prices in charity shops

Kite2010

£3.99 for a 3-track single which just happens to be in a "standard" jewel case and can be purchased online for 1p (plus P+P), Oxfam you must be joking.

Amanita_2

I think some charity shop prices especially for books are now crazy. I picked up a couple ysterday , one was £29.99 and the other £19.99!

Both went back on the shelf pretty quickly and I'll track them down elsewhere. Even the tatty well read paperbacks with the 3 for £5 sticker from the original retailer were £1.99.

Edited to add - the £19.99 book is widely available online for between £6 and £8....

SnowBelle_2

I was recently in my local post office posting parcels for my EBay sales,the lady behind the counter told me that two women from a well known national charity shop in our town regularly come in with parcels for EBay.
They were recently boasting about how much stuff they take from the shop and sell on EBay to line their own pockets......so maybe not all the people who donate to charity shops in good faith,realise what happens after their stuff is dropped off.

trumpton

I think I have mentioned on MSE before that a brand new Argos table and chair set was left in our new house (bought to dress the property for sale). Got the local BHF van to collect but strangely never made it onto display in the shop. They could have sent it to another shop, but I suspect not.

My inlaws do most of their shopping in charity shops, just because they love to go round them, especially Oxfam book shops. They have had some good bargains like designer bags for £2, a Sylvanian families canal boat for £10 (still a lot, but cheaper than ebay). I do tell them that you can buy clothes in Tesco just as cheaply and books even cheaper in The Works, though. Some of the furniture they sell seem overpriced to me, but I guess not everyone is an MSEer who knows the price of hundreds of different things without checking.

Mr_Falling_Star

I have been to my local Salvation Army shop just now, the prices are very reasonable but, compared to last time I went, its a bit short on stock.

I don't bother with BHF, Barnardo's etc way to expensive

nuttywoman

Mr_Falling_Star wrote: »

I have been to my local Salvation Army shop just now, the prices are very reasonable but, compared to last time I went, its a bit short on stock.

I don't bother with BHF, Barnardo's etc way to expensive

I prefer to give to Salvation Army, i like their prices, the last time we took stuff in i bought a fairy outfit for my gd for £1 .Bargain :T

Ben84

trumpton wrote: »

I think I have mentioned on MSE before that a brand new Argos table and chair set was left in our new house (bought to dress the property for sale). Got the local BHF van to collect but strangely never made it onto display in the shop. They could have sent it to another shop, but I suspect not.

It may well have gone to one of the staff/volunteers, but not inevitably under questionable circumstances. There are honest methods by which volunteers and staff buy items that come in to the shops, for example asking someone else to price the item.

[Deleted User]

I am pleased to hear that the charity that I gave my very expensive tea set to will be selling it for a good price. I gave it to them to help with their funds and not as a (near) freebie for someone else to sell on ebay

Dreamnine

There is one Barnardos shop near me, in quite an upscale neighbourhood, which is expensive for clothes..but they are all designer labels and in good condition, and much less than they would be new, so I don't mind shopping there at all.

I agree with many in this thread, however, some shops don't have a clue and overcharge for clothes, books, dvds etc.

asbokid

NoSatisfaction wrote: »

vuvuzela wrote: »

They are more expensive than they used to be but then so are business rates, rent, electricity bills etc..

Charities only pay a maximum of 20% of the business rates.. http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/charities/tax/basics.htm#5

Charities often get their shops for free.

There is an incentive to encourage landlords to let their shop premises to charity for nothing. Under the Corporation Tax relief scheme, the landlord can offset the market rent value of the premises he lets for nothing against the tax he owes from other income.

It's a win win for the charity and the landlord. Charity tenants don't go out of business and will be there for the duration, so the landlord avoids re-letting fees. And since the charity pays nothing in rent, it will never default on payment.

The big losers are the clothes shops that struggle to pay crippling rents. Meanwhile, the cash-strapped shopper is stampeding to the charity shops that proliferate throughout our high streets.