces and slow fashion. But they also know a thing or two about vintage and it's for that reason they've made this list. Sign up to their vintage + slow fashion mailer to get first peep at their fortnightly online drops.
Insider Intel:
- Crushes is super active in the community, churning out their very own Crushes Social club events every month. At a glance: clothes swaps, DIY embossed journals, market days and jewellery workshops.
Recycle Boutique
9 Darby Street, Auckland CBD & 35 Teed Street, Newmarket, Auckland & Online
Image Credit: Recycle Boutique | Facebook
This consignment-based recycle store (well, stores, they’re dotted around the nation, after all) are great if you’re looking to on-sell your pre-loved designer pieces or vintage treasures. Threads, accessories, shoes—Recycle Boutique takes them all, so long as the preloved items are in good nick. And lucky you, you get a cut of the cash when it sells—or the choice of donating them if they don’t.
Insider Intel:
- Recycle Boutique's donation program has recycled approximately 350,000 clothing items each year since it was launched in 2021 which has enabled the brand to donate $130k to KidsCan and Trees That Count.
The Guru Knows
1 Alice Avenue, Orewa
Image credit: The Guru Knows | Instagram
Bundle into the car and take a road trip to Orewa Beach and take a gander at what's on The Guru Knows' ever-changing (and ever-eclectic) clothing racks. Vintage, glitter, neutrals—any of these, and more, could be waiting for you, along with a curation of goods, accessories, homeware and New Zealand-made. Plus, you can swap your own preloved threads for cash, too.
Insider Intel:
-
Second-hand finds aren't the only reason to make the trip up north either, The Guru Knows regularly runs craft events and workshops, plus has a clubhouse that's bookable for events and gatherings of your own.
Tatty's
New North Road, Ponsonby Road & High Street
Image Credit: Tatty's | Facebook
Death, taxes, an outdoor table at SPQR (RIP), a French bulldog on a leash, and a snoop through Tatty’s—it’s the inevitabilities of a moment on Ponsonby Road. Step through the mint facade of 161 Ponsonby Road and into Auckland’s sustainable fashion utopia. You’ll find racks of meticulously ordered clothes and the best cabinet of second-hand accessories in the city.
Insider Intel:
- If disorganised spaces trigger your Type A, you'll be utterly soothed by Tatty's smooth operation.
Little Tatty's
78 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby
Image Credit: Tatty's | Facebook
Closer to the Karangahape Road end of Ponsonby Road, Little Tatty’s is the true definition of a pocket rocket. Curated selection, slightly higher price tags. You’d be forgiven for thinking you’re in an Antwerpian concept store: but a quick peep of Rick Owens hanging (on perfectly spaced-out racks) next to an army of Trelise Cooper jackets confirms that, yes, you’re in Auckland op shop territory.
Insider Intel:
- Eden Noodles Bar is practically right next door. It'd be rude not to stop by for a round of dumplings afterwards.
Central Flea Market
170 Balmoral Road
Image Credit: Central Flea, of Bad News Vintage | Facebook
A veritable grand-dame of Auckland’s second-hand market scene, Central Flea Market is quite simply unrivalled. We’re like a proud aunt watching the stalls sprawl, the crowds grow, and the thrifty trinkets multiply since Junk and Disorderly kicked it off a good five plus years ago. They’re on every Sunday morning in Summer, switching to fortnightly in Winter. Just about half of the stalls are vintage clothing—Auckland’s lesser-known curators among them.
Insider Intel:
- We’ve found everything from $20 Dries Van Noten ballet flats to brass lint brush straight outta the 80s here. True story.
Fashion Sister
Multiple venues
Image Credit: Fashion Sister | Facebook
Roll that $20 bill back up (save it for a post trawl feed) because Gattung Foundations’ clothes swaps are cash-free, social, thrifting affairs. Your tickets are your clean, high-quality second-hand threads, which are yours to swap over banter and drinks with other fashion girlies. Anything left over goes to the Fashion Sister's pop up model—a double whammy on circular fashion, if we ever saw one.
Insider Intel:
- Refresh this page right here regularly for intel on Auckland and nation-wide vintage fashion swaps.
Bonnie Clothing Swap
Multiple venues
Image Credit: Bonnie Clothing Swap | Instagram
It’s all in the name really. Get the warm fuzzy feeling of seeing your pre-loved clothes go home with a new friend at Bonnie Clothing Swap, who host seasonal north-west-ish Auckland second-hand cloth swaps. Your job? Nab a coveted ticket, bring 4-8 pieces, snoop around the packed racks and mini market stalls of some of Auckland’s most fabulous businesses.
Insider Intel:
- Leftover clothing is donated to women's support charities.
Looking for more shopping inspo? Check out:
- All The Markets To Hit This (And Every) Weekend
- The Best Workshops For Upskilling & Self-Devo
- Great Auckland Walks To Take At Least Once
Image credit: Tatty's | Facebook
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