Charity shops seem to be unrealistic with their prices and I can't afford them anymore!

[AutumnFairy01]

Firstly, this isn't to do with not giving to charity. I give to charity separately and donate items to local homeless charities, food banks, etc but I've always loved supporting charity shops too. They're great (or were great) for grabbing a bargain and reusing an unwanted item. I love secondhand wherever possible.

However, I've now come to the conclusion that charity shops are largely unaffordable for me now. I browse round charity shops weekly I would say (in more than one town) and the prices are just crazy! I always buy secondhand clothing for myself, dh and children but quite often the charity shop prices seem more expensive than buying new or at best, very little difference. For instance, in Chelmsford the other day, I went into the BHF shop and I saw a very simple baby's top, not designer or anything and it was £4! And then for adult clothing, I couldn't see anything below £6/7.

Boots sales and Facebook marketplace are my go to places more and more now. Sometimes freebay too.

I can understand charity shops putting their prices up a little with rising costs of everything but there has to be a balance surely?

AIBU to think charity shop prices are unrealistic for secondhand items?

Are they becoming unaffordable for anyone else?

YANBU, St Peter's. Hospice in Bristol used to be too expensive, don't know about now because i don't live there. Some charity shops I know are selling low quality new or scruffy second hand sofas for waaaaay too much. I would happily buy a second hand one that needed a bit of a clean btw, but I'd only buy one that could be cleaned ifyswim.

Yes Vinted is amazing an an often cheaper than charity shops.... I'm addicted to it!

I’ve been giving away a fair amount of stuff as we had a spare room clear out. It’s very apparent that the pricing depends who sorts the clothing at the charity shops.Yes, I do look at the price if I see my old stuff for sale.
2 donated pairs of jeans, 2 diff shops - the used ones were priced higher than the tags on ones I never got around to sending back (yrs old, but pristine) - both contemporary enough.
At the more moderately priced shop I purchased a tags on evening top (Dorothy Perkins) for £3:50. It looks a million dollars as the expression goes 😀

Not RTFT but I agree and now seek out the cheap ones.

There is a bargain Barnados near me where unsold stuff from elsewhere is sent (almost everything £1 except coats and shoes). I don’t bother with BHF or Oxfam but find Age UK is still reasonable, as are the local hospice shops and the Christian mission ones.

My favourite kind are the giant warehouses that sell used furniture and clothes from bargain bins, but then I love the hunt and am happy to dig for diamonds.

don't do Vinted.. hate the idea, tbh. How can you know what you're getting? Anything can look good in a photo
got to say, I'd give Vinted a 8.5 out of ten. Almost all of my items were very good and true to how they were described.

They'll realise when no one buys it and reduce the prices

You're better off selling on ebay and donating the money to charity. Do the leg work for them.

I was in a local one the other day and second hand white stuff dresses (some bobbled) were £20!!!

Choice second shop in Hadleigh is great if you haven't come across it.

How many of you are aware that charity shops are used for community service too? My DD did 280 hours "volunteering" as part of her sentence in one of our local shops (long story - trapped in Mexico, DV etc etc for those of you who remember)

I agree about Vinted. I've had some amazing bargains, incl a Hobbs puffer for £5 plus £3 p & p, a Biba evening gown for 10, a Cos trenchcoat for £30 which I would be surprised had even been worn. I also sell, and it's a zero cost to me as I only use my balance to purchase with.

my favourite charity shop has eveyrthign half price
so £2 for a top instead of £4
suits me

at least you can try clothes on in charity shops, on the whole
i bought a winter coat for £9
amazing bargain

I volunteered at Oxfam for a few months and once another volunteer asked why we were putting the prices at a level people in need couldn’t afford. His response (I quote) “I don’t give a shit about the people in need, the money we are raising here is for our causes!”

Never ever gave donated anything to Oxfam or bought from them since.

I'm glad you mentioned trying things on as our local BHF shops haven't allowed you to try anything on since Covid. The changing rooms are still closed or used as areas to display items.

Perhaps it's different in other areas, but i've been in a few since everything reopened and none of these stores have allowed you to try clothes on.

very off putting if you cannot try things on in the charity shop
and then you take them home, they dont fit, and you ahve to make an effort, go out of your way, to take them back for their aggrieved looks when they refund you,
<<sigh>>

Our bhf shop’s changing room is open and we offer a 30 day refund policy which is pretty generous IMO.

I’d not been in any for ages but was walking Past one last weekend and spotted a little toy, which I thought I would pick up for a friends kid, on a whim. I honestly thought it would be 2 quid at a stretch and was Really surprised they’d priced it at a tenner. I paid it thinking it’s for charity, but I actually felt like I’d been gouged a bit.

Yanbu. I have a big donation centre one near me which is great, but the town centre ones have become a joke.
£20 for a coat, £7 for a top. BHF pricing bric a brac at £5-10. Childrens books at £2.50. They had a Joules mug the other day for £10. They are that or cheaper new!
I try and buy mostly secondhand and like to support charities but I'm not paying those prices, charity or not.

Awful,attitude

I think the prices need to be sensible and surely a faster turnover is better with more customers and stock

I bought a board game at BHF yesterday. I asked if all the peices were there. The member of staff actually laughed at me and asked how much time I think they have to stand about counting peices. He started slagging off customers who ask if their jigsaws had all their peices as if it was a completely unreasonable question.

I asked for the receipt and he said "why? Are you going to bring it back of it doesn't have all it's peices?". I said "yes" and he looked shocked.

It took me about a minute to check all the peices. I get that they wouldn't want to check jigsaws with 1000s of peices but surely in most cases it's time better spent checking the peices than processing the sale, then a refund and dealing with the bad feeling?

Jesus, what a prick.
I can understand on one level, but they definitely have to expect you to bring it back if not complete.

that is appalling
my dm volunteers for a charity shop and actually counts the puzzles to make sure they are all there, if in doubt they throw them away!

Do you also get cross because your local food bank doesn't donate to famine in the Sudan? Or that the RSPCA doesn't train many guide dogs?

I clear out twice a year. I usually have around 5 bin liners full. The odd item I've sold on Vinted or Depop. But tbh I don't have the time to be faffing with Ebay and listing bags of clothes.

You can get White stuff dresses brand new for £20 in their sales too.

I guess like most other high street shops they won't have a choice but to adapt or become obsolete.

Agree with PP that everything I have bought off vinted was as described. When it wasn't I took photos and got full refunds. I have just bought 8 Fatface boys tops for £12 posted off vinted. Noneed to trudge around the local charity shops hoping they have the brands and sizes I'm after. No petrol or parking either. Unless I'm in town for a certain reason I don't go to the shops anymore. I do an adult ed course in town so I mooch about then, but for example parking is a minimum of £3.90 in my big town so I don't pay that unless I really need to go there

It’s one of the reasons I don’t shop in them, plus they smell.