I like this store. But selling is annoying. If the buyer would stop talking to everyone the sell line would go so much quicker.

wtf. today i took a trashbag of clothes over there and whatever it was they picked out, i got like $14 cash for it. later that day i drove over to fullerton's location with the same fucking leftover bag and they gave me $45 cash. what a fucking waste of time. read more

Loved selling my stuff here! The girl that helped me was Brittany and she was super nice and helpful. I will definitely be coming back here to sell more! read more

Not too long ago, this place had so many great designer finds for CHEAP!!! I made out with Chloe skinny jeans, a Marc Jacobs skirt, Anna Sui dresses, AX blouses, all for a mere fraction of it's original cost. Now, I can't say I leave the store with such luck. Most of the store is packed with as many cheap, Forever 21 replicas as indie/alternative/emo wannabes. Occasionally, I'll find something designer, but it's rarely under $20 like it used to be. Wading through the racks have become just about as tedious as the crowds that overflow them. read more

WORST BUFFALO EXCHANGE EVER. Awful customer service. Why are 6 employees working on a Tuesday morning and they have pretty much one idiot buying clothes and the occasional ditz ringing up customers. They make their customers wait outside on overcast and rainy days even though there was enough room to stand out of the way due to their horrifying lack of customers. Horrible selection of clothing compared to any store in Long Beach, Los Angeles or even out of state in "less up to date" areas. I would MUCH rather shop at a REAL goodwill. At least the prices and selection would be on point and reasonable. Do yourself a favor and avoid this location. Urban Cheapskate in Lake Forest is only 10 minutes away, exactly the same as the Buffalo Exchange franchise (if not better), and you won't regret going there. read more

This buff is great and the staff rocks! Everyone is super nice at this location and there are almost always great things to be found on the racks. Sometimes the sell lines will get long but the staff does the best they can to speed up the process. Also, not as smelly as some of these reviews would lead you to believe. And it seems like a lot of reviewers are upset because the buff didn't shower them in money in exchange for their old clothing, but come on people, you are trying to quickly and easily get rid of stuff you don't want anymore. If you think your things are that valuable, maybe you should sell them on eBay or, I don't know, keep them? read more

This place is pretty cool, i found a few items for pretty cheap. I know that some of the reviews on here are horrible because of how they felt they were treated. Well...you kind of have to look at it on the store's stand point, they have to make money so they WILL offer you a low ball amount for your clothes, no? It's a business and that's what they specialize in, is to get clothing items for cheaper than what they intend to sell it for so they can pay their rent, employees, etc. It's like they have to tell you in the nicest way possible how little they would like to pay for your stuff. That's a tough one, i sure would hate to be the person working there, but as far as cool unique clothing items, i give them a 4 star for sure. It does smell in there a lil bit but what do you expect when much of their inventory is used, ya know? read more

I got a yelp just so I can write this review: I usually LOVE it here. I love the fashion and I love the workers and I would honestly rave about this store to my friends. However, I visited the store yesterday after about 6 months of not going, and I had a few encounters with whom I believe is the manager. She was not kind and very rude. Her main focus was her store, not the customers and I did not like how she treated one of her employees. She completely destroyed my experience there so I bought my clothes and got the heck out of there. I probably will not come back again because of the negative atmosphere she created. P.S. Sorry for the bad review, Buffalo Exchange! You guys honesty deserve a better manager, not someone who treats you and your buyers like they are stupid. read more

TERRIBLE customer service and longest wait time EVER. Upon my arrival, I asked what the approximate wait time was to sell clothes, and I couldn't believe it when they told me they were unable to estimate with only 3 customers ahead of me. I ended up waiting an hour and 15 minutes before asking again... silly me for asking! I should've known they would respond with, "Sorry, we can't really say. It just all depends." To say I was irrate is an understatement. I unloaded my angst at the employee, saying that I was leaving after wasting over an hour in line and never coming back again, and it wasn't until then did they decide to "customer service" the line. In the hour and 15 minutes of waiting, not one employee thanked us for waiting, reassured us that they were working at a speedy pace to help us as soon as possible... nothing. Employees walked past the line as they left for break, but not one word to the patient customers, one of which (me) will never be back again. The customer behind me in line told me about Crossroads and the professional manner in which they handle their "sell" line. So here I am, at Crossroads, waiting in line after checking in with my name and how many bags I have, being told the wait time is approximately 25 minutes, and overhearing how friendly they are with their customers. No snootiness and "we're doing the customer a favor" type attitude here, and for that reason I'll be coming back to Crossroads and dumping Buffalo Exchange like a terrible, neglectful boyfriend. read more

