lost property in school

netti

After a massive clear out of school lost property we have collected enough un-named uniform to start a second-hand shop. Has anyone done this and what sort of prices would you suggest? A new jumper costs about £12-£14 depending on size so I was thinking maybe £3-£5 depending on condition? Some are like new and others a bit worn. I have binned any that have holes or are shapeless.

Also there is a large box of things like watches, jewellery, purses and keys - could these be sold somewhere? Most of the watches have stopped so new batteries required so I was thinking not worth the bother. I think a few bits of jewellery are gold but I'm no expert.

The money raised will be donated to the school.

thanks

crystaltipps

Just wanted to mention that most Poundland/Home Bargains/B&M bargains shops sell large multipacks of watch batteries for a pound or so - I have bought one and they have been great- watches/calculators/small kids toys have all been sorted out with them so don't write off the watches if you have one of these shops nearby.

I think is is a great idea and wish my girls school did one! Would have saved me a fortune in school jumpers - unfortunately they were only available through the school so they had no incentive to selling off the old stuff when the parents would just order a new one.

netti

Thanks for that tip - I will get my son to look in Poundland tomorrow for me. I work at the school and have "volunteered" to get this going. It has been on the cards for ages but no-one wanted to organise it. Thought I could advertise it in the newsletter as the kids probably won't be interested, but I'm sure their parents might!

It never ceases to amaze me how much lost property there is! School has been open 4 days and already there are 3 coats and a jumper (all un-named)

Savvy_Sue

My slight concern with the purses, watches and jewellery in particular is that if someone sees something they think they recognise you could get problems. Of course, if it's sat in Lost Property then it SHOULD have been claimed, but you understand what I'm saying?

Coats - is this secondary? Don't you know secondary school age children are cold-blooded and therefore adapt to the temperature around them without the need for coats? See here for further clarification.

netti

I definitely see what you mean Sue! I wasn't planning to sell the watches etc at school, was thinking maybe carboot if someone I know is doing one? Or maybe a job lot on ebay - or is that a bit dodgy? Otherwise I shall donate them to a charity shop or similar. The keys weigh over a kilo - is there a scrap value there maybe?

Yes it's a secondary school and as the mother of 2 teenagers I haven't bothered buying coats for a couple of years now...

paulwf

Be wary about spending too much time on this project. You're volunteering so don't want too much hassle, if you start selling on ebay you'll need a separate account to make all your transactions transparent and accountable to the school, then you might get problem buyers and it raises tax questions having a commercial account and so on. Alternatively if you do it in your paid time at work it won't be cost effective.

The school uniform idea is brialliant, the rest I'd take in a box to Cash Convertors and take what you can. It won't be anywhere near the true market value but you'll get one receipt and no complications.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

Alot of schools re-sell the school uniforms and clothes in the lost property.. I know they send letters out to the children saying they have x amount of days to go and claim any of the clothing before it is sold on..

as with the watches etc???? I dont know..

But I would be VERY carefull, as if you are going to sell them on ebay, or bootsale, you are leaving yourself wide open for suspision etc..You will allways get one person who will think you are doing this for your own ends, and not for the benefit of the school.

With the school uniforms you can sell them at the school, on even nights etc, where the parents can buy them, or when the forthcoming new year comes to the school to buy their new school uniforms you can give them the option to buy the pre-worn ones


As a disclaimer on what you are propsoing to do.. it might be worth the school sending out letters for the parents to sign to say if their children lose hteir property and it is not claimed within x times scale it will be sold to raise funds for a certain project within the school...

ceebeeby

I think it's wrong personally to make money from someone's loss like that. I'm thinking of a hard up family (but then why haven't they reclaimed the jumper) ...

Could you try something like if not claimed within 6 weeks of being lost, then will be available to anyone. If wished a voluntary donation can be made to school funds.

That way, you're doing good for the school but not rubbing the nose in to someone who has paid £12 for a jumper that has been hardly worn!!!

Watches, purses etc. I wouldn't touch these with a barge pole, because if I came across someone from DD's school at a car boot flogging watches and purses that looked like they'd come from kids I'd be majorly suspicious.

But I can see that you're trying to do good.

A dilema!

Norman_Castle

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/your_world/consumer_affairs/keeping_lost_found_and_uncollected_goods.htm

netti

Thanks for all the replies

We would only sell uniform that was un-named - and I will provide a laundry pen for people to mark their clothes when they buy them. Lost property is collected for half a term, stored for another half term then disposed of after that. Although at the moment it is cleared out once a year - we have been doing bag2school with it. Most of it isn't uniform and we usually have at least 25 large bin bags of clothes by then!

We can't store it all! Lost property is advertised in school literature and all students should know where it is - they just don't want or can't be bothered to collect. If it is named we physically put it in their hands!

I think you are right about the watches etc - probably donate to local charity or even bin.

Once it is up and running the Friends can operate on parents eve etc - that's the idea...:)

artichoke

HI

We sell second hand uniform at our primary school - we sell both unclaimed lost property and uniform that is donated to us by parents once outgrown.

We sell items with school logo on eg coats, sweatshirts, tshirts for £3 or £5 pounds and items without logo eg T'shirts, gingham dresses, skirts etc for £1 or £2 depending on condition.

The system is popular with some parents (like me) who buy a lot of the logo items.

We also raise money by having a collection once a term for RAGTEX who give the school money per tonne of fabric items collected - so all the stuff to scruffy to be sold can go in to this collection along with all the other parents jumble.

art