Estate sale toaster oven finally gave up after 11 years, the replacement was $8

I picked up this beat up toaster oven at an estate sale back in 2013 for $6. It survived three moves and countless frozen pizzas, but last Tuesday the heating element just sparked out. I almost tossed it but decided to check the local Restore on a whim. Found a nearly identical model for $8, same size, works perfect. The old one even had a handwritten label inside saying 'fix me if you can.' Has anyone else had luck finding appliance replacements at those donation centers?

2 comments

2 Comments

robert_lopez6421d ago

Remember buying an ancient microwave at a church rummage sale for five bucks back in 2018. Thing weighed like forty pounds and looked like it came off a spaceship set from 1985. Dial knob was loose and the timer would sometimes just keep going past zero, so you'd have to unplug it to stop the dinging. Cooked every single frozen meal in that beast for three years straight before the door hinge snapped clean off. Tried to fix it with duct tape and a coat hanger, worked for a bit, then the whole front panel just fell off one morning. Ended up finding a similar clunky microwave at the same church sale the next weekend for three dollars. Still have it, still works, and the loose knob just adds character. There's real magic in those dusty church basements, I swear half the stuff is just marked down because somebody's grandma passed and the family didn't know what to do with a perfectly good appliance.

faith_carter20d ago

Found a working dehumidifier at our local ReStore about five years ago, marked $15 because the bucket had a crack. Picked up a replacement bucket online for six bucks, and that thing has been running in the basement ever since. The sticker on it still says 2007, so it's already outlived the fancy new one my neighbor bought twice. Those places are hit or miss, but when you find something, it's usually built like a tank.