MMD: Would you tell a charity shop that a Chloe bag was under-priced?

Sarahsaver

If theres something I didn't want I would tell them it was under priced. I have done this at a local independent charity shop, they had a pair of Fornarina wedge sandals. They usually sell shoes etc for £1.50, so I told them they were worth a lot more.

Judith50

This one is quite easy. Charity Shops are run for a CHARITY e.g. Cancer, Hospice, Heart Disease, etc. We may all of us need the work of one of these on our lifetime. The ladies who work there do it for free - they need all the help we can give them. I have on several occasions told them to mark up such goods and they are very grateful. Anyone who does not (or worse actually shoplifts from a charity shop)is thieving from the charity and lower than sewage!!!

becmar

Like most people on this site I am an honest person so I would take my lovely £5 note that I had worked hard for out of my lovely leather purse that I worked hard for and pay for the lovely Chloe bag in good faith that I GOT A BARGAIN. I would then swagger about my friends showing it off for a week or two so that everyone thought I was a designer chick before popping it on ebay just in time for some lucky person to buy if for some other lucky persons Christmas pressie. Good EH.

GiveItBack

<<<RANT ALERT>>>>

Taffybiker wrote: »

I would go on the assumption that the shop knew what they were doing, so I would grab the bargain. Charities generally annoy me anyway because such a tiny percentage actually goes to the needy. Most of it goes in other directions. How much does the MD of the RSPCA earn again? Wasn't it in the region of 100K pa?

here we go again... SImply, you are wrong.

Look, a tiny percentage goes on salaries, MOST of the money goes to the place it's needed, the care, the feeding the hungry, or whatever. Very few charities will spend more than 30p of your pound on 'admin', you know, 'admin', like paying for trained staff, putting petrol into the RSPCA vans, that kind of thing.
Most charities spend less than 30% of their money on admin, so clearly, by far MOST of it goes to the 'needy'.

I know this one is less friendly than many of my similar posts, but I can't stand the fact that this myth is perpetuated.

Charity shops do get a massive amount of actual rubbish donated, which has to be thrown away. I’m sure that few of us on here would believe it – things like dirty underwear, rags, broken dishes, things that the charity then has to pay to dispose of, and I’m sure the charity shop manager that sent in the letter did so out of frustration at this.

Don’t you realize that when people do things to work against charities, then it’ll only push UP the costs you hate so much? If they could sell a bag for £100 instead of £5, then think how much lower the associated admin costs would be….

I know that people thnk charity shops are overpriced, but the whole point is that YOU are not the beneficiary. You are buying things (or not), at the price you will pay for them (or not), the money is going to help people who need it.

Many charities won’t take on volunteers or staff that are involved in the second hand trade, or even go to boot sales, and quite frankly, I agree with you if you think they shouldn’t. It’s hard to police, but I’m absolutely against these ‘phoney’ volunteers and staff. I’d say if you know of any – tell the charity’s local office, or head office.

As for this example, well, I'd let the shop know, they need to make as much out of it as they can.

One the one hand you have people here saying 'it's awful, the staff are PAID and everything', and on the other, 'well they should be experts in the field of fashion, books, antiquities, art and anything else they might get'.

tomterm8

I've seen a print by a famous artist, worth several hundred pounds, and told the charity shop keeper what they had. Bargains in a normal shop are fair gain, screwing a charity is not on. Karma will get you eventually :eek:

geri1965_2

Depends what charity, if it was one I like I'd tell them. If it was one I don;t like I'd buy the bag and sell it and give the money to one of my chosen charities.

jools65

No i wouldnt tell them. A charity shop is for bargains. If they start whacking the prices up then nobody wins.

furrypig

Well I have bought a 'gucci' bag for £1 from a 2nd hand shop! Or have I??

I saw a bag that I loved the look of picked it up saw it had gucci written on it asked how much it was and paid my £1! I don't know if it is the real thing or a good fake and the one person I know with a real one said she thought it might be real so who knows!!

Waxy_Bean

I'd definitely buy it and keep it myself. If I felt particularly guilty I might choose to give an "extra donation" either in cash or goods to the charity shop as well.

However there is a snowballs chance in hell of it happening in my local charity shop as they are incredibly overpriced - £10 for a second hand George Shirt that only cost £5 in the first place anyone?

Graceful_Battlemaid

definately buy it.

I once found a 1960's skinny fit Levi jacket for £1 in a charity shop, it was worth over £100 at the time. Every time I had a sort-out I took all my old stuff straight to that shop. I was careful not to give them the jacket back though!