Vintage, resale and consignment in Palo Alto

Palo Alto is not a thrift-store town. There is no strip of vintage clothing shops and our directory does not list a traditional thrift store inside city limits. What the city does have is a set of serious secondhand specialists. You can sell a designer bag at a resale counter, buy a signed brooch from an estate case, pick up a used first edition or bring home a vintage mandolin. Several national brands with stores here also run trade-in or resale programs that reward bringing old pieces back.

This guide groups those options by shopping area and explains how buying and selling work at each one. Every store named here has a verified listing in our directory. Programs and policies change, so treat the details as a starting point and confirm with the store.

Town & Country Village: designer resale and buyback

The oldest shopping center in town is also the main place to buy and sell secondhand clothing. Three shops here offer some form of resale or recycling.

• Fillmore & 5th: a designer resale shop for women, run by Crossroads Trading, that buys, sells and consigns clothing, shoes and bags.
• Ruti: a women's clothing boutique whose Sell Back program buys back gently used Ruti pieces for store credit.
• Marine Layer: a clothing store that promotes Re-Spun, the brand's program for turning old tees into new fabric.
• Hudson Grace: a home goods store whose range includes vintage finds alongside tableware, candles and gifts.

Shopping and selling at Fillmore & 5th

Fillmore & 5th is the sister store of Crossroads Trading. It specializes in secondhand women's designer and contemporary fashion. The store's own description puts luxury labels next to everyday basics from mall brands. Staff price each item in the store, so the racks change daily as people sell and shop. If you are hunting for something specific, visit often and ask staff to keep an eye out.

Selling follows a set routine. Bring up to 50 items, freshly laundered and without hangers. You must be 18 or older and show a valid government-issued photo ID. There are no appointments and no drop-offs, so plan to wait while staff review your items. The Crossroads Waitlist App lets you join the line from home. Accepted pieces are paid for on the spot in cash or in trade credit. Trade credit works at both Fillmore & 5th and Crossroads stores. For high-end luxury pieces the store offers consignment instead, with a check mailed after the item sells. Crossroads also runs a sell by mail option for people who cannot visit.

Ruti Sell Back

Ruti's program is narrower. Sell Back is open only to customers in the top Diamond tier of the brand's loyalty program. It accepts Ruti-labeled garments and handbags originally bought at Ruti. Leggings, tanks, camisoles, shoes and jewelry are excluded and there is a yearly item limit. You can drop approved items at a store or mail them. Credit arrives as an electronic gift card and can take up to 10 business days. Read the full Town & Country Village guide for the rest of the center.

Stanford Shopping Center: estate jewelry and brand resale

The big open-air center is mostly new merchandise, but a handful of stores deal in pre-owned pieces or run resale programs.

• Gleim the Jeweler: a family jeweler founded in Palo Alto in 1931 and an original center tenant, known for estate and signed jewelry, appraisals and custom design.
• Shreve & Co.: a jeweler founded in San Francisco in 1852 that sells Rolex Certified Pre-Owned watches along with new watches and fine jewelry.
• Levi's: the jeans brand's store, which lists Levi's Secondhand trade-ins among its services.
• Eileen Fisher: a women's clothing store the brand labels an Eileen Fisher Renew Store, tied to its program for second-life clothing.
• Outerknown: a casual clothing store whose Outerworn pre-loved program pays store credit for the brand's used pieces.
• Cuyana: a leather goods and clothing store whose Revive program sells preloved Cuyana pieces online.

Gleim's estate stock is mostly one of a kind, so what sits in the case on a given day can differ from what appears on its website. Its appraisals by certified experts serve insurance and estate needs, which helps if you are settling a relative's jewelry. For the brand programs, eligibility rules change. Check each brand's website for which items qualify before you carry a bag of clothes to the store. Our Stanford Shopping Center guide covers parking and the rest of the store mix.

Downtown: rare books, rugs and outdoor gear

• Bell's Books: a family-owned bookstore founded in 1935, selling new, used and rare books across two floors and about 500 subjects.
• Artsy Rugs: a hand-knotted rug gallery on University Avenue whose styles include vintage and antique rugs, with appraisals and repair.
• Patagonia: the outdoor brand's store in an 1880 former hay barn on Alma Street. Its website promotes Worn Wear, the brand's program for used gear and trade-in credit.

Bell's Books is the closest thing downtown has to an antiquarian shop. It stocks signed first editions and fine bindings next to everyday reading. It also says it buys fine books and private collections. Call before you bring a box. Our bookstores guide covers Bell's and the city's other booksellers. At Patagonia, ask staff how Worn Wear trade-ins work at this store before you bring gear in.

California Avenue and south Palo Alto: instruments, bikes and gold

• Gryphon Stringed Instruments: a music shop since 1969 selling new, used and vintage fretted instruments, with repairs, appraisals and layaway.
• Cardinal Bike Shop: an independent bike shop on El Camino Real whose custom build side, which it calls Cardinal Vintage Bike Shop, will work with an older frame you want to rebuild.
• Bicycle Exchange Silicon Valley: a volunteer-run nonprofit that refurbishes donated bikes, gives them to people who need transportation and sells used bikes and parts.
• Pacific Precious Metals: a dealer in Midtown that buys and sells gold, silver, platinum and palladium and appraises jewelry.

Gryphon is one of the region's long-running acoustic instrument shops and has sat at the corner of Lambert Avenue and Park Boulevard since 1975. A staff member has appeared as an appraiser on PBS's Antiques Roadshow, according to the shop. The Bicycle Exchange takes visits by appointment on Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons. In September 2026 it announced it would likely have to leave its East Bayshore Road building before the end of the year, so check its listing for a new address before you go. Our bike shops guide lists the city's other bike shops, several of which also take trade-ins.

Seasonal vintage sales

Some of the best secondhand finds turn up at one-off sales rather than in shops. Gamble Garden on Waverley Street runs a sale it calls Over the Garden Fence, described as its signature sale of loved and vintage treasures. The garden lists a winter edition among its December 3 to 5, 2026 holiday events, with first access for guests at its Opening Night party. Check the Gamble Garden winter page for the schedule. Its spring garden tour marketplace has also included a vintage sale in past years.

Tips for buying and selling

1. Sell in season. Resale buyers want what customers will wear now. Bring coats in fall and linen in spring.
2. Prepare your items. Launder clothes, fold them neatly and remove hangers. Clean jewelry and gather any boxes or papers.
3. Bring ID. Fillmore & 5th requires a government-issued photo ID and sellers must be 18 or older.
4. Ask about returns. Resale and consignment shops often have stricter return rules than regular stores. Ask before you pay.
5. Call ahead for collections. Bell's Books and the jewelers prefer a call before you bring in a large lot.

Putting together a resale day

Start at Town & Country Village with a bag to sell at Fillmore & 5th, then shop the racks while you wait. Drive a mile north to Stanford Shopping Center for Gleim's estate cases and the brand programs. Walk or drive across El Camino Real to downtown for Bell's Books and Artsy Rugs. If you play music or ride, finish near California Avenue at Gryphon or Cardinal Bike Shop. Our downtown guide has ideas for lunch along the way.

Frequently asked questions