I just am going to take a minute to say how thoroughly impressed I am with the staff at the Costa Mesa Buffalo exchange. I interacted with 4 staff members two were buyers I believe and 2 were managers. I came in to sell. The buyer I worked with immediately greeted me and maintained pleasant banter throughout the time I was selling. She was enthusiastic and just went above and beyond to make this selling experience so positive for me. I also want to say both managers oversaw the process and double checked the items to insure they were able to sell at their store. She explained to me why she could and could not take certain items. She also had such a pleasant attitude and also made sure that this was a positive experience. I loved the extra education on clothing styles that I received which will make it easier next time I come back. Thank you ladies I am so impressed with you all read more

Costa Mesa's location has repeatedly shown unprofessionalism and lack of customer service. The mission statement writes that they are looking for "on-the-spot for current trends, designer, everyday styles, vintage and one-of-a-kind fashion finds." Although, during the sell-to-buying process, the workers are incredibly rude and young immature woman who will communicate by yelling in your face, waving their hands in your face, and rolling & squinting their eyes in your face when you ask a simple question. I asked about one single item out of 2 large bags that I brought in that they did not take, because I know that they are currently "on trend" and in good condition jeans. Additionally, a very similar pair of jeans was displayed in the window on their mannequin that I had noticed. Instead of kindly answering me with a simple response, the worker (brunette female) became extremely defensive off the bat and gave me a list of reasons why they don't accept clothes - which was not my question. After that, a second worker (blonde female) came over to assist her and once again I experienced bad sales customer service because she asked me, randomly, if I wanted them to tell me why every single item in the 2 bags of mine were not selected and I said no, no - because I understand the process and this is not my first time selling with Buffalo Exchange. It seems the workers are untrained in customer service and in professionalism especially if there is ever a conflict. After this, they pulled out the one and only item I brought in with a small hole and they decided to point that item out and rudely remind me that "a lot of your clothes have holes." I said no, I only brought that one old T-shirt with a hole so please don't refer to one item out of the two bags (again). This led to the first worker rolling and squinting her eyes at me and I asked the second worker to notice the customer service happening right in that moment. Instead of apologizing for the customer service, her response was childish and again unprofessional referring to energy and looks happening. I am much older than these young and very inexperienced workers, able to see a petty move on their part due to much shown immaturity. The Buffalo Exchange website reads, "We built our business on a lot of principles..such as respecting people and treating everybody fairly and listening to people. Those are our tenets in business." The owners should know the Costa Mesa location workers are not aligned with these principles towards their customers what so ever. Let alone a third worker was standing next to them as these encounters happened and did nothing to step in. Instead, one of the workers (blonde female) yelled in my face, waved her hands shaking them no in my face, and saying, "no we are not doing this" and stopped going through my clothes - when I was letting her know this is terrible customer service and I wanted my clothes back regardless. Overall, any clothes they kept from my first bag were NOT compensated for. They kept some of my items without paying me. Granite this is probably a minimum wage job, these workers should still have bare minimum respect or show kindness to customers, and follow their policies by closing out the transaction. Managers need to be aware of the highly inappropriate communications happening and hire more mature and professional people. The website also writes, "After all, they relied on their customers to bring in clothing and they relied on their employees to build a diverse inventory." This is absolutely not true and seeks fit for a BBB file of complaint. read more

I love Buffalo Exchange. I am a returning customer and was wondering if you could vacuum this location please. There is a crazy amount of dust build up under the racks especially the jewelry. It's already used cloths so I feel like a fresh floor would go a long way. Didn't bring it up when I was in since you were super busy but I hope this is helpful and I can delete this if you reply so it doesn't sound like you never vacuumed. read more

Horrible service , horrible staff DONT sell to them . They will take your clothes and give you peanuts and then donate the rest of your clothes . NEVER Again . Rude Associate . I wish I could take my stuff back from them . I regret the day I dropped off my brand new clothes to be sold there . It's a huge rip off . Don't sell there . read more

