To be shocked at the price of used clothing?

[GoodShipLollipopBop]

I went into a dress agency yesterday as I've been looking for a very specific colour and style of jumper and haven't seen anything online or in the main high street stores. I found something close to what I was wanting, and was considering purchasing it but when I looked at the tag it was £50. For a used jumper. Whilst I appreciate the brand was Hobbs which does run more expensive, the jumper itself was plain and not identifiable as any particular brand. It also wasn't wool or cashmere or anything fancy. I think it was a blend of cotton and acrylic. This is not the first time that I've been shocked at the prices of used clothing and what people are willing to pay. Most of the time the higher prices are in dress agencies, but sometimes I see quite high prices on Vinted and I wonder will anyone actually pay that?

AIBU to think £50 for a used jumper is reasonable? And that the price of some used clothing is still quite steep?

Obviously brand, style and material will dictate some of this. But percentage wise - for a higher end high street brand is 50% of the RRP still a good deal if it's used? A lot of the time the prices these items are being listed for is more than the clearance sale price that I can buy them for online if they're still for sale.

*this should have read

AIBU to think £50 for a used jumper is unreasonable?

It’s getting really silly in charity shops. I donate good quality used clothing because I like to think that someone else will be able to pick up a bargain and get some use out of well made clothing without having to spend big or resorting to purchasing fast fashion. But the past two times I’ve donated I’ve seen my items on the rack a few weeks later for incredibly greedy prices! I had a monsoon coat that cost me £120 new, they were trying to sell it for £70! Just nuts, I’d have thought £15 or so would be fair and let someone else have use of it. Don’t think I’ll be donating again.

It's ridiculous.

It would be pricey even if it were cashmere, wool etc.

But cotton and acrylic?!

Was it a "designer" brand?

Try eBay or vinted.

I couldn’t agree more. People are asking sale prices (and sometimes close to new prices) for very worn things. It’s crazy.

I find charity shops often price things too high for
what they are these days but I’ve had some amazing bargains on Vinted. I’m a bit addicted to it now.

Surely i

I buy most of my clothing second hand and tbh I would not pay anywhere near £50 for a used jumper unless it was expensive cashmere originally. Generally my budget would be 10-20 an item.

it’s generally better to buy basics in black/ white from shops and buy colours second hand as they are often lightly worn.

YANBU. I almost only shop secondhand clothes on Ebay these days because everywhere else seems to be pricing ridiculously. Plus buyer protection is quite good (as I’m also seller, I’d say skewed towards buyers actually).

Agree! YANBU

What is a dress agency? As they’re not a charity, they may have larger overhardsthan charity shops?

My friend got a Rad.et bag in a charity shop for £80! Defo cheaper I’m t k maxx.
but it’s a lovely mix of different brands and labels so I love

some are more expensive than others.
but generally expensive yes I agree

I rarely buy clothes from charity shops any more for precisely this reason (I blame Mary Portas lol) and having seen the prices in dress agencies I never step in there, no idea who does but presumably enough people do as they still exist. When shopping in charity shops it used to be grab a bargain and support a charity at the same time but now it's cheaper to go on eBay or Vinted plus you get more choice online, so I buy online and if I want to donate to charity then I will. I've actually seen stuff selling for higher than brand new in charity shops e.g. a child's t-shirt for £1.50 which cost £1.30 brand new (it was a Primark t-shirt). I wouldn't pay £50 for a used jumper unless it was cashmere or some such and I REALLY wanted it to boot. Maybe I'm tight tho lol.

Glad I'm not the only one who thinks the prices are super high.

@phishy a dress agency is a place that generally sells higher end of the high street brands to high end brands. You can bring your items there and they will sell them on for you in a nicely laid out shop but they usually take about 40% of the selling price. But because of this the prices are often quite high. But somehow people pay the asking prices.

But I'm increasingly seeing high prices on Vinted as well. For example I've just seen this & Other Stories top on Vinted for £20. It looks a mess and it's also coming up to winter so who is going to want to pay £20 for this?

www.vinted.co.uk/women/clothes/tops-and-t-shirts/short-sleeved-tops/2294073142-otherstories-white-frilly-top 

EBay the same, I always get bundles of clothes for my DD….last year around £10-15 per bundle for m&s, Next. Now, £30-£40!

I think there's always been a mix of expensive & good value charity shops - and I wouldn't expect a dress agency to be cheap.
I went in a charity shop in the week, thought something was pricey (Tu jacket, £10) but then realised that quite a lot of the stuff was new, and half the retail price.

I agree OP and like others I can’t believe the price the charity shops in my area are asking for what are often quite tatty items of clothing.

i’d be interested hearing from anyone that works in a charity shop, on who sets the prices and if they’re shifting items in this current climate?

It’s getting more and more expensive all the time. Things I’d have paid £1 in a charity shop are now £4 and there’s not that much stuff. I was in yesterday at barnardos kids shop and they wanted £19.99 for a used baby carrier. That wouldn’t have even been £5 pre covid. My Moses basket was only £6 and it came with everything stand, surround, mattress, hood, bedding etc.

I buy & sell loads on Vinted examples of recent things I bought & sold include the following (all excellent condition)

Pure Collection pure cashmere jumper £18
Mint Velvet coat (unworn) £35
North Face jumper £5
&Other Stories dress £10
Mint Velvet gilet £10

I don’t see how people who price high sell on Vinted.
I sell loads but price quite low.

Our charity shops are higher prices than Vinted. About the same once you factor in postage. So I’ve stopped looking in charity shops as often now sadly.

Agreed, prices are higher. Certain shops worse than others. I avoid some now. I buy almost all my clothes second hand and I am a little bit addicted to the hunt for a bargain but I balk at spending more than £10 on anything. I broke my own rule the other day and spent £24 on a long Karen Millen coat. It is lovely, though, and I will enjoy it this winter.
I really object to the high prices for what I know are cheap clothes.

YANBU. Slightly different but I offered £3 on a (cheap high street) top that had been listed for 6+ weeks. Seller responded that they were holding out for the full £5 as ‘it’s only been worn a few times’. I mean a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush surely? It’s still listed anyway..

My personal strategy is to list for a maximum of 20% of what I paid for it. So if I paid £10 I list for £2. Unless it’s brand new with tags in which case half price. I figured it’s better to have a couple of quid than something lying around the house that I won’t use.

+it’s generally better to buy basics in black/ white from shops and buy colours second hand as they are often lightly worn*

l never wear black. But l do wear colour. So I’m not sure that’s fully true!

You're making an assumption people are desperate to sell. I'll often list things that I'm not bothered about selling, I'm only willing to sell if I get a certain price otherwise I'm happy to keep. I also can't be bothered with dealing with people for just a few pounds, it has to be worth my time.

OP maybe they're trying to price out the second hand clothing traders who trawl charity shops for clothes to sell at a higher price online.

I was literally complaining to my dm last week about our local charity shops prices! I like to support them but there is absolutely no way i am going to pay £10 for a second hand supermarket cardigan, especially when i can go and buy one brand new for around £15-£18! Its a joke! I use vinted a lot now, its far more reasonable.