The parking at the lab always sucks! I've shopped at better thrift shops than Buffalo Exchange..and you have to have a lot of patience to rumble through the racks. It's a hit and miss situation for me which is crap. read more

This is review is from the Sellers Side I believe everyone gets 2 - 3 chances. This review is based off all three chances. Summary: 1. You'll stand waiting in line for a long time( 1 hour or more) 2. They will reject 98% of all your clothes ( Happen to me and i saw it happen to the 10 people in before me) 3. They will give you $2-$4 for that 1 or 2 item from your bag and tell you the rest is not what they are looking for 4. They will hope that you take that $2-$4 and spend $50 in their store. 5. You may be so frustrated that you say give the rest of your clothes to them for charity. 6. They say all overnight items will be donated to charity. How do you know that before they close for the night they don't go into that pile afterwords and pick items. (Possible) Conlcusion: The business model of it is to just have you come in and buy, buy, buy lots of used clothing. It's really not worth your time or frustration. I heard a girl say in there "This is the most stressful experience in my life". Save yourself the anguish and time. read more

The buyers here are very nice, the store is small but it has a good selection of stuff, again, good, friendly and selective buyers. Selective buyers are good people, otherwise you will be leaving reviews about the worn out crappy stuff all over the store. Let them keep the standards high. Parking was easy even during holiday shopping season and the shopping center is charming and fun to walk around in. I like this spot! Only negative was the weird looking girl that yells "don't block the door" as you are walking through the door which makes you stop and look to see who is yelling at you and you end up blocking the door, which you never would have done to begin with if she hadn't screamed at you as you are walking in... No 5th star for you cranky girl! read more

Gosh, this BE is extremely selective when buying clothes! In other locations, such as Austin and Houston, I've sold just about everything I brought. This one, however, they either take zip or one/two pieces. However, I have found great things at this BE. Although, compared to the two other locations I've been to, the prices here almost twice as much. Must be the location, I guess. read more

One of my favorite resale shops, as a buyer they always have greatfines at decent prices, and a seller they're pretty quick doing there buys, and they buy a variety of styles. read more

Ok, so I really like Buffalo Exchange and shop here (along with other locations) quiet regularly. Regularly enough where I've become friends with some of the employees at some locations. I never expect them to buy more than 2 items from a large bag of clothes, so I usually don't even bother coming here with the bags in the first place, seeing as how they can be a bitch and a half to lug to and from the car for only $15 store credit... That being besides the point I must say that last night I had encountered some of the ABSOLUTE WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER. Seriously, it was that bad. It started when I asked a girl (who I would eventually have a horrible encounter with a little later on) where something was in the store. She stared at me and just said "I don't know" and stood there like a dingbat. Like seriously find out! But no, she just stood there and stared. Later on when I was paying for my clothes and getting ready to leave the girl ringing me up informed me that the shirt I was going to buy for $7.50 was actually marked wrong and should have been $17.50. First of all I don't see how this should have been my problem, I'm not the person that marks the clothes so I think I should get it for the labeled price anyways. Plus they probably only gave the person who sold it like $5 anyways so in the long run they're still coming up. She refused to sell the shirt to me for the marked price and gets the girl buying in clothes next to her involved. Now this is where I got mad: She starts accusing me of changing the price on the t-shirt. It's like honestly, how do you even do that? On top of that if I knew how to switch price tags on item I wouldn't be coming to a second hand store switching tags to buy someone's USED t-shirt. So whatever, I dropped it and just said never mind on the shirt it wasn't worth the argument or the price they were trying to charge. So the girl rings me up and I leave. As I walk out I'm looking over the receipt and the girl charged me for the shirt we were just having the argument about and didn't even give it to me! I was so mad. I went back and told her, and she seriously acted just completely rude. Trying to make it seem like it was my fault instead of hers and not even apologizing once. She didn't even know how to do a refund on her own, so she once again had to get the other girl buying clothes to help her. The whole time they took trying to figure out how to work the refund on the register they were whispering back and forth to each other. Seriously horrible customer service. To save this story though, I called later on and talked to a manager, who had obviously gotten complaints about this girl before because one of her responses to my complaint was "Oh yeah ___ can come off kind of aggressive sometimes". The manager was really nice and even offered me some coupons and a free reusable bag thing for the next time I come in. She handled the whole thing nicely. All I can say is I really hope this girl is just seasonal for christmas time because I can say she has no basic grasp of how to please a loyal customer. As for this location specifically though I must say they have a great selection of designer apparel. They don't horde crappy Forever21 stuff like the Fullerton location and usually have a wider selection of what I would consider "In-Style" clothes for my size (I wear a small 1-3 type sizes). I have found a lot of killer deals at this location, but like all 2nd hand shops you usually have to dig through a decent amount of crap before finding anything worth the price it's marked. This being the fact, mixed with the manager being so nice I give this Buffalo Exchange 3 stars because there is still lots of room for improvement. Also, on a side note, avoid this place when it is busy. There is literally NO room to move and the stuff starts getting really picked over the later the day is. read more