My experience here was quite unpleasant. I was working with two females: one fairly new to the process (female A), and the other seemed to have been in leadership or a veteran of the store (female B). I say this since female A asked the opinion of a separate employee as well as the opinion of female B on two separate instances. Female A was quite pleasant and helpful while female B was not only condescending to female A when she asked female B's opinion, but also was rude when I offered a suggestion of how the clothing, not purchased by the store, should be returned to the seller. My clothing, a short stack, was brought in nicely folded, but was returned in a half folded & rolled approached and then tossed into a bag. Mind you, I carried this sort stack in without a bag but walked out with a bag essentially twice the size because of the lack of care when female B simply rolled up the clothes. Female B stated that she'd consider my suggestion shortly before I walked out. Unfortunately I don't think this is truly going to be considered by the tone of her voice and her snarky remark of "not hearing this feedback from previous customers." Female B, you're in customer service and you're selling clothes. This is an obvious practice, especially when the clothing was brought in folded. Female A: short; straight, brown hair Female B: short; slightly wavy, dark brown hair read more

Selling your clothes to a consignment store can be challenging. I've sold to various places and Buffalo Exchange is definitely one of my favorites and no, it's not because my things are always accepted. On the contrary, it is actually kinda hard for me to sell things at these types of stores but it's the experience that keeps me coming back. Mo, the manager was training a new hire who was a natural. Mo and Soph together made the experience pretty painless. Sure it took a minute but they were both so warm and conversational, something I definitely appreciate. They gave me some good tips for the next time and politely handled the transaction. No throwing things into a bag, not appearing to put off a judging demeanor but rather an example of good customer service. I hope this location continues to keep up the vibrant energy! read more

Bring your own calculator when selling to keep a running tab. There is no print out given listing the accepted items' retail amount with the 25% cash out amount. The store has no accountability! Go to another store! Don't be short changed! read more

Long lines with only 1 buyer. Waited more than a hour and 30 minutes and staffs are chit chatting and took their times with no effort of moving fast. The girl with the dramatic eye makeup is very rude read more

I came in with my daughter today. I came in when they were doing a shift change from morning shift to closing shift. The morning shift manager long blond hair with round glasses is probably one of the rudest humans I have even encountered so I was happy to know there was a switch. I sat down on the bench by the cashier to wait because I was feeing light headed. But the night shift manager (wavy brown hair) told me I could not sit there unless I was selling. I tried to ignore her and she just scoffed. She was very loudly expressing her herself as if she is better than and more powerful than the other workers. When one worker asked about a buying question about "crewnecks" she was so condescending it was disgusting. Both women had serious power trips and inflated feelings of grandeur. Super disappointed in these young ladies....it sucks when pretty girls are actually ugly. read more

Selling: you have to be present and watch what they take otherwise you wouldn't know. Not good system because you (usually) want to see exactly what's been taken in case you change your mind or think you're not charged fairly and probably get more $ from depop/poshmark/etc. I would recommend selling to crossroads trading post which is only about 10 minutes away, they give you 30% cash for whereas this store only gives you 25% and they also give you a print out of what items they took + what they're going to list your items at. I would also recommend selling to Plato's Closet (also on Bristol St) if you don't have time to wait, just drop off your stuff and pick it up by the end of the day and the store also show you what items they took. The Buffalo Exchange store itself is pretty cute, I think their items are reasonable priced considering the brands they carry. I would recommend people to shop here again but probably won't recommend selling to this store. read more

They will not take any of your clothing unless it is like a brand new urban outfitters piece! Also hard to find pieces here, but maybe I just go on off days. Great store to go to if you don't mind browsing around for a few hours, since there are endless racks to go through! read more

I was nervous coming in to trade after reading some of the previous reviews, but my experience was absolutely amazing! Manager was training a new employee on how to sort and update traded items into the system (which of course I didn't mind this is their job it doesn't kill to be a little patient sometimes) manager was SO NICE and complimented me on my wardrobe. Definitely coming back to trade & shop! read more

Store employees are not friendly toward non-white customers. I came here to sell my clothes and 2 people in front of me were white and the employee were super friendly toward the white sellers, they were chit chatting and talking but when it comes to my turn, she basically was very cold and rude. She got a bunch of dresses from the white seller but only got 1 dress from me and said that they are looking for larger sizes. So is this store not buying small sizes? I saw people with all big and small sizes shopping at the store. read more

