Charity shop prices

[Whatisgoingonheredear]

I buy a lot of clothes for the kids on vinted but yesterday went to nosey in some charity shops with DD. I used to get a lot of my own clothes from charity shops (now I use vinted) and we went to the same street that I'd go to before.
A spider man long sleeved baby boys shirt that was absolutely COVERED in cat hair for £4. At £1.50 I might not have been bothered about getting all the hair off, but at £4, it's a no and kind of gross.
Most of the baby items were the same price as a new item in a highstreet sale.
DD saw a toy that she liked. It was £5. It wasn't an expensive brand toy and there were pieces missing. I asked if they'd accept £2.50 given there were missing pieces and they said no.
She then asked for a teddy that she liked....that was £10!!! For a charity shop teddy. She had her own money but I did steer her away because I'd feel awful for her letting her spend her savings on such an expensive second hand, maybe third hand, toy.
I looked at a baby walker. It was £20. For a used and donated walker?

Needless to say we didn't come out with a lot. I got a couple of kids items that I thought were OK quality and not so horrendously priced, but then I got home and managed to pick up 6 items on vinted for the same price as 1 charity shop item.
I won't be bothering again. I do donate to charities and am well aware they need to make money but....why is it so expensive? Especially in the current climate and with things like vinted to compete with?
The stock was free to them and charities in my area get discounted rent and discounted business rates.

Under pressure from above to meet ever increasing targets.

The point of a charity shop is to raise money for charity. They shouldn’t be selling stuff that is not clean but the purpose is to raise money, not just give stuff away…

This is why I buy everything from Shein.

I love a charity shop vs vinted thread. I feel the same OP, I don't bother with my local charity shop anymore as 1. It's not a bargain anymore 2. There's rarely any interesting stock.

There's a high street about half an hour from me with a few different charity shops that have more promise, and more likely to have a bargain, but then vinted is right there on my phone and is much more convenient.

We have quite a lot of charity shops where I live - some are very reasonable and others take the absolute p**!
I like the idea that clothes are given a new life but there's also a silly amount of Shein and the like appearing nowadays, often very overpriced. 🫣

I nosed as was after a specific color t shirt for ds school play.
A fruit of the loom, bit faded t shirt £5.50

Amazon £3 with delivery

@Penguinmouse I disagree. They do serve an important function of allowing charities to raise funds, but they also allow people who are on the breadline/struggling to purchase clothing and other things. Local air ambulance is great, £3-5 for most adults and £1/2 for most kids. They're always heaving, raise loads and lovely volunteers. The local cancer research and BHF want £4 for a primark T-shirt, £10 for New Look jeans etc, they're empty and struggling. Charity shops also serve to reduce landfill & encourage recycling. It's not as simple as charge more/make more

Shein is appearing more and more in charity shops - I refuse to buy it from there too though.

I love my clothes to be made by the nimble fingers of children too

Charity shops used to be amazing. In the nineties/early 00s I bought loads there. Prices were very low, but they captured enough of my business that I was overall giving them a decent quantity of my income.

Now I don’t bother, because there’s only ever boring stock priced ambitiously. They get none of my income.

It feels as if the wider consumer ecosystem has outgrown the point where they ‘work’ as originally conceived. But I still love a charity bookshop

There's only a couple of charity shops I bother going too now because the others are too overpriced. I get it if it's a good brand and good quality but when it's stuff from Primark and they want a tenner for it it's ridiculous. I just shop on vinted now as even factoring in the p&p it's still cheaper

You can’t blame the crapness of charity shops for this choice

This style of thread happens about once a month on here.
No one's forcing you to buy there , vote with your feet.
Don't like it, don't buy from them

Oxfam in London is the worst. Prices as high as £40 for a second-hand COS dress??? Seriously?

We find there is a real mixture. Some have items mostly priced at £1-£3 for children's clothes, which is good. I pick up a lot for my son that way because he loves all sorts of messy play. We also donate anything he outgrows that is still in a decent condition (normally smarter things that he doesn't wear to the park etc) so it goes full cycle and feels better for the planet etc.