First time selling my clothes here. You need to be 18 to sell your clothes, so because I'm 17 I was denied. When I brought someone who was 18, they barely took any of my clothes. They are very picky on what they are looking for; however, they pay you a reasonable amount! If you have more retro/vintage clothes Buffalo Exchange is for you! read more

Regular at this location. Despite having South Coast Plaza right down the street, the stock is average and consistent with what is readily available at their Fullerton location. Store lighting is much better than Fullerton so you can actually inspect the clothes you are getting. This store experience varies, like all Buffalo Exchanges, and really just depends on when you go. Picks up on the weekends and slows down during the week. For selling I definitely recommend getting there at 10:45ish am because if you wait later, you will not only have to deal with the absolutely disgusting parking available at Lab but you may end up waiting in a line 40 people deep. I've sold dozens of times here and I do agree with many yelpers that this BE tends to offer lower cash amounts for items but this also depends on who works the counter. Overall this Buffalo is no better nor worse than others I have personally visited in LA and Long Beach. Definitely worth checking out if you are snooping around the Lab especially their denim section where I have found the most steals (they are not up to date on current denim brands. Picked up a pair of new LVC Selvedge Levis for $20) Here are my tips for selling at any BE: 1.) Be sure your clothes are washed and folded. Presentation is everything 2.) Don't transport your clothes in a trash bag. For reason why, see quote above 3.) Be courteous to the people behind the counter but don't be afraid to ask them to have a second look at something. 4.) A tag attached is an item they will buy. read more

I loved shopping here. Reminded me of the stores in the Greenwich village when I was younger. Great finds. Great quality. I got a great sweater and dress. My daughter really scored big. Vintage clothing shopping is the best. read more

This one is cool, but it is in the anti-mall, which isn't very anti. At least this place actually has affordable stuff.... probably the only place that does in this complex (oh, and the magazine stand). It is really small though, so that stinks. But its just like all the other ones, good vintage/used finds. I got some jeans for $20 and they are nice. I think this place is where a lot of hipsters go, more so to this location than others, so thats a bonus if you are into that style. read more

The coolest and sweet, honestly! So I walk in and plan to keep my head down and spoke when spoken to, right? Wrong. This place is super friendly. I felt like it was the Empire Records of Clothing, like a real-life reality show where people like their jobs are friendly, and a bit of Cheers where everybody knows your name. The manager Justin was super engaging and knowledgeable about brands and trends which he passionately discussed and engaged. I learned about new trends and lines that I am eager to check out. I didn't plan to shop, just sell, but they were so sweet, I felt compelled to shop. Their selection is a good mix of designer and hipster/trends which I like. I work an office job so I need button down for day and festival wear for the weekends. I think there are a lot of us like me with this work life balance and different hats and this Buffalo caters to that A+++ to this rockstar team. Cheers. Also, I waited maybe fifteen minutes to sell, and was entertained the whole time, they created such a welcoming environment that all of us were chatting and time flew by. Yes they are selective, but you can't bring your goodwill donation quality items to Buffalo, if you wouldn't buy it what makes you think others would?! Come on people. read more

as many people have stated before, they are very selective about the clothes they buy, which kind of stinks. but it's understandable because they don't have very much space. mmm everytime i come here, it's a hit or miss - i have scored some good jeans here, but a lot of times i don't find anything i want (sometimes they have great dresses, sometimes no...). i think it's worth coming here if you're in the area, but it's not the greatest buffalo exchange. read more

Tbh I don't really like coming here only do because my boyfriend finds nice deals sometimes to be honest I think their clothes is so over priced for a "thrift" store & when I sold some of my nice things they didn't want to take them because of the brand honestly my opinion they buy weird looking things LOL but that's just my opinion, over all good store for cheap deals read more