Terrible service, no communication and had me waiting outside for 25+ minutes. Will not sell my clothes here ever again. Terrible service

MICHELLE IS AWESOME SHE IS THE SWEETEST PERSON EVER such cute clothes there but michelle had such a bright personality and i loved talking to her she's the best read more

I came here to sell a few months ago and they wanted to take four items. These including a NWT topshop graphic tee, a vintage teal green reptile textured crop top, a velvet off the shoulder top, and a really cool Budweiser baseball tee. They offered me $13. Thirteen dollars. They weren't even going to tell me which items they were gonna take, I had to ask. I thought it was funny how they started putting their buffalo exchange price tags on my items even before I sold them to them. I ended up asking for my items back. I came back again today to shop this time, and prices are RIDICULOUS. You have no-name brand items from places like Tj maxx and cheap stores and you're selling them for retail price. Who's paying $20+ for a used jacket that you can find at fashion q? Not me. Two stars because the employees are nice. read more

Just had the best experience at this Buffalo Exchange! Madden helped my sister and I out right before closing and let us know about a ton of promotions and sales we can find on the Buffalo Exchange instagram. We couldn't be more grateful to them! Thanks Madden! read more

The girls in the front seemed nice so this is a review for the overall store not customer service! The idea that you have to wait in line to get your clothes checked and then if you leave the area you might be skipped is so dumb to me!! I would rather sell at Plato's where I can just give them my bags and go on my day until they text me!! Also the store always is so cramped and just not pleasant to shop in if you're a little anxious of crowds like me. Just not a pleasant time in the store I won't be coming back :( read more

I would not sell here if you don't make an appointment on Fridays and weekend days...had to wait for a long time to sell and it takes them a while to go through every person's bags of clothes. Crossroads has a much better system where you don't have to stay with your bags and check in with your name when you first walk in. I don't understand why you have to sit there for so long...they need to organize it better. The staff wasn't super nice, especially the blonde manager that other reviewers were talking about. read more

I came from out of town to visit a friend and met her up at The LAB Anti-Mall. We decided to walk around to kill some time before we eat and went buffalo exchange. Upon my arrival, I was immediately frown upon, with one blank stare from a staff and an eye roll from another (3 employees behind a tiny counter and not one greeted us)... We were browsing around and instead of asking us for assistance, they watched us like we was going to steal something. My Friend and I took a quick selfie and right away one to the worker ran to us and yelled, "you have to get approval from our marketing team" we were lost and didn't know what he was talking about. Long story short, he thought we were filming, and the other workers were just rude didn't have good customer service. read more

Buffalo Exchange - Me on the right trying to shop lol.... Small tiny store and a lot of unfriendly staff members :/ - Used, Vintage & Consignment Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Wow .. okay where do I even begin. It makes me sad that places like this even exist in the year 2021 .. almost 2022. This is a place where you can shop for used clothing while are also able to donate your own gently used clothing/shoes/etc. We used to come to this place a lot to donate clothes and shoes, they would take the bags and then call you when they were done going through everything to let you know if they were able to take anything in exchange for cash or ask you if you'd like to donate the things they didn't take so they can donate it to a shelter or charity.. Well , went in today to do exactly that and I have no idea what happened. They said they're taking quote on quote "appointments" for the chance to go through the clothing in exchange for cash. I said oh is there any available.. he said nah.. don't think so. So I said you know I have alot id rather just donate it all to charity and or shelters in need. He said no .. we can't take the bags?! Isn't that what this place is supposed to do? Help donate items? It's so sad this is a place that's supposed to HELP .. and I'm sure it was made with the intention to HELP those in need but now it's become a place of profit / a general walk in store with not an ounce of good intent. The person working also told me they only have 20 min to go through the items and I walked in with five bags? So the time frames and appointments have been structured to only go through not as many items and not take as many clients trying to get rid of clothing and recycle them ? Interesting.. Just shut this place down. I can't even ramble for too long on all the incompetent people they hire with zero communication and service skills. It's a shit show. read more

