Massachusetts’ Binstar Store Is a Treasure Hunt for Deals

AVON (WBSM) — A new store in Massachusetts is generating buzz about its bins, as Binstar is turning trash into treasure for less than a $20 bill.

Binstar buys returns and overstocks and then offers them up to its customers at deeply discounted prices. According to WCVB, items returned to Amazon or its third-party sellers would normally end up in the trash, but Binstar buys them and gives them a second life, even if they may have a few flaws.

Here’s how it works: items are put out into the bins on Saturday at $19 each. It could be something like a juicer or Yeti tumbler all the way to an iPhone or a video game system. Then the price drops each day (and items that are more aligned with that new price will be added in).

Sundays are $15, Mondays are $10, Tuesdays $8, Wednesdays $5, Thursdays $3 and Fridays are $2. Anything left in the bins after 4 p.m. on Friday goes for $1.

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So while you likely need to be there right at 10 a.m. on Saturday when the store opens to find the mega deals, there are still various items throughout the week that may be of interest to you.

Intrigued, I decided to pay a visit to Binstar in Avon on Thursday, when all items in the bins are $3 apiece. I arrived at about 1:30 p.m. to a store that was busy but not packed. This location has been open since June of last year, so word has certainly spread to all the bargain hunters.

When you walk into Binstar, you enter a large area where there are probably about four dozen different bins containing various items for sale.

To the left of that room is a separate section where clothing and shoes are presented for sale.

The shoes are all lined up and the clothing is hanging on various racks; there was far more women’s and children’s clothing than men’s clothing.

The shoes ranged from knockoff Crocs to a variety of sandals to sneakers, with a few dress shoes in the mix.

There were also some large cardboard boxes with loose clothes as well. I didn't dive too deeply into those because it seemed like it was also mostly women's clothes in those as well.

Clothing is a fixed price every day between $5 and $15.

I found mostly brands I’d never heard of before, but there was one pair of Levi’s jeans on the men’s rack for $10. Alas, they were just a bit too small for me (by the way, there are no fitting rooms at Binstar).

The real draw, though, are the bins. I dove right in to see what treasures might be there for the purchase.

What I found was a hodgepodge of various items, opened and unopened packages, and a general state of confusion as to what most of the items actually were.

For example, one package that I thought held a black tablecloth was actually some kind of bed skirt, which I only found out when another bin had many of them opened and out of the package.

There were also some plush figures that were apparently from some sort of horror video game. Some were opened and some were still in shrinkwrap.

I did find a few items of interest, however. There were some foam skeleton yard decorations, a small carrying case, and a foldable easel for poster boards that caught my eye. I also found a nice hooded lightweight jacket in the clothing section for $10.

For me, though, the best deals I grabbed were a removable shower head kit – one of the flow restrictors was broken inside the hose, but I always pull those out anyway for maximum water pressure – and two sets of foam headgear that are used for CPAP masks. As someone who sleeps with a CPAP and has broken those straps right before bed, they’re worth having on hand as a temporary fix at a price of just $3 each.

Binstar currently has three locations – the one in Avon, one in Brighton, and one in Saugus that is opening May 11. If you ask me, there is plenty of empty retail and mill space in the greater New Bedford or Fall River area that would make it the ideal location for Binstar’s fourth store.

So all in all, it wasn’t a fruitless trip to Binstar, but I think the next time I go, I’ll try to get there on a Saturday or a Sunday.

If you go to Binstar and get an especially good deal, let me know about it at tim@wbsm.com.