Not a very good place with real size men. I am six foot 200lbs and I cant find anything that isnt too tight here. If you are an actual man size you will suffocate if try there clothes on over here. No lie. But, there is an awsome custom hat place right next store. They make fedoras and pimp hats customized to your liking. For around 35 to 50 dollars. Well worth it. Another great thing is there is a cafe a couple steps away in the same place. Get the peach cobbler and the drink of your liking. The cobbler is off the hook good. They bake it just right with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Very good. Orgasmic in fact. read more

Good for shopping not for selling. This was my first time selling at a Buffalo after using crossroads for a few years. I can definitely say Buffalo is not worth your time or money to sell. Of all my clothes 65+ items they took in 1 pair of jean shorts and a brand new Jansport backpack with a leather bottom... I'm disappointed they didn't tell me what is get until the end because it ended up being $7. I would've liked to know I would only get $4 for the backpack because I wouldn't have sold it, rather donated it to the volunteer organization I work with. The designer jean shorts they took in were in perfect condition and they gave me $3 for them. I feel scammed and I left the store not feeling like it was worth my time at all. The only plus thing about this location is if you are going in here solely to shop, you will forsure find some gems if you dig around. Just disappointed in their buy back process. Back to crossroads I go! I still feel bad about selling that backpack:( read more

Came here by chance yesterday while walking around with friends and my sis, just because we wanted to visit The Anti-Mall/Lab. This Buffalo Exchange appears to be the smallest I have ever encountered. Although we have these stores back in the Bay Area where I currently live, I have never really done much more but very briefly browse in the Berkeley and Haight (SF) stores. So it happens I was randomly looking around at the wares here and found most of the t-shirts were much, much, much too large for me. fail. score. shortly thereafter, that is. My find? A really cute pair of walking shorts, kind of dressier material (poly-knit? but not annoyingly poly like so many) in a rather mod cut, nice enough that on the rare summer days in which the office a/c isn't available, I could wear these to work. And for under $20. So why don't I find deals like this more often??? read more

I've been coming to this location for what feels like a solid decade. I always choose to hold onto my used clothing and sell at this location because the staff is really friendly. They will talk about life in general and always ask how my day is. I always get a few items bought up and the rest I leave at the store so they can donate. If you know what brands they want and it's seasonally appropriate they will always take some item (s). As long as I continue to travel to Costa Mesa I will always exchange clothes here first and exclusively. read more

I remember when I came here with my ex and it was like wth, why would I want any of this here?? haha But I recently came back to just see what they had and It's actually a good idea for shopping, even for shoes. You can find a really nice pair of men's shoes that look barely used. It's just about luck though. I dont really enjoy sifting through racks of used shirts. I'd rather just go buy the clothes at full price than that =X read more

i really like the variety of clothes here! I just moved back to costa mesa so i had to do some summer cleaning and get rid of things because of storage space, they were really quick and new what they were looking for when it came to buying my stuff, they were down to earth, and super laid back even tho i had three huge bags of clothes! Kenny was my buyer and he was really down to earth, (went to platos closet before and they were so snobby i felt insecure about my clothes) but no these people actually know taste and buy sell trade i had a mix variety of new stuff thrifty stuff and it was a really good customer service from kenny he was very sweet and upbeat i really like the vibes and service 5 stars all around! read more

This business has GREAT items. Most of the staff is very courteous and friendly. However, I had THE MOST UNPLEASANT girl SUSAN today. She was demeaning and rude!!! Seriously, I will not return to this store. read more

This is the BEST Buffalo Exchange hands down. I have been to San Francisco, Berkeley, San Diego, etc and each time I come back here, I always find something at least one thing I end up buying. The cons on the other hand is it's always crowded, the prices are kinda expensive for a consignment store, and parking is a b*tch! The best time to come here is around 10 am when they open, preferrably on a weekday. I used to come here all the time during the week since my days off were Wednesdays and Thursdays. Good luck if you come here on the weekends though! read more

A really overly crowded place they really need to expand this place. People just bumping into you i swear i felt like i could not breathe up in here. Buffalo exchange always over prices in my opinion. read more

I never shop at Buffalo Exchange, only sell my wares. This location was small and I didn't have much luck one of the times I went there, but the other time it was fine. The employees were very nice from what I recall, some BE staffers can be pretty snooty at other locations. I'm not into buying overpriced goods, but they can buy stuff from me any day. read more

