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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Thinking Vinted will see Charity Shops out of business?

257 replies

Monty27 · 10/01/2026 02:35

If you're a chazza fan like me have you noticed how they're not busy?
Vinted is new in the great scheme of things and fantastic. It's a new discovery] for me.
I'm not sure how sympathetic I am towards chazzas losing business because the profits aren't shared

OP posts:
Branster · 10/01/2026 08:24

'Chazza'???? What a ridiculous word!

AgnesMcDoo · 10/01/2026 08:24

I'm not sure how sympatheticI am towards chazzas losing business because the profits aren't shared

100% of the profit of a charity shop
goes to the charity.

The entire purpose of a charity shop is to raise money for the charity. Charity law doesn’t allow them to do anything else.

Who do you think they should be sharing their profits with @Monty27?

maybe you could have sympathy with the charity beneficiaries who will lose out as a result of cuts in services e.g hospices that close, homeless shelters that close….

Randalsratfriends · 10/01/2026 08:25

The charity shops I go to are in an affluent area and are always busy when I go in. I buy nearly everything I need in there, both house stuff and clothes. Saves a fortune. I never buy clothes online as I need to try things on before I buy. And I enjoy a trip around charity shops, I don’t enjoy shopping online.

Celestialmoods · 10/01/2026 08:29

Charity shops don’t do themselves any favours with the high prices they charge. They seem to forget that they are selling second hand clothes.

That said, I can’t be bothered either looking at or selling on vinted, and charity shops are a much easier way of getting rid of things.

ALinktoHyrule · 10/01/2026 08:38

Vinted really annoys me since they changed their listings to S,M,L etc rather than 10, 12, 14 - makes searching for say a size 12 much more difficult as it's now in with the 14s in 'M' and a lot of the listings don't even specify. No idea why they've gone down that route but it adds a whole lot of time searching. Apart from that I do love Vinted. My local charity shops are still busy though in general, though expensive.

Alongthetowpath · 10/01/2026 08:39

I’ve never bought or sold on Vinted, though my Dc do buy things occasionally.

I can’t be bothered with selling clothes online, so I prefer to take to a charity shop. We don’t have much now the Dc have stopped growing - DH and I tend to keep wearing things until they fall apart.

I occasionally buy from eBay, but much prefer physical shops, so I’ll look in the charity shops first. In the last few months I’ve bought 2 coats and a skirt, plus a pile of books from charity shops and a suit from eBay.

Personally I hate charity shops being overrun with “brand new without tags” tat that high street shops couldn’t sell.
One thing I like about charity shop clothing is you can see how well something has worn, I don’t want to buy brand new rejects.

EchoedSilence · 10/01/2026 08:43

People have been using 'chazza' for years.

Our chazza shops are far too expensive now. I use vinted far more. Especially for 'new' items.

SALaw · 10/01/2026 08:49

EchoedSilence · 10/01/2026 08:43

People have been using 'chazza' for years.

Our chazza shops are far too expensive now. I use vinted far more. Especially for 'new' items.

Where are people using that word because clearly many of us have never heard of it.

EchoedSilence · 10/01/2026 08:50

SALaw · 10/01/2026 08:49

Where are people using that word because clearly many of us have never heard of it.

Well most people I know would either use it or know it.

ChopstickNovice · 10/01/2026 08:51

I love a charity shop browse! However, what I don't love is the boutique pricing. I'm not saying I want a dress for as little as £4 but also £12-15 for one is too much for second hand IMO.

Whyhaveibeencutoutofmamsnot · 10/01/2026 08:51

Where I live the charity shops are full of Primark or similar at prices not much less than new and in poor condition. People will leave stuff outside when they are closed. Volunteers seem to look down on customers.
The ones where my son lives are much better (north of Watford). The volunteers take an interest in making things look good and smile.

Friendlygingercat · 10/01/2026 08:51

I sell as a business on Ebay (USA) and a couple of other international sites. I avoid Vinted because the prices realised are just too low for the effort you have to put in listing them. Vinted is fpr amateurs clearing out their wardrobe. Nothing wrong with that but the buyers are far too entitled and its too easy to return stuff.

If charitry shops are failing its because they are far too expensive and they will not bargain. Some of the stuff they sell is almost retail price. I used to be able to tour the charity shops in my immediate area and pick up jewellery and accessories to sell in my vintage shops. Now they are asking too much for modern tat. Its much better value to buy a mixed bumdle at auction and split it up into the individual items.

PorkPieForStarters · 10/01/2026 08:51

I've bought far too much from Vinted. I tend to shop for brands which I already know I like, are good quality and I know my size in. Often it's to find a replacement for something I already have which has worn beyond repair. I never find those things in charity shops and it's not for lack of trying.

I find shopping in person overstimulating and overwhelming and I'm overweight so it's rare I can walk into any shop and find things that fit nicely. This is so much worse in charity shops where they cram everything onto the rails and there's rarely anything of my size and, even if there are, they're cheap fabrics or not my style. This has been my experience long before Vinted existed.

If I could find what I was looking for more easily in charity shops, I would absolutely shop there more but, until then, you'll find me on Vinted and eBay.

Thewonderfuleveryday · 10/01/2026 08:52

No. I don't buy clothes on line as it's impossible to tell if they fit, a New Look 10 is very different to a Next size 10. At least in a charity shop I can hold the item against me and get a feel for it.

I've sold a handful of things on Vinted for £1 but it's easier to just drop things at the charity shop.

