To think charity shops should be cheaper?

[Chocolatelover45]

The prices in my local charity shops are ridiculous (small northern town) .
E.g.
£2.50 for a rattle
£1 for a scuffed pint glass
£3.99 for a children's t shirt (George)
£1.50 for dog eared children's paperbacks
£4 for hardback puzzle book with half the puzzles already completed
£2.49 for 4 small plain Christmas baubles

Why do they charge so much? Surely they'd sell a lot more if it was cheaper? Or is there a good reason?

You do realise the 'charity' is not you don't you?

They’re trying to make money for their charity. Buy the stuff or don’t. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I agree, and it's got much worse over the past few years. I think charity shops used to serve a dual purpose - revenue for the charity they represent, and a cheap source of goods for those who struggle to afford new stuff. The second has gone by the wayside somewhat.

Nah I agree OP.

If I can buy the same thing new (more or less) for the same sort of price, I'll buy it new

I agree. Why would I spend only £2-3 less than the price for it brand new??

They’re trying to make money for their charity. Buy the stuff or don’t

Well yes that's my point. Presumably they want people to buy it. I would buy more of it if it was cheaper. They aren't short of donated stuff to sell - in fact some are turning it away. Couldn't they make more money by selling more for slightly less money?

I agree! I was just saying this the other day, I used to live in Edinburgh and they had a 99p charity shop, everything was 99p, all clothes people brought in, they had a very fast turnover of stock, loads more things got sold, it’s a great system.

I agree OP. They seem quite greedy now. Some of the prices you’ve mentioned are very close to new prices.

Maybe someone here works in the sector and can explain?

The things the OP describes do seem very overpriced. Prices of 2nd hand items do need to take the price of a brand new version into account or nobody will buy.

I totally agree. I buy alot and donate to charity shops and ones with fair prices I keep going back to. ones with high prices for low quality items I won't. I have no problem paying more for quality, there's one near me that's set out like a boutique and I've bought a coat for £15 and dresses for £6 but they were decent brands and great quality. my usual ones j visit are between 30p-£2 on books, 50p-£1 for dvds and clothes are generally under £5 (highest price point for coats and high quality items)

I know charities need to make the most they can but they need to be realistic. books and dvds should be under £2 each as people are likely to buy these frequently and if you sell at a fair price customers will keep coming back. before I got a kindle I would buy 3-4 books per week.

I think it’s a balancing act, they need to be able to spot items of value and price them appropriately but equally price low value items fairly too. Often you’ll get a whole row of tops all similar prices, the Boden and Mint Velvet only 50p or £1 more than TU, F&F, George or Primarni. There’s one I know if where everything’s £1 and the cash register literally doesn’t stop ringing. I bet they make much more than the pricier ones!

The things the OP describes do seem very overpriced. Prices of 2nd hand items do need to take the price of a brand new version into account or nobody will buy.

I notice this particularly with the children’s books. Some are dog eared/scribbled on and all 1.99 at my nearest charity shop. They won’t come down on price for a book that has been a bit bashed about.

Now with the internet they check values of items ( albeit they are new) and price accordingly, it can be frustrating when they have primark etc at dearer or same price as new but I suppose it covers rates etc... for the shop.

turkey People donate to charities to help the cause the charity says it supports. If it compromises that in order to help some other, unpublicised aim (ie cheap goods for shoppers) it's not doing what it said it would do with the donations entrusted to it.

I agree some clothes in charity shops seem pricy but someone must be paying those prices or they wouldn't be doing it.

I agree. Our local charity shops have stopped taking donations as they have no more room to store stuff. Lower the prices. Get the stock shifted. Take more stock. Shift it. They'd make more money. People with tight budgets would get bargains. Less clothes would end up as landfill. Win win win.

Doesn’t this thread or one like it appear weekly? Advanced Search anyone?

I donated mountains of glass and China to a local charity shop... almost a year later most of it unsold due to the ridiculous high price stuck on it !. I do buy from another one which has good stuff and low prices.. Barbados has nice things and fair prices.

I agree OP, I like a wander around the charity shops and the prices vary vastly. It really annoys me when they charge £4/5 for a supermarket brand top that was probably only £8-10 to start with. Happens a lot with primark stuff too.

I think it’s up to them how best to price their stuff, OP.

This is it, there’s good charity shops that actually have a decent turn over of stuff.. they aren’t making money charging as much as buying new vs the shop down the road that’s £1-5 for most things. I get they’re raising money for a charity but nearly everything’s second hand, likely has signs of use or wear and in ours occasionally half working (with the line didn’t you check it first.. yes I’ll stand with an air fryer making chips and press every button on this toy in your tiny shop just incase). And at the moment they have a living room set (table, tv unit and small table) for the bargain price of £300.. not including the £30 delivery. Tell me I couldn’t get something from Argos/IKEA for that.. it’s nothing special either mdf flat pack.

I agree @Chocolatelover45. They have a price list in one of them that they have to adhere to, so for example single wardrobe £70 (never mind you can get the exact same one cheaper brand new).
We went into one a few weeks back and saw a high gloss bookcase, it had a charity shop price tag of £85. On the lower shelf was the original price of £40 from the retailer.

I get they are a charity and I’m happy to give my money to them. I’m not happy to be ripped off though! Bear in mind people who are strapped rely on these places too, seeing an old tatty sofa for £200 doesn’t inspire much faith either.

Bigboots you’re right - there are two near me who routinely stop taking donations. One is on the pricier side, the other can sometimes be quite cheap although they tend to make up the prices as they go along so it does vary.

A friend of mine volunteers in a local Charity Shop (Ireland). They have a manager who manages four or five shops within a 30 mile radius.Their policy is every book is €2 regardless, a ladies winter coat is a set price regardless off condition etc. They are given no discretion to price items so often end up pricing items from Primark etc at double the price of what it was bought for.