First time thrifting and now I'm addicted. The stuff here is amazing if you have a good eye. Light green has been my fav color for 16 years yet I have so much trouble finding a piece of clothing in that shade that doesn't look tacky. Found the prettiest light green jacket here! I like how they're selective in what they sell, makes shifting through the racks enjoyable because the pieces are stylish. read more

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Ya wanna wait 2 hours and then be told your clothes are not worthy of there high standards. Stop by. Great selection of ear rings. If your a women. read more

It's the love of the hunt for me. You never know what treasure they may have. I've found some really cool things here...shoes, bags, jackets, etc. And I've been in when there is nothing that gets me excited. Regardless of making a purchase or not, no visit to the anti-mall is complete without a trip to Buffalo Exchange. read more

Buffalo Exchange - Used, Vintage & Consignment Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

If you looking to shop here, you have to have lots of patience and you can't be claustrophobic as the store itself is very small & messy. I looked through most of their racks and they had some good finds but 70% of the clothes they sold were stained & raggedy! If you going there for the vibes, then this place is for you, as the vibes were very hipster and urban. If you coming in to sell clothes, well, good luck Charlie. I went in as a first timer and asked about the process of selling clothes and the girl at the register was some what nice and explained to me how it worked. She told me to put my bag on the bench and to hang out there and if i wanted to walk around the store, i could. Well i waited with my bag for the majority of the time, i stepped away from my bag for 5 mins to look around a bit and when i came back, Lauren, the manager (white lady with long blonde hair & tattoos on her arm) was yelling at me saying she never saw me there, that i had to get in the back of the line. I explained to her i waited in line and what the other girl told me. Lauren was rude when replying and told me that it's not how it works. You have to be with your items the whole time or else Lauren will yell at you :-) I was able to sell 2 items here. They give you 25% of what they price it at. Tbh your better off selling your clothes at Uptown Cheapskates or Plato's Closet. The service is much better there and they actually buy more of your clothes for better value. I hope they do something about Lauren because she was one of the worst people I've ever encountered. read more

The process is absolutely horrible. I went in to sell & I will admit I was 10 min late to my appointment yet they still accepted me so that was the silver lining but if I knew that they were so reckless & irresponsible I would have been better off not going. They didn't show me what they took when I got to the cashier & then they tried to blame it on me when I asked to see what they took. For $11 they took Vintage authentic leather flared pants that were to die for & a couple other things. They told me since I had already asked for cash they can't show me like wtf?! Those pants were Aunthentic Vintage market value of at least $180. They basically SCAMMED me & tried to gaslight Me. Honestly if your BIPOC save your time & don't go. read more

I would not recommend coming here to sell your clothes unless you have vintage hipster clothing lying around. When I showed up to their store the day of my appointment, I took roughly around 50 items. They took nothing! They said that it was because my clothes weren't the style they were looking for. I was surprised to hear this because they told me that they took all kinds of items when I spoke to them over the phone. The worst part about my experience here is that I felt racially discriminated. I never throw this around lightly, but here, I did not feel welcomed. read more

Fun second hand store with lots of hidden treasures. Stuff is helpful, and the store is inviting.

The clerks here are giving false information about open appointments and the ID policy there just doesn't make sense. I have my expired driver license with the renew paper from DMV and they won't take it. The clerks are simply just not helpful and trying to avoid working as much as they can. I had to make a third trip from Irvine just to sell some old damn clothes. I'd have to warn the owner of this place: your workers are SLACKING OFF AF. I have been to three other buffalo exchanges and this one is the worst. Just do yourself a favor and sell your clothes elsewhere. read more

Also, don't leave a negative review if you don't want the manager looking you up in the system and calling you directly! The call was super unnecessary and unproductive. I completely understand if you want feedback from your customers and to know how to improve in the future but don't flat out tell me that I misinterpreted someone's tone when they were very clearly being rude and entitled. Especially when hearing that this isn't the first time it's happened. As mentioned previously, I understand that people go through things and have bad days but it costs absolutely nothing to be nice to someone. This entire experience was just so off putting and wild. read more