I came here with about 4 garbage bags of stuff and they only picked out 1 thing for $6.50. I took the cash somewhere else. That was for the gas it cost me to get there and back home. This place is smaller than the Fullerton place and doesn't really have much variety or selection. The staff here isn't bad, but not friendly either. It's not the cheapest place either for used clothes. I find better stuff at Goodwill in Fullerton. read more

this location always has a pretty good selection of items but bc its small they dont take a lot of clothes. so call ahead & find out what they are taking...it will save you the headache of standing in line forever with a bag full of dresses just to find out they dont need dresses. but whatever you dont sell, you can donate. so your still giving for a greater cause. but i do love the special finds, like campus addidas size 13 with the tag still on the sole for only $20. or the 3 american apparel tanks i got for only $4.50 each (on the 50% off rack) read more

I've bought some amazing finds at this specific Buffalo Exchange. I have the warmest faux-fur coat I got for only 20$, while I've seen ones like it for 200+. I've also bought little other finds like shirts and shorts, all usually around 20$. Keep in mind this isn't a thrift store, more like a consignment store. The prices aren't that low, but the deals are amazing. I've sold alot to this store, and sometimes I'll walk away with 5$ bucks and sometimes I'll walk away with 50$. There isn't any real rhyme or reason to the buying, best you can do is bring clothing that is presentable and in fashion. Unlike other consignment fashion places like Crossroads, Buffalo Exchange does buy jewelry. They sadly, do not buy jewelry. All their jewelry is supplied from headquarters. If you're going to the LAB, where this Buffalo Exchange is located, just to go the Buffalo Exchange, try to come here during not busy hours for the LAB, as parking is complete hell. Even if you do come here during a busy time there are options. Valet is only 2$. However, do not, I repeat, DO NOT park at the autozone next store. Those folks are waaaay too happy to tow people. read more

Located inside the anti-mall called The Lab, the plaza is similar to the Camp across the street in that it's real artsy and au-natural. I didn't have any trouble with parking at The Lab at all, found a spot on the side right away...maybe it was because I came around noon on a Saturday. Just so you know, there is a line to sell your stuff. I was lucky enough to get there before the rush around 1pm so I was able to sit inside before the selling line started wrapping around outside. Expect to wait about 20-30 minutes to reach the front of the line to get your items appraised. Lots of people selling lots of stuff - but just as many people inside making purchases. It was my first time selling so I was curious how much I would be able to get for my clothes. The other yelpers were right that the associates there are super picky about what they buy. The girls in front of me brought in two large bags of clothes and was only able to sell like half of one of their bags. Buffalo Exchange is mostly looking for spring clothes and brand names and turned away lots of white colored clothes due to more visible wear and tear. I brought in some really cute BR, Guess, and Bebe items all in excellent condition ( blazer, dresses, and blouses I only wore like once). They pay you 35% in cash or 50% in store credit for whatever they price your clothes at. So for example, if they price your lot of clothes at a total of $50, you can either get $17.50 in cash or $25 in store credit. To say the least, expect to get around 10% in cash of what you paid for in retail for your clothes...if they buy it from you. read more

I've only experienced a few nice employees here, most of the time everyone looks about fed up and chaotic when its packed on the weekends. This place is small but there are lots of things in the rack, you'll find a couple finds here and there . if you're going on a shopping spree bring your own shopping bag, they don't give out bags because they support on being green. Very tight dressing room, there's only about like 4 or 5 so there will be a long line if your impatient. read more

The store and staff easily earn a five-star review, but the manager Justin deserves five stars of his own! He helped process a return for a damaged blouse I purchased at a Buffalo Exchange in NYC and was incredibly friendly, funny, and accommodating throughout the entire process. He turned my disappointment with another store into full satisfaction with the Costa Mesa location. And equal rave reviews to Alyson, the NY area manager who helped initiate the return and connected me with Justin. read more

I always find something I really like at this Buffalo Exchange (great deals too!). The one in Fullerton is definitely a lot bigger, but I really don't find much there. It's kinda like too spacey and they don't have enough things to fill it up. This one, on the other hand, is kinda too small. It'd probably would get a lot more customers if the place was a bit bigger. But other than that, everything is great-- the service, merchandise, prices. read more

Sold some stuff at this Buffalo Exchange today and got $17.00 in cash. They offered $25.00 in store credit, and valued my clothes at $51.00. (1 Gap Jeans, 1 Pair of free sunglasses from a Yelp! event, 1 pair of black knee length suede boots, and a tee shirt?) read more