Shoppers Score Big Deals ... at Friends' Homes

>>

Speaker: If I didn't swap it tonight, I was cutting it into a tunic.

>> Kelly Cobiella: It's Thursday evening, and this posh Miami Beach home has been turned in terms of a bargain basement. Here, swapping is the new shopping.

>>

Speaker: This is so cute. That one's great.

>>

Speaker: Oh, Trudy, this is gorgeous.

>> Kelly Cobiella: Fifteen shopaholics clean out their closets and trade their gently worn Gucci for someone else's Chanel.

>>

Speaker: Yeah, not taking out your wallet is fun and getting something new is fun.

>>

Speaker: I think the idea of the barter has been something that's been going on for a long time. I think it's just starting to catch fire now.

>> Kelly Cobiella: Because?

>>

Speaker: Because of the recession.

>> Kelly Cobiella: These days, it's hip to pay less for more -- a lot more. Michelle Lanese bought a whole new wardrobe at Goodwill.

>> Michelle Lanese: There must be 25, 30 pieces for $48.00.

>> Kelly Cobiella: In the first four months of this year, Goodwill sales were up 71 million dollars, a 10 percent increase over last year.

>>

Speaker: You are just as likely to see a woman come in in a brand new Mercedes in a Goodwill as you are in -- on a bike.

>> Kelly Cobiella: Lynn Tella found brand name jeans for her daughter for only $2.00.

>> Lynn Tella: For me, it's a game. It's a hunt. It's entertainment. But it's also -- it just makes economic sense.

>>

Speaker: This is cute.

>> Kelly Cobiella: Which is also why consignment stores, like C. Madeleine's in Miami, are seeing a bump in business. This store is on track to beat last year's sales by $150,000.00.

>>

Speaker: The jacket is fabulous.

>> Kelly Cobiella: Owner Madeleine Kirsh sets the price for the clothes, and when they sell, the former owner gets half.

>>

Speaker: Knowing that I can bring it here and make money off of that is totally a relief.

>>

Speaker: I'm gonna use this, and I was never using that.

>>

Speaker: And I'm gonna put this away.

>> Kelly Cobiella: It's all about recycling. You don't need designer labels to sell or swap, just friends who share the same size and taste.

>>

Speaker: You know that you're at least gonna get some new stuff.

>> Kelly Cobiella: But let the swapper beware, no returns allowed.

>>

Speaker: I asked my swapping partner if she would trade back, and it was an emphatic no.

>> Kelly Cobiella: Kelly Cobiella, CBS News, Miami Beach.

==== Transcribed by Automatic Sync Technologies ====