To ask what the best things you have bought in charity shops are?

[malificent7]

I used to turn my nose up but since getting older i have become a fan of charity shops.
Some of the best bargains are:
Boden dress brand new
Vintage 80s shirt dress...beautiful
Beautiful tea set for £2
An amazing flower fairy snw globe worth ££££...Bought for it 8...sold it for 60 on ebay

So, so many lovely things. I volunteer 2 shifts a week in my local shop and rarely come home empty handed. (And before someone goes off on a rant about how volunteers cream off the best stuff for 20p or just steal it, there are strong policies to stop that happening).

Currently knitting with some lovely wool (proper wool, not acrylic) which was priced cheap because it had all been taken out of the packet.

Couple of winters ago bought a really lovely 100% wool Hobbs coat, brand new with tags. £20.

Pair of never worn Doc Marten chelsea style boots which are the comfiest things ever and indestructible.

For the kids - large bag of Lego without any instructions, marked as "may contain Harry Potter", cost me £15 and after a lot of effort by teenage DS turned out to be the Hogwarts Castle set with just a dementor missing.

Lots of smelly candles, books, scarves...

Cath kidston dress, brand new with all tags still on, for £6

Two Jasper Conran dresses, brand new with tags, £5 each.

An oak side table, some vintage bakeware, a boardgame.

2 breakfast bar chairs for £1 each. Just needed a bit of a clean.

Lego set, almost new, just missing the stickers, RRP18. 99, paid £2.50.

And other DD found a TU nightie decorated with unicorn and mermaid animals for £2, during a very concerted nagging campaign from her to buy a nightie.

Both on the girls' first trip to a charity shop, so a bit worried how high their expectations will be the next time I take them!

I think many charity shops are pricing themselves a little high these days and enjoy going to the Tip shops where the old spirit of charity shops ie for charity and still inexpensive to help those on low incomes pervades still. My recent finds are a pampered chef veg chopper for £2 and a bench top apple peeler for £2. Before now have had singer sewing machine £8, Curtain pole - v long and large £2 and half a door handle - that matches my other half of a broken one for £1

I love it, and I get tip runs done too

I always look in charity shops for a certain brand of shoes I love.... I've managed to find 5 pairs in the last 6 months and 3 of them were in my size! Paid under a tenner for each pair which I'm more than happy with!

the old spirit of charity shops ie for charity and still inexpensive to help those on low incomes

That's not what charity shops are about though. They are there to raise money for their cause, whether that be cancer, animals, famine relief, children's projects. Only a charity with a side aim of UK poverty relief would price deliberately low to help out people on low incomes.

I love charity shop threads! Recent finds a miss selfridges dog tooth blazer for 2.50 and next skinny jeans new with tags 1.50 I just can't bring myself to pay full price for new clothes anymore and it's so much better for environment

A GIGANTIC box (basically a skip - it took two to carry it) full of Thomas Tomy trackmaster track and about 20 trains, for £10.

Im with you on the environment ....

I like cashmere so I usually get it in charity shops.

Large hard bodied suitcase on wheels for £4 that only had a few scratches.

When DD was a baby I picked up a Monsoon dress and cardigan set for 50p. Used it for an ocassion then put it on eBay and got £27 for it.

That's true Silene but it does depend on the area too, I or in a fairly depraved area charity shops in my town have low prices otherwise they would never get any customers .

I live *

Tods bag
Osprey bag
Brand-new Modalu bag
I have several YSL, Calvin Klein silk shirts
My favourite thing is Mondi wool skirt which is perfect for me.
I have lots of Ted Baker and Karen Millen dresses I've bought in charity shops and dress agencies.
I have several high end designer coats also bought in charity shops.
Years ago charity shops were less savvy at knowing brands and you could find fantastic bargains, not so much now.
I found some Chanel shoes on Saturday. The real thing.....too big for me, but at £85 from a dress agency someone is going to be very happy.

Minitheminx...where do you live? Sounds fab!

malificent7 I live in West Sussex. The villages here are good for this.

A NASA dressing up space suit/helmet/backpack. Cost £10 but the dc love it, it has been played with/worn so much in the 2-3 years we’ve had it.

Black leather Converse boots bnwt
Red velvet White Stuff coat

I don’t think i’ve been able to pass a charity shop without going in since about 1990!!

Lots of toys for the kids. Orchard toys for £1, Galt puzzles for £1, Melissa and Doug stuff for £1.50.

I haven't had so much luck with clothes but I'm a larger size so less choice.

A sodden you car park and loads of tops for myself.

*wooden (!)

Dinner suit forDs2. £17.50 5years ago. He wore it several times in Yr13 for school formal dos and for balls etc at Uni and a couple of cruises. It has saved a fortune as similar quality was £150-200 at the time.
also got a set of plates bowls cups etc that matched a tea set we had free with a wasbing machine,for 50p. Eventually DC took some off to Uni and we have a couple of bowls and plates left.

Children’s rain jackets and expensive boots for pence