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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think a charity shop is taking the piss asking these prices?

248 replies

FrasierReboot · 21/12/2023 18:29

Went into a charity shop today. Yes, I get that the charity needs to make money etc etc but....

£40 for worn bobbly Primark and George at Asda coats. Would probably have been half that price brand new

£7 for worn jeans with holes in the bum and or/crotch or seams, again brands such as Primark or George.

AIBU to think this is mad?

OP posts:
Sparklesocks · 21/12/2023 18:32

YANBU - primark and George certainly not worth £40 secondhand (which is odd of them because most charity shops have quite specific guidelines on pricing for the big brands), but we get at least one charity shop prices grumble thread a week 😄

HamHand · 21/12/2023 18:34

I struggle to believe this tbh. The odd thing will be missed, like some holes, but I’ve never seen that kind of pricing for those kind of brands and I’m a reseller so am in LOTS of charity shops.

PainterInPeril · 21/12/2023 18:34

I blame Mary Portas. She went round charity shops and made them be business-like and put their prices up etc. Now the shops are boring and insipid, and overpriced. So, basically now they are like all other high street shops then!

PossumintheHouse · 21/12/2023 18:34

Bizarre. Nobody would pay that surely?! I don’t think that’s common at charity shops, not for those kind of brands. Perhaps they gave the newbie the pricing gun this week. 🧐

Needmorelego · 21/12/2023 18:34

Why are they selling jeans with holes in the bottom?
I've never known a charity shop do that. They'd go into the rag recycling collection.
As for the coats - again sounds unusual. It sounds like they must have a clueless manager. Maybe email the head office (if a big name one) because the area managers might need to have a word with the manager.

Comedycook · 21/12/2023 18:34

Charity shops are shockingly expensive imo. I walked past one recently and saw a zara blazer in there. Went in and it was £40. I don't think a brand new one would be much more expensive than that. Also ages ago saw a set of Dora the explorer books in the window..looked like it said £2 on price tag. Went in and actually they were £20! Even the lady working there remarked that they wouldn't sell at that price.

Fieldofbrokenpromises · 21/12/2023 18:35

Don't buy the overpriced items.

Elclr · 21/12/2023 18:37

I got a Sweaty Betty jumper for £6.99 today. Would have been £70-£100 new depending if it was bought in the sale.

Somedays you win, others you don't. Frustrating and YANBU £40 for Primark. But sometimes you can still find a bargain.

TheYearOfSmallThings · 21/12/2023 18:37

YANBU. I looked at the children's books in Oxfam the other day and they were asking £3.50 for a visibly used Diary of a Wimpy Kid book.

Someone will be along shortly to say "Their goal is to raise the most money for the charity, not to sell you a reasonably priced secondhand book". But the reality is they will sell very little around here at those prices, when the Sue Ryder shop is selling the exact same books for 50p.

DragonMama3 · 21/12/2023 18:39

I have always loved Sue Ryder charity shops.

StarlightLime · 21/12/2023 18:39

Fieldofbrokenpromises · 21/12/2023 18:35

Don't buy the overpriced items.

Nobody will, that's kind of op's point.

ThisHouseWillBeTheDeathOfMe · 21/12/2023 18:39

I have one near me, everything £3 or under.

It's such a bizarre model. Shitty stuff from Primark? £3. Stuff with holes, pulls or stains? £3. Joseph Ribkoff dress still with the tags I bought last week? £3.

Oneblindmouse · 21/12/2023 18:51

YANBU. I volunteer in a charity shop and today I was pricing coats.
We wouldn't attempt to sell anything so worn that it was bobbly. The coats I was pricing today were all under £12. One was a beautiful Italian wool coat which was priced at £9.75. A nearly new Next coat was £7.75.
We are a very busy shop with a huge number of sales. This is because we price items sensibly.

Lollypop701 · 21/12/2023 19:04

Which is why I give away my stuff on local wastesaver sites rather than the charity shop… it’s difficult times and if I’m giving stuff away then I’ll give it to someone rather than charity who charge extortionate amounts

DPotter · 21/12/2023 19:08

I find the big charity shops are the worst for overpricing - £1.50 for a Primark T shirt that was on sale in Primark brand new for 99p is the example that sticks in my mind.

I only donate to and buy from 'local' charity shops now.

Twixandtinsel · 21/12/2023 19:09

I also don't understand the pricing in charity shops. Surely lower prices equals higher volume of turnover?

avemariiiiiaaaa · 21/12/2023 19:11

That's insane

Our local one does 5 books for £1. That's any 5 books.

Kids clothes are usually 50p/£1 an item
Adults ones maybe £2

Designer stuff is obviously more but prices according to the condition/brand

TomatoSandwiches · 21/12/2023 19:17

I donate my children's used but in good condition clothes and coats to the local schools who give them out to children that attend who need them.
The charity shops here overcharge on clothes but not books, managed to get a lovely 2009 edition of Larousse Gastronomique for £8!

GraceFairbrother · 21/12/2023 19:24

Got a designer (first name Lee, he worked at Givenchy, you know the one) wool/cashmere pea coat for a tenner earlier this week. It's beautiful and suits me. Needs a small repair to the lining and a dry clean.

severusmoonlight · 21/12/2023 19:33

I was thinking about starting a thread on this today. British Heart foundation always expensive but outrageously so now. £7 for a half used bottle of Winsor and Newton drawing ink, which is £4.45 new. £60 coats TU, Primark, Next.

Sugarsun · 21/12/2023 19:35

YANBU

I used to go to charity shops and always got clothes for less than £2 but it would now cost me more to shop at a charity shop than in Asda or primark.

I still go to them as I like to find unique clothing.

I also like things like books and jigsaws which are often very cheap.

Sodapop1 · 21/12/2023 19:35

The smaller charity shops are much better than chains for pricing. Went into Oxfam yesterday, a well used Marian Keyes book that I thought would be an easy Christmas read was £2.50! The same local hospice sells all their books for 50p!

Dymaxion · 21/12/2023 19:43

I picked up a lovely wooden Christmas wind up toy/decoration today in a charity shop, £21 and on the sticker someone had written 'doesn't work' , £21 for a broken thing ! Bonkers Confused

Needmorelego · 21/12/2023 19:43

@Sodapop1 I don't mind paying more for books in Oxfam because they set their shops out like actual bookshops (A-Z, crime section, classic section, non fiction, children's etc) so if I am looking for a specific book I can go straight to the relevant section to see if they have a copy the same as I would in Waterstones.
The charity shops that sell cheaper often just have books in a miss-matched order with no logic. That's fine if you want to just browse and see if something catches your eye but annoying if you are looking for particular books.
I am quite happy to pay more because they are essentially offering a better service.

Kendodd · 21/12/2023 19:43

There's a brilliant charity shop near us. Sells everything for £1. It's main point is zero to landfill, the only 'charity' it raises money for is itself.