However, there are a couple near us now which are taking the michael with their prices. I was shocked last time I went in and saw that they were trying to flog Pep&Co t-shirts etc at £5. I don't think they cost that new! The same shop had a pram that they were trying to sell for £500. I appreciate that it was a fancy one but who would ever think of spending that much on a second hand pram?! Maybe I'm out of touch but mine was £250 new from Mothercare and that felt like a hell of a lot of money lol.

Then the Shein/Temu shite ends up in charity shops for more than it cost new... and we end up with threads like this one.

I've come across the argument that the shop is there to raise money for the charity, not to sell stuff for cheap.

But let's be real. People who can afford to buy something brand new in a shop, will buy it brand new in a shop.

The vast majority of people shopping in charity shops are doing it to save money. If it's cheaper to buy new, then they'll just buy new, and the charity shop will lose money.

I used to buy from charity shops for my daughter. Then I discovered vinted. The choice is better. The quality is better. The prices are basically the same, if not cheaper. I can pick up brand name stuff for her that's practically brand new. And I don't even have to leave the house.

If charity shops want to raise their prices, then they're free to do so. But the customers are also free to shop elsewhere, and a lot of them are doing so.

In a time when most people are skint, raising prices for second hand stuff that they got for free, on top of paying reduced rates, no tax, and being run by volunteers... that's going to leave a bitter taste in most people's mouths. Because if it's a choice of ethics over financial survival, people will always follow the money. Just like wetherspoons. People might hate the guy who owns it, for his politics, but their prices are rock bottom and they're always packed. Simple economics. Charity shops are no longer worth it for normal, working class people. So we'll take our money elsewhere.

That’s pretty much exactly what the op is doing

It’s reasonable to want to discuss it, given how much retail real estate in many communities is occupied by charity shops.

I too have seen many of these threads but still find them interesting. At some point surely there will be a shift culturally to make these shops less dominant on the high street if they can’t identify a mode of operating that works better for more consumers

Time for the usual game of charity shop bingo. One shot to be drunk for each call of bingo.

The volunteers are all thick little old ladies who have nothing better to do.

The volunteers are totally thick and cannot recognise expensive brand labels.

The volunteers instantly recognise expensive brands and swoop on them immediately for themselves.

Volunteers get anything they want for free.

Designer goods are all overpriced even though the shop manager knows they will not be sold.

Designer goods are underpriced and should be sold at the proper price to benefit the charity.

The shop has had old tat donated.

The shop is not grateful enough for your old tat even though they have to go through the bin bags and dispose of your unsaleable items that you couldn’t be bothered to take to the tip.

Rates are cheap and magically the cost of electric water and paid staff are free.

And of course (two shots for this one) in pride of place there is the tatty bobbled Primark jumper that someone saw priced at a gazillion pounds

We have had a lot going on recently, clearing recently deceased MILs house, renovating our own, and we are finding it so difficult to get rid of stuff to charity shops. Some of them look like you are trying to give them leprosy if you bring in the 'wrong' stuff.

Sadly we are having to take a lot of good stuff to the tip, because we just need to get rid of it.

Yep.. I was an avid charity shop shopper..
Our local one sells kids clothes that are awful.. washed out, stained and bobbled..and way over priced. They had newborn vests that were grey for £1.50...you can buy new in packs for cheaper..
I don't bother anymore..

I sympathize with the frustrations of anyone who volunteers, I’m sure it is actually a tough job. I wouldn’t be up for doing it — sorting sometimes dirty/depressing donations, fielding challenging customers. It must be exhausting.

but while I respect their efforts, that doesn’t change the fact the business model (if that is the correct term) now feels out of step with social trends and sadly the magic is gone for a lot of former regular charity shop users

This is the wrong answer...

I went around some today.

If they're going to put stained and unwashed clothes out - fine, you can't ensure everything is washed - but fgs lower the price.

I saw a dress I really liked but it was gross to even try it on. And £10 for the privilege of buying.

Book that some silly person has written in and underlined throughout - £3.50. Lucky I opened it, and didn't assume it was good condition going off the cover.

They don't have to give stuff away but logic dictates that if they sold things for 50% less than they charge, they'd probably sell substantially more, also creating space for new stock.