So I don't normally like to write these reviews but I feel so awful after my experience there. It was my first time there and I called because I had a hard time finding it. The girl on the phone was so condescending to me and was being really rude and impatient. I finally found it and bring my bags in and they took one item and were going to give me $7 credit or $3 cash. I was kind of shocked because it was a $60 dress. Idk what brand it was but it was worn once and in great condition. I decided I didn't want the credit or cash and just wanted my dress back. They agreed but were rude and judgmental about it. Their clothes they are selling all look old and outdated. Regardless of any of that they need to improve their customer service. Treat people nicely. It's not that hard. I will never go back ever again. Beware! read more

I hate to give businesses bad ratings, but this one is well deserved. I was at this location today, and could not believe how the employees who work here treat their customers! I interacted with two different girls who were extremely rude, and acted as if I was not a priority what so ever.... the one girl who worked the fitting room definitely had a major power trip, and acted like she owned the place, pretty embarrassing for her. I feel bad she's so miserable in life. until the girl ringing me up was surprisingly friendly. I was so disgusted, I wanted to just leave without spending my money there, but I had a buy which earned me credits so I decided to just use it, since I'll never be back. I will never return again. read more

Walked in and was greeted very poorly when I asked her if I could walk around and look at the clothes she said no you have to go in line outside three times. Very rude so I left. I'll give my business to people that have manners and want me there. read more

The manager probably should manage her workers, because they are some of the snottiest, rude girls. The only way to describe them are Emo-Mean girls. Period. The store has some good finds, but on principle alone, we will never go back. We will go to another location, even if we have to drive further. It's honestly the worst experience we've ever had at a second hand store. How disappointing. read more

Beware! They only allow you to try on 5 things per day. The girl in the fitting room was extremely rude about it. Go to platos closet instead, it's down the street. They have better customer service , they are cheaper, and have a better selection. read more

This place is kind of a joke. Last time I was here I noticed they had an LV bag behind the register. I too was wearing a real one because it was purchased at LV at South Coast Mall. I asked one of the workers here how does she know the one behind the register is real? She said "We examine it" before making an offer to the seller. I gave her mine (w/o telling her where I bought it) and asked her to examine it and she looked at it on the outside only and said it was fake. HAHAHAHA I really believe they cannot tell which is fake/real so I would never buy any high-end purses here. I also never returned. Goodbye for good. :-) read more

I've given this place a few chances with selling and buying. Most of the stuff on the racks is not even good quality and I don't understand why or how they're so picky. I didn't find a single decent item, a little way too hipster for me. I'll stick to Plato's Closet down the street, never coming here again. read more

I found Buffalo Exchange packed with men's and women's secondhand clothing. They also sell new accessories like necklaces and earrings. Their jeans section against the wall organizes the sizes by American sizing (6, 7) rather than European sizing (29, 30, etc). While there, I spotted clothes from Ann Taylor, Forever 21, H&M, Banana Republic, Seven for All Mankind jeans and some cute clothes with brands I didn't recognize. My friend told me the unknown brand I was looking at might possibly be from Urban Outfitters. Regardless of brand, they do seem to stock clothes that people would want to buy. They had a lot of cute stuff. I was unsure about a top I was looking at it and my friend advised me to get it. There were a lot of people in the shop and it probably would not be there on my next visit. I imagine that items here move fast. They stock a variety of items: coats, jeans, purses, dresses, shirts, shoes and more. They carry more items that would be office appropriate than some of the other vintage shops. Currently they are discounting sale items but I did not find a large amount of clothes on sale. The prices are still good for vintage. For instance, a pair of Seven for All Mankind jeans in really good condition was going for $40. Plenty of shirts here are under $15, even with tax. I think what they carry the most of is shirts and tops but they do have a good variety. The two times I've visited, there has been a high volume of people selling clothes. Be sure to inspect your clothing before purchasing. They have an exchange policy of 5 days with the tag still on the garment and the receipt. They do not issue refunds. read more

Got a little early to my selling appointment, then they started to sort through another customers items that got there after me. No bueno

I actually really enjoyed browsing in here while I had some time to kill before my haircut. The unfortunate thing was I found a whole bunch of stuff I liked but one in my size. I think if you're small or medium it's easy to find suitable items .... the large sizes here aren't very large either. The men's selections seem to be pretty darn good. I looked through some of those too. The staff was friendly when you enter, they greet you, and then they leave you to browse in peace. read more