To ask for your best charity shop bargains?

[kazillionaire]

So, following on from the other charity shop thread, what are your best buys?

Mine was a vendula handbag for £4 in mint condition which is over £200 new 🥰

The shop used to sell wedding dresses but he was buying them before they got onto the shop floor and making a huge profit from them

Mine is different from everyone else’s: A little “speed weaving” mending loom from the 1940s or so. Payed about 4 euro and I see them going online for 70 now, they’ve become popular and are quite rare.

For my kids veja trainers £6 and Burberry trousers £5

Wedgwood tureens charger plates gravy boat all for £2. However I gave them £20 as the charger plate alone was worth £50 perhaps I should have given more

Victoria Beckham skirt for £5.

£20 limited edition book for 10p.

I got some brand new John lewis storage jars for £4 each, they were brand new with £15 each on the labels, so not a huge bargain but I really love them, the colour the finish, I can't stop looking at them !

Every summer DH buys 9 polo shirts from Sports Direct for our summer holiday, that he then wears to death over the following year.

Summer 2019 I suggest he buys a couple of short sleeve cotton shirts as well as it was going to be a very hot holiday.

He went to a charity shop and came home with 10 very nice shirts.... for £10! I don’t think he’ll shop anywhere else now.

The best (and weirdest) thing was a Christian Dior suit for my husband, for £6. The weird part was that it fit him perfectly, so must have been tailored for someone his size (he’s only 5ft 5). At the time we were broke and he had a job interview, so it felt like fate! It worked and he got the job.

A Chalet School book for £2.
When I started collecting books a few years later, I looked at it and realised that it was a first edition and worth around £100

A black leather Hermes handbag, complete with its dustcover, like brand new for £1.50.

Kenwood Chef and all the accessories (blender, Ice cream maker etc) for £20.

A brand new with tags Victoria Beckham dress for £15. It was worth £500 new.

Ooh this is my type of thread. I have so much.

I am not in the UK, and we get quite a lot of end of range, discontinued, returned etc items that are donated by the companies and sent here. We have a few wholesale type shops that then sell them on. But no matter what it is, its all one price. So jumpers for eg, all jumpers are the same price, all jeans are the same price etc etc. I spent ages in there and have quite a good collection of wool, cashmere and yak jumpers. Shoes are the same, I just bought some Clarks brogues for a ridiculous price. My dd has so much branded sports items from there as well. I go every now and then as there is always something different in there. I'm wearing a Mint Velvet silk blend scarf right now, which was pennies. They are all new items, maybe some are returns, but most still have tags.

Then we also have places that bring in used jackets from Europe. But everything is in really good condition. It they are torn are marked they don't get into the warehouse but donated for other purposes. We pay per kg so no matter what you find, it is all the same price. Recently got a Geox leather jacket, Vans, quite of lot of Mango, Next, Sisley, some down filled, some denim, some sports type... It is quite daunting to go in there and pick one or two as there are 1000's. They have wool, cashmere, mink.

I have a good eye for spotting things , and so I usually have to go along with family/friends and help them lol.

I really dislike paying normal prices for anything these days....

@isthismylifenow

Ohhh what's it called just in case I ever find myself in some far flung place in the world and can shop there 😊

A Lino print for £3 framed googled the artist and the print sold in her shop for £190 framed.

[quote feelingsadtoday2021]@isthismylifenow

Ohhh what's it called just in case I ever find myself in some far flung place in the world and can shop there 😊[/quote]
It isn't just one shop, we have a few. So when we are off the red list you should visit me. It sounds like you and I will make a great shopping team

I bought a beautiful double handmade quilted patchwork bedspread in a charity shop in Bridport, Dorset for £10. I just absolutely love it and can’t believe someone donated something so beautiful.

I give away all of our unwanted clothes and toys to charity shops. Most in nearly new condition. I always thought it would help people who couldn’t afford to buy new. This thread is eye opening though that lots of people just look for bargains or opportunities to flip items for a profit online! Are there any clothes banks (similar to food banks) where items genuinely go to people in need?

I’ve got thousands of pounds worth of baby toys and books and equipment. I think I’ll offer it to local playgroups and nurseries instead of charity shops.

A really lovely hand made wooden toy castle. It was £5. Beautiful carpentry, painting is a bit wobbly. The wallls, turrets etc cone off and it packs away into its own base. My dc were probably a bit old for it really when I got it, but it had a couple of years use and still comes out from time to time. It’s quite big and won’t fit through the roof hatch, but I’m hanging on to it for grandchildren! (Despite my eldest child only being 12).

A brand new pair of converse for £10
A fat face hoodie that looked new for a couple of quid.
A named tracksuit in mint condition for my teenage son - £5
I’ve had loads to be honest! Love a good chattery shop (as my 4yo calls them)

A boxed 1970's toy for £10. I queried the price as it seemed cheap but the shop manager said she'd had it valued by the toy dealer up the road so I bought it.

Toy dealer clearly had no idea what he was talking about as I sold it to a toy museum in New York a few weeks later for just over £3k.

I did go back and make a donation. We had just bought a house and didn't have much money at the time so it paid for the kitchen renovations.

Wow! You lot are great.
I bought myself a marble rolling pin for £1.50 as a student from a charity shop. I still have it 23 years (and 8 hours moves later). It is genuinely one of my favourite things and holds so many memories.

@RoseDelatour

Have you just popped onto the post to be smug?

@feelingsadtoday2021 not smug, more shocked that the lovely MaxMara coats and Joseph jumpers and Frugi baby grows etc that I’ve sent to the CS could have been bought for a few pounds and flipped on eBay for a profit. I did a search on Facebook earlier and the local vicar’s wife is asking for donations to the women’s shelter they run through the church. I’ll go down that route in future

[quote RoseDelatour]@feelingsadtoday2021 not smug, more shocked that the lovely MaxMara coats and Joseph jumpers and Frugi baby grows etc that I’ve sent to the CS could have been bought for a few pounds and flipped on eBay for a profit. I did a search on Facebook earlier and the local vicar’s wife is asking for donations to the women’s shelter they run through the church. I’ll go down that route in future[/quote]
Does it matter? The charity is still getting its donation.

If you don't like the idea of people making a profit from the items sell them yourself and donate the profit.