A woman might have thought she hit the jackpot when she thrifted a designer purse for less than $50, but what she found inside was even more of a surprise.
Ashley Forst, 26, bought the striped Kate Spade purse at the annual auction that’s held in her town every summer. Forst, of Seattle, Washington, explained that locals bring items that they no longer want or need so they might find a new home, telling Newsweek that it’s “the event of the year.”
The handbag instantly caught her attention at the auction, and she knew straight away that she had to get it. Although she doesn’t recall exactly how much she paid for it, the bag definitely cost less than $50, which she thought was such a steal.
“I started drooling and knew I had to have it. I love fun little pops of color in my wardrobe, and I knew this would be a great addition. I especially loved the style of the bag and how roomy it was,” Forst said.
“The condition was like new, as if the previous owner maybe wore it less than a handful of times, if any.”
@ashleynikkolex / TikTok
As it turned out, finding the bag wasn’t the only surprise, because Forst made a shock discovery a month later. There appeared to be some cash hidden in a zipped pocket inside, but it wasn’t just a couple of dollar bills—it was $350.
Forst continued: “I wanted to place my keys and AirPods in one of the pockets inside the bag, so they were easily accessible, and then I realized there was another zipped pocket. I opened it and boom: $50.
“Then I saw there was something else folded up and it was an envelope. I opened it and saw a couple of bills, but thought maybe they were like ones or fives, maybe tens if I was lucky. So, I pulled the bills out one by one, $100, another $100, and another. I counted it all probably five times because I was in such utter disbelief that it totaled $350.”
Thrifting has always been a beloved hobby for Forst, but this experience was completely new to her. She told Newsweek that she was “actually shaking” when she counted all the money, and it’s certainly an experience she will never forget.
Once the shock wore off, she realized that the bag’s previous owner may not have known about the money hidden inside, or perhaps intended to donate that as well as the bag.
“I did attempt to find the previous owner to no avail,” she continued. “I am grateful to have found the money and to have thrifted a designer purse for a steal of a price. It definitely holds a strong memory for me whenever I wear it.”
Indeed, she used some of the money to pay off her outstanding bills, and donated $100 to charity.
How Did TikTok React?
Forst shared a video on TikTok (@ashleynikkolex) encouraging people to “always check the pockets” of anything they thrift because there’s no telling what could be inside. The video went viral with 180,400 views and more than 11,800 likes at the time of writing.
Forst was amazed by the reaction to the video online, and she never expected the story to go viral.
“Who knew finding buried treasure would be so polarizing. It truly is an insane story, I admit. Other responses have been telling me I’m lucky and have received good karma, while others have shared what they’ve found when thrifting. Either way, I had no idea this video would perform as well as it did,” Forst said.
“Thrifting is one of my favorite hobbies, and I’ve been doing it since I was a kid. I hope that through sharing my thrift content, this inspires others to shop second-hand because you never know what you may find. My thrifted pieces are usually my favorite because they’re unique and it took me more time to find them.”
With over 360 comments on Forst’s video, many people were delighted for her, and some even shared their own stories of thrifting discoveries.
One comment reads: “I thought the $5 I found in jacket pocket was awesome but this is even better.”
Another TikTok user wrote: “ALWAYS CHECK! I found jewelry in a coat pocket once when I got it home!”
While another person added: “I found $100 in a book once while thrifting!”
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