If not charity shops, then where?

[TakeTheLowRoad]

Where I live, there are quite a few charity shops. I reckon there are 10.

I very rarely sell things, and often just pass them onto the charity shop.

So, yesterday I took 10 books out with me. They are young reading books, unused or very lightly used. Some very current novels, just out and just read. Excellent condition. I went to 5 charity shops where I was asked/ told; "what are they?", "we don't need books", "we have enough stuff already" and "we are not taking any more things". It is not just books either, I've taken other things and been turned away. The Dogs Trust told me they only take books about dogs.

I kind of understand, but if they don't want them, where else can I donate to? Are there any schools/ organisations that I can pass them on to? What about clothes?

Ziffit?

Do you have any Little Free Libraries where you are?

Local schools around me are always pleased to take books. Our library also accepts donations too but I'm not sure if all libraries would, definitely worth asking though.

Look on Facebook for book exchange/library groups. Someone will come and take them.

I gave a huge bag to the school. You could check if they eat them at your local toddler group or community centre.

Book exchange - have seen these in supermarkets?
Put them in bundles (by age?) for free on Freecycle, Olio, FB Marketplace
Offer to local school or nursery?

National Trust places usually have a second hand book shop, and a couple of supermarkets near me have bookshelves with second hand books.

Here Tesco, Morrisons and B&Q have shelves where you can donate or buy used books for charity. I don't know if that exists in your area but it might as I've seen it in more than one Tesco and Morrisons store.

Someone in our local railway station kindly put in a book shelf and local people exchange books there.

I gave up on charity shops a long time ago. I always just put stuff in the charity bins in supermarket car parks, the bags you get through the door or advertise for free on Facebook.

If its kids books I'd give them to the nearest school or nursery depending on the intended age of the books.

Charity bookshops
Oxfam book banks
Global Education Trust bookshops (charity that offers books and magazines for a discretionary donation)
Offer them on freegle or freecycle.

One of my local charity shops stopped accepting books because they just didn't have enough space to cope with storing them

We have several Little Free Libraries nearby, and they are well-used - everything seems to go!

If you have children at local schools then you could ask if they would like ones of an appropriate age group for their libraries.

Books are genuinely a bit of a glut on the charity shop market so I'm not surprised that's they're being honest with you.

I get rid of unwanted books as follows:
Music Magpie: you get the app, scan the barcodes, they tell you whether they want them and what they'll pay for them, you post them off using a free code, and they pay you. If your books are genuinely newish and popular then it's a good way to recycle them and get a very small amount of money in return.
Neighbourhood WhatsApp Group: Offer them up for free, someone else will take them
Tube station book swap shelf or Local mini-library: cupboards in tube stations or on quiet roads where you can leave or take books.
Book sale corner in local pub in aid of charity.
Leave them on garden wall in a box labelled Free to Good Home

Your local Freecycle

Put any decent clothes on Vinted.

Charity shops I my locality never refuse donations , although I just usually place the stuff on the donation table and run out 😅😅

You're saying people in charity shops asked you what books were? I think not. Charity shops get billions of books, they have far too many most of the time. Find a free library or put them up as free on a local FB site.

It's interesting to see that so few charity shops want books. In my area they're almost always looking for books.

Ours has one too. It's such a lovely touch. This thread reminds me actually how I need to add something current to the shelves as the books there atm are from the 70s!

Some of the bigger supermarkets near me have a book "stall" of sorts - (I think a charity sorts them out/gets the money) - both my closest Tesco stores and bigger Sainsbury's have them.
Also Telephone Box Libraries in a couple of the villages.
Something similar for you maybe?
I buy from and donate to all of them.

You're saying people in charity shops asked you what books were?

I read that as they asked the OP which books/type of books she was donating.

Our local facebook page has a free to a good home section so oftern post on that. The admin people of the page have businesses in the town so you can drop your small items into one of them and they can be collected from there if you cannot meet up.

Same here and a couple of the pubs do too