to think charity shops are too expensive and have lost the plot

[Hermi0ne]

Its just silly at this point. Was browsing through one of my local ones and they want 5 quid for a bobbly primark shirt! I can get that new for less! I thought, originally, charity shops wanted to also help poor people being able to afford clothes, those days seem long gone. It just really annoys me.

Christian Community Action ( have 5 or 6 shops and a furniture outlet around Reading) are exactly what a charity shop should be. They keep the best clothes and furniture to give to clients referred to them , kitting out whole flats for those given a home that is unfurnished. They accept clean kids underwear and other stuff most shops won't, if they feel it fulfills someone's need. The shops sell the rest at a good price and have advice/support centres for those in need too. They get referrals from social services etc so always looking for bedding/ kitchen equipment as well as clothes.
They too get too many books and DVDs so may say they don't want those though.

www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/10/oxfam-looks-to-discounting-as-high-street-shops-struggle-with-competition

I agree with OP. Those of you saying charity shops are too dear, where do you buy from? Car boots? EBay?

Their lack of knowledge re brands and antiques is quite staggering sometimes. (especially when all you have to do is google if you think something is worth real dosh). Home town cats protection league shop had a pristine art deco Clarice Clift tea set! Flog it at local auction house mile down the road and they could have got x3times what they were asking!

It's a joke brian, just reduce things figs, not spend more money on e tea shops, that could be used for helping people.

YAsoNBU. I agree about the BHF furniture shops someone mentioned upthread - who the hell is buying this stuff?! It's like the BHF haven't twigged about Ikea existing. Oh yes please, I'd love to pay 40 quid for a scuffed MDF bedside table which looks at least 25 years old . And just because it is old does not make it 'vintage'! It makes me angry because I suspect some of the people buying this stuff are the people who either can't afford to go to Ikea or aren't clued up about the price of things, so effectively they are actually ripping off the poor and vulnerable in the name of raising money for their charity. Ethical much... I love the local sally army shop which is very clearly aimed at providing a local service as much as making money for the salvation army.

charity shops are good for books - paperbacks - unless they are the big name charities
my local charity shop has all paperbacks 50p and all hardbacks £1
so I buy the p backs, read them and then take them back so they can re-sell.
I do always browse for childrens toys/books etc for grandchildren and these are often as new or better.
those that support a charity I am in favour of and sell things at reasonable price get my custom (and my donations)

The charity shops mil volunteers at has cash targets to meet
Otherwise the lease and business rates would mean they were making a loss. Unfortunately they still have to pay rent, services charges, utilities, business rates etc and make some profit for charity.

The poor manager is under considerable stress to
Keep the shop afloat. Also mil
Is 65 she woukdn't have clue how to check out antiques etc on the Internet.

I bought 2 sofas in good condition from BHF for £70 a couple of years back, but when I browsed in their furniture shop recently I was shocked how expensive they were.

A local hospice sells used furniture for a fraction of the price, I got dc's a wardrobe for £20, BHF were all over £80.

Some charity shops are wildly inconsistent with pricing. I work in an antiques shop - I have a vague idea of what I'm about.

Our local one has had two Staffordshire flat-back dogs (for £80) and a large early Victorian ashet (£49) for months. We have better condition, similar items in our shop for cheaper. They're simply not worth that much. They're always overpricing Mason's ironstone ware as well...

However, I have had silver pieces from them for practically nothing. I got two c. 1906 silver ladles for £6 (scrap value alone is over £80 by their weight) and recently bought a lovely 1933 silver teaspoon for 25p.

Thing is I used to volunteer there. The amount of silver I took to my manager for repricing was ridiculous (for example, a large silver sauce boat which was priced at the lofty value of £3.50). They weren't interested!! They could have got at least ten times that. Or scrapped it and got even more! However, if any books look even slightly valuable they bung them straight onto abebooks.

One shop in another local town had a beautiful Mulberry tweed trench coat for £80. Yes, it was expensive for a charity shop but if it had been my size I would have had it! I don't think there's anything wrong with asking for more money if the value is truly there. But that's probably not true for bobbly Primarni jumpers

All the ones in town centre are way too expensive don't bother looking tbh. Very local one is an independent very reasonably priced and has easy access for people to drop donations off. So massive stock turnover - has huge porch overhang so donations appear every night/weekend etc.

Our local Oxfam has paperback novels for £4.99!

I got a 3-sester recliner sofa from BHF a few weeks ago for £130. I'm delighted with it, but it was rather the exception that proves the rule.
I also found a pristine Boden linen dress in a BHF shop for £10 which I'm always getting compliments about, a lovely Monsoon skirt £3.99 and a White Stuff skirt £3.99. They were from Barnardo's. Oh yes and a White Stuff dress for £5 from our local RSPCA shelter shop.
There are definitely bargains to be had if you look hard enough, but in the main I agree with the OP.
My rule of thumb for charity shops is I won't buy anything which is originally from somewhere cheaper than Next and I usually look for Boden, White Stuff etc. I don't find a lot, but what I do find I generally love.

I don't mind the prices - they're here to raise money - but I do mind that they're full of crap.

Raise money, tuh, how much of it actually goes on the cause, or to line fat cat pockets and pays corporation costs.

All charities publish their accountsAeroflotgirl so you can look it up. But yes, charity shops have to cover rents and rates and bills just like a business does.

I don't know Aeroflotgirl. Do you?

The ones round here (S.E) are getting worse for prices. It is really hard to get a bargain now. Some smaller shops are still good but the main ones are selling clothes for stupidly silly money; primark vests ,second hand, going for me than they would cost new! The worst offenders hardly have anyone in there because they are too greedy. Serves them right.

What you describe in the op is a poorly managed charity shop. My former manager was v tough on the more elderly volunteers who grew up with make do and mend attitude. There are also different grades of oxfam shops, so you pay more for the same in Richmond than in Morecambe for example.

nothing wrong with 'make do and mend'
it is usually 'elderly' volunteers because they have the time (and do it for free !)

The brc in my town has had a huge price increase nothing under £8 in the clothing bit

Charities are 'Not for profit' organisations, does this not apply to their Shops? i thought they were only allowed to sell items at market value and that's brand new, if its beyond that they are actually breaking the law.

Er, if they were not-for-profit on their charity shops they wouldn't make any money from them, and without raising money they can't operate! Of course they can make a profit, and I have no issue with that - more with the fact that some of them have no idea of the value of the items they are selling. Market value is not some fixed value set in law, it is just what people will pay!

"Not for profit" doesn't bear any relation to the price they sell their clothes at. It just means the organisation doesn't make a profit, although it will usually make a surplus instead.

I'm certain it's not illegal to offer goods for sale at higher than market price- market price is extremely difficult to determine and its up to the buyer to decide whether they want to accept the offer.

However, I agree that done charity shops are terribly expensive. I'm not really a fan as they smell funny

X posted with Zoe!