MarmaladeSandwich7 · 10/01/2026 08:53

I love a trawl round the charity shops although do agree that some are pricing their clothes too high. At my local ones, they seem to put very similar prices on George at Asda etc & designer labels. Also love Vinted as I have sold a lot of stuff in a day that’s been stuck on FB Marketplace for months.

GRCP · 10/01/2026 08:59

There’s space for both - I love charity shops for a browse and to not have to wait or pay postage and I love Vinted to look for specific things or buy bundles of kids clothes. I have sold on Vinted but cba at the moment so donate to charity.

MrsMoastyToasty · 10/01/2026 09:03

My friend recently got made redundant from a paid role in a charity shop (she was the manager). The charity had decided to close all their dozen or so charity shops because the utilities etc required to keep the premises open were crippling them. They now use a different funding model.

HostaCentral · 10/01/2026 09:07

I think there's massive overlap with Vinted/Charity/Ebay. Interestingly when eBay was the only one, it didn't seem to clash with charity shops. eBay then went down in quality, and I think Vinted is now going the same way. Some of the shit being sold for a couple of pounds is just ridiculous.

DD's recent purchases are going to charity as they turned out not as expected. I send all my stuff to the local hospice charity, keep it local. I have brand new stuff not selling in Vinted, so I can't be arsed to keep it around.

Matronic6 · 10/01/2026 09:10

I think the main problem with charity shops, at least London is that the items are priced too high. Zaran items that were likely bought for 30-40 will be on sale for for 15-20. Which is ridiculous for a pre-owned item. Even seen second hand primark for a tenner and a skirt I bought brand new in the m&s sale cost more second hand with damage from a charity shop.

Vinted has a lot more selection, you can specify what your are looking for and can likely find it for a better price than a charity shop.

HostaCentral · 10/01/2026 09:11

Friendlygingercat · 10/01/2026 08:51

I sell as a business on Ebay (USA) and a couple of other international sites. I avoid Vinted because the prices realised are just too low for the effort you have to put in listing them. Vinted is fpr amateurs clearing out their wardrobe. Nothing wrong with that but the buyers are far too entitled and its too easy to return stuff.

If charitry shops are failing its because they are far too expensive and they will not bargain. Some of the stuff they sell is almost retail price. I used to be able to tour the charity shops in my immediate area and pick up jewellery and accessories to sell in my vintage shops. Now they are asking too much for modern tat. Its much better value to buy a mixed bumdle at auction and split it up into the individual items.

Entitled! You are complaining charity shops now ask too much money for stuff you were obviously selling on for a profit. Nice.

travailtotravel · 10/01/2026 09:13

Charity shops exist to raise money for charity. Costs have escalated because of overheads like utilities and national insurance for the staff who are paid (most are volunteers, obvs). The cost of disposal of clothes that aren't fit for purpose is high, too.

The issue for me is largely quality in charity shops - bobbling jumpers from Primark that have seen better days. Sone of that may be down to Vinted... but the bigger issue that drove me to vinted to sell was that charity shops aren't taking new donations

ShanghaiDiva · 10/01/2026 09:15

ChopstickNovice · 10/01/2026 08:51

I love a charity shop browse! However, what I don't love is the boutique pricing. I'm not saying I want a dress for as little as £4 but also £12-15 for one is too much for second hand IMO.

Depends on the brand, surely? £15 for a vg condition Seasalt dress (retail at around £70 new) is fine imo.

fashionqueen0123 · 10/01/2026 09:17

Chazza? What on earth.

Anyway charity shops already sell stuff online they have their own stores on eBay etc they check donations when they are given in and then sell them on there if they’re pricey.

I find clothing in charity shops is quite expensive and especially when you see a primary item for probably more than it was new! I go there for last minute stuff like school dress up costumes

VanCleefArpels · 10/01/2026 09:18

SunSparkle · 10/01/2026 03:08

I work for a charity and Vinted has really hurt charity shops because all of the best condition, highest value garments are now being sold on Vinted leaving bags and bags of either fast fashion, low value, or often dirty/damaged and undesirable clothing being donated. This is hard to sell at any price.

previously the latter category could be sold by the tonne to the rag trade but in many instances charities are having to pay to dispose of it or the cost they receive barely covers sorting, storage and transportation costs.

overheads of charity shops have soared leaving profit margins ever squeezed.

and for those saying charity shops should sell online like vinted. Many do and have tried it but the logistics and fulfilment which is done for free by the users of vinted, but requires staff, warehouses and postage costs for a charity means it doesn’t always remains profitable. For most users of vinted, selling an item for £3 isn’t profitable if you have to take into account time to pack an order and dispatch but we do it because we don’t think of our own time in that monetary value way.

anyway, all of this is to say that some shops are thriving but many are struggling and most of them will be shutting down in the next few years as the model isn’t very viable.

the ones that are working are either a) in affluent areas that get good footfall and good donations, b) retail park superstores whereby they can see house clearance items like furniture too and c) benefit from last season brand new without tags stock from high street retailers which is high value, reliable and free to the charity to sell. However the latter category is not guaranteed or reliable in terms of volume or frequency making it hard to build a business model around.

I was about to write pretty much this. I’ve really noticed a reduction in good quality brands coming into the shop where I volunteer, which is in quite a well to do area where Boden, Reiss, John Lewis, Seasalt etc type brands used to come in regularly.

ChopstickNovice · 10/01/2026 09:19

ShanghaiDiva · 10/01/2026 09:15

Depends on the brand, surely? £15 for a vg condition Seasalt dress (retail at around £70 new) is fine imo.

That's a fair point. I wish there were any Sea salt items in the charity shops near me!