What do charity shops want?

[Emergencycake]

I have been having a bit of a clear out and found some bikinis that will very unlikely ever fit me again, and that got me wondering would it be ok to donate them, or is that a no no?

Any advice on that and other items would be helpful. Thanks

Not at this time of year as they tend to put out seasonal stuff and have limited storage!

Other than that alamost anything (not electrical goods unless they specifically say so, or prams, cots and car seats).

A couple of our local charity shops are saying no to books at the moment. They have a huge amount to get rid of first.

I always follow the approach 'would I buy this?' i.e is it manky? is it like new? Has it faded? Is it stained?
If you would buy it in it's current condition then send it in. If not, then recycle it

I am a charity shop volunteer. We would take bikinis but they go straight into recycling as we don't sell second hand nightwear, underwear or swimwear.

Other things which can't be donated (or which you should check before donating)

Toys - must have the CE safety mark.
Electrics - battery operated fine, plug-in has to be PAT tested and not every shop can do that.
Counterfeit - we cannot legally sell your "Gucci" bag picked up for 3 euros in Majorca.
VHS videos - unsaleable, and DVDs are rapidly going the same way
Audio cassettes - obsolete
Real fur - many stores choose not to sell this, check first
food and drink - can't sell as we can't guarantee how it's been stored
opened toiletries - again for hygiene reasons
stained or ripped clothes - although we can recycle and will love you forever if you mark the bags as rags.

We do want:
Good quality clothing for men, women and children. Out of season is fine, most stores have storage. Household items like kitchenware, ornaments, bedding in good condition. Vintage stuff from the 60s/70s flies off the shelves. Craft stuff like yarn, fabric, kits. Candles and unopened toiletry sets sell well, books, pictures, jewellery too.

Charity shops near me refuse books, kitchen equipment, toys and children’s clothes. They say that they can’t shift them.

Finfintytint I had an excellent selection of books and six charity shops refused them last week 😔
They went in one of the charity bins in recycle centres but I wonder if they’ll ever be read now!

I would suggest only giving books that are in good condition and at least have a chance of being sold.

I once volunteered in a charity shop for a little while and books would often stay on the shelves for weeks and then be sent to other branches.

Oh and to add to the list of can't sell...

those free CDs or DVDs you get with newspapers
used pots and pans
those little ceramic dishes you get GU type puddings in
anything which could be a "weapon" - had a machete handed in a few months ago
safety equipment - bike or riding helmets, lifejackets, buoyancy aids, car seats. We can't guarantee safety.

This is actually a hugely helpful list. Thanks

Seasonal items, household items. Cuddly toys tend to be thrown out if it is Cancer Research, as will a lot of donations. Dumped outside for the binmen (here) or at the back of the shop for the thieves to load into vans at night (Cobham).

Hospice Shops are more grateful so I donate to them, or to independent animal rescues who will fill the shop as much as possible before dumping things rather than having a few rails of overpriced clothing.

Also remember that anything really nice won't reach the shop floor, it will go home with the volunteers, maybe for a few pence. Not all, but many do this. I have been inundated with gifts from a volunteer at a shop, all of which have been re-donated to someone who needs to sell to pay for her rescues and know someone else who has filled their house with donations as a perk for being the manager.

I prefer to offer to people on Freecycle that will use it, if you look at their requests and avoid those that ask for everything you can find someone that needs what you are offering.

In France they have wooden book boxes on legs in many towns. You donate books or take books out all free. Brilliant idea.

If you do give away VHS videos, make sure the tape hasn't been cut. I remember that happening sometimes.

I have bought bathing suits from Oxfam- one of them I used for years and still have.

Some shops might not want them, but others will!

Also remember that anything really nice won't reach the shop floor, it will go home with the volunteers, maybe for a few pence.

Total and utter bollox. Any decent chain is well aware that reputation is everything and will have a way of controlling what is being bought, by who, and for how much. The place I volunteer certainly does. And besides, there is so much "really nice" stuff that volunteers couldn't possibly buy it all. Why would I buy shoes that don't fit me, a coat which isn't my size or a vase when I have six at home already?

Didn't take long for the snide digs at volunteers to start, did it?

Hospice Shops are more grateful so I donate to them

^^This

Though I have to be careful not to buy from them at the same time I'm giving a donation.

We will take unused swimwear - either with the tags on or the wee hygiene sticker thing on the gusset.

Just not used stuff. Or even stuff which we suspect hasn't been used, but all tags or stickers removed. It can still be recycled though.

Oh just remembered another thing - candles. They sell really well but we are not allowed to sell candles which don't have either a sticker on the base on a warning thing somewhere with the "do not leave unattended" type warnings. So if you've got a box of tealights with a few missing give us the whole box instead of tipping them out.

Didn’t think charity shops would take bedding? Cancer Research turned down a beautiful thick quilt / duvet and a huge goosefeather duvet in excellent condition - we ended up taking them to the tip as a result. if someone could have made use of them.

By bedding I meant duvet covers and bedspreads rather than duvets - we don't sell those. But again, can be recycled.

Not sure why.

The best possible thing you can do is to ask the charity shop in question. I was a manager at a charity shop and what we accepted varied from branch to branch within the same charity, let alone different ones!

PineappleDanish's suggestions are great, but even within that I can see variations to what my shop would and wouldn't accept.

It all comes down to several factors, such as demand, location, storage, price point, so it's really hard to say and best to just ask.

Though a good general rule is if you wouldn't consider buying it, don't donate it :)

Do any charity shops take curtains?

had a machete handed in a few months ago

Yes they do spider

I've bought curtains at a charity shop before now.

I have seen curtains for sale on lots of charity shops.

helloyoutwo animal charities will always take old bedding and towels for animal bedding