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

we have a charity book shop in our town, otherwise it would be the same for books round here.
They donate all the money to clothe children in developing countries.

Ask in your local charity shop. One of ours will take electrical goods and I asked them about stained and/or misshapen clothing to be sold on as rags and they were happy to take everything. and said they would sort the rags from the sellable clothes

For books try your local mental health inpatient unit- ours takes donations of books. Or google Little Free Library in your area.

Re the volunteers basically stealing the stock - most chain charity shops have clear rules. The managers are salaried, not volunteers, they are expected to make a certain amount of money. They need stock to sell at the pre-agreed prices, not for pennies. Most would get rid of volunteers who do this.

Volunteers do get 'first dibs' and they don't care if it's for you or wider family, but you pay the same amount as it would be put on the shop floor for.

Well PineappleDanish we can choose who we are friends with but not who we have to associate with.

Helping people with things sometimes means the latter so if that makes them 'part of my circle' there isn't much I can do about it. You are lucky to know so many people with a conscience, I wish I did.

Anyway, on the items sold, phone up first.

The shop I used to volunteer at had to stop stocking 'linen' - bedding, towel, curtains etc - because it took up a lot of floor space in a smaller shop, and they just couldn't give up the storage space for it all. It also was an area with lots of older housing stock so many people donated curtains that weren't standard sizes, so although really good quality, would take a long time to go. They didn't throw them out though, as a chain shop, they would send them on to another store that had space for a linen section.

Chains do have the flexibility like this in a way that smaller charity shops don't, so worth a call to check.

Don't forget animal shelters and charities! They will often take used, clean bedding and soft toys to use for the animals.

A lot of stuff can be put on your local Freegle. I have advertised successfully duvets, duvet covers, drawers, tvs etc.

Cuddly toys tend to be thrown out if it is Cancer Research

Wildlife hospitals will happily take cuddly toys off you. They're used as a source of comfort for some of the patients. (This is a bear I donated to The Fox Project - where I also volunteer).

As others have said, old towels are also very welcome.

Did you report this abuse of privilege Shitley?

Because it is effectively stealing, and it's stealing from a charity which is so immoral it beggars belief.

I would in your situation put it out for one of the kerbside collections, bit only if it was one of those organised by a legit charity like the Salvation Army and not one of those cash for clothes companies which give a tiny fraction to charity.

As Pineapple suggests*

My local library will take books. Worth a try?

Do old socks count as rags for recycling. Both DS and I are hell on our socks and I never quite like to just bin the holey ones...

Also old pants. I know no one is likely to want to buy second hand pants (trust me, it's a myth that you can make a fortune selling them to perverts on the internet) but, again, other than landfill, any suggestions?

HundredMiles

That image of a fox and his bear is delightful!

It has right cheered me up.

(trust me, it's a myth that you can make a fortune selling them to perverts on the internet)

. . . and you know this how, Reanimated?

Most National Trust places will take books for their second hand bookshops.

To those saying animal shelters will always take old duvets - that's not the case! Animal bedding at any rescue needs to be easily washable at a high temperature for infection control and duvets are just convenient for this. Towels and smaller fleece and cotton blankets are best.

When my mum died in 1990 I took her very good quality clothing (think Jaeger) to a charity shop. Most of it was in brand new condition. She had a particularly striking deep pink Mondi coat that she had only had a month. The lady behind the counter was complimenting me on the clothes. I saw the same lady a week later wearing the coat in town.

I've volunteered in charity shops before. Volunteers had to pay shop floor prices for items, pricing of which had to be confirmed by the manager (not one's bessie mate!) and all volunteers' purchases had to be recorded in an ongoing ledger.

I always put socks and old pants (clean) in those clothes bins outside the supermarket. I think that stuff just goes to rag. Nothing clothes wise should go in landfill unless it's rancid and can't be washed. Doesn't matter if it's stained for ragging.

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

We have similar in Leeds

Harewood House are always wanting books (especially children’s) as they sell then to raise £££ so may be worth checking if a stately home near your does similar

I’d have zero issues with the volunteers having first dibs on the donations - it’s not like they’re getting paid

Wow..dvds are one thing im buying....timmy time, little princess and the dvd of sing with a pig and anything a three year like so please please donate them as friends looking too!!!!

Our local banardos have 3 units on one retail park. A donation center which sells bedding, towels, curtains, books, kitchen wear some furniture etc. A children's shop selling prams and pushchairs clothes, toys etc and a shop selling clothes, shoes, bags etc. The staff really know their stuff and if they can sell it they do. I paid £80 for a PKP last year and picked another up last month for £20 in the charity shop 👍