What is your charity shop bargain of the week?

fattybumble85

Does anyone know why some charity shops insist on snipping out the labels from clothes?! It drives me mad! I know I am certain sizes in certain shops so knowing the original shop is a great help. I hate trying things on in charity shops, they all have flimsy little curtains, barely covering the doorway and I have horrors of falling out whilst trying to manoeuvre myself into something, so usually have to take a chance and hope it fits.

They even do it good labels too, I saw a Boden dress which had the label snipped out. I knew it was Boden because I'd seen it in a previous catalogue. I would have thought keeping the label in would be a plus point for buyers?

MsFoxwell

fattybumble85 wrote: »

Does anyone know why some charity shops insist on snipping out the labels from clothes?! It drives me mad! I know I am certain sizes in certain shops so knowing the original shop is a great help. I hate trying things on in charity shops, they all have flimsy little curtains, barely covering the doorway and I have horrors of falling out whilst trying to manoeuvre myself into something, so usually have to take a chance and hope it fits.

They even do it good labels too, I saw a Boden dress which had the label snipped out. I knew it was Boden because I'd seen it in a previous catalogue. I would have thought keeping the label in would be a plus point for buyers?

I used to work for Monsoon and it was written into our contract hat we had to snip the label out of any items before donating them to charidee - bizarre!

my bargains include -
A 1980's Hermes scarf for £1.99 ( they go for £400 on eBay.)
A pair of antique platinum and diamond earrings £4.00 (£1000 estimate from jeweller)
A Tiffany & Co asparagus server £10 (a cool £1500 value!)
An 18ct diamond and tanzanite ring 75p (worth £500)
An 18ct garnet ring £55 (but worth £165)

I do work with Jewellery though so I know what to look out for

MsFoxwell

* additional to previous post ...

They get the staff to do it because the big places like Monsoon/Next/Reiss etc don't want anyone selling second hand goods on after buying them in a charity shop.

I think the charity shops may cut them out to prevent resale also. I do think the big companies might have arrangements to donate seconds to charities (I know Monsoon used to send old/slightly damaged items to a charity called newlife) with the explicit request that labels are removed...?:)

deborah64

I used to volunteer years ago in a charity shop, we used to get donations in a couple of times a year from a well known children's outlet, and we had to snip labels off so people didn't take them back to the original shop to get refunds of the full price. xx

Hobsons_Choice

I know a lot of people cut off the labels when they buy them new - saying that they irritate their neck!
I find this annoying in the CS, I like to know that I'm not paying over the odds for Primarni, Georgie or Florrie and Fred!

BitterAndTwisted

I suspect it's only when the charity shops get the merchandise direct from the retailers that they have to snip the labels out. Unless they have a blanket-price for all items of a similar kind like my local Oxfam, it makes no sense to disguise a desirable brand and therefore compromising how much it could be sold for.

Mind you, some of the CS staff round here don't seem to be particularly astute where desirable labels are concerned: they could be selling really nice things for a fair bit more. And it really could pay them to read the fabric-content labels. A good 100% cashmere coat should not sell for the same amount as a cheapie wool and synthetic one from a chain store. Like the really beautiful Edina Ronay coat I got for £7.99. Still, I'm not complaining!

floss2

Hobsons_Choice wrote: »

I know a lot of people cut off the labels when they buy them new - saying that they irritate their neck!

I do this, and TBH when I regift to a charity shop I cannot be ar*ed sewing the darn things back in again, so it may be my stuff you are picking up!

thriftwizard

Not a big thing, but it's made me chuckle mightily; found Nanny Ogg's Cookbook for 75p in our county town on Monday. Excellent fun!

Nicepeach

Hi all :wave:

Wow, you've all had some lovely finds. Well done & enjoy them.

I called in to donate some things & had a few nice finds over yesterday & today:

1 x red silk top (Hobbs) - £2 - local CS supporting Blind & visually impaired.

All the following from "Sue Ryder"
1 x "nude pink" with black polka dots smart (Eastex) blouse for work £3.45
1 x white linen/cotton top (M&S) which will be good for work or casual £3.45.
1 x pack of 3 men's hankies for DS - £1 - asked for these at the weekend to use at work instead of using tissues & I struck lucky & found them yesterday.

All the following from local Hospice shop:
1 x Jade green v neck cotton (M&S) Sweater - £3
1 x lovely, lovely, lovely, Laperla, BNWT, "all in one" lingerie body stocking type thingy - £2.
1 x brand new (M&S) Goooooooorgeous, spaaaaaarkly shoe keyring - £1.50. I loooooove shoes!

Salvation Army:
2 of the cutest mini ceramic casserole dishes you ever did see (orange, look a lot like Le Creuset but nowhere near as heavy!!!) - 50p each.

It's funny that missing labels have been mentioned, I was just muttering to myself about this yesterday whilst I was browsing. I agree, it's really useful to know the sizing, especially for high street brands. I also like to know what things are made of (stops me throwing "good" stuff" in the washer & ruining it!).

Talking of "good stuff". I am absolutely NOT a label snob at all. It if it's T*esco F&F, & I like it & it fits & is in good condition a reasonable price & looks like it will survive more than a dozen machine washes, I will buy & wear it. However, I have become more aware & selective over the years of what I buy.

For example, the red top I mentioned above was initially selected because I love red & it was my size (I know, I know, it's trashy I DON'T CARE, I feel good in red. It cheers me up & puts a spring in my step!). However, if it had been a Primani special & made of 100% goodness knows what, even though it was "only" £2, I wouldn't have bought it. I am really reaping the benefits of being a bit more selective & paying more attention to the quality, as well as the price, of what I'm buying. The benefits of this are two-fold, I can stay smart for work & choose things I like for "me" time but I can also re-donate when I feel like a change & re-purchase without any great outlay or guilt about having spent "£X" so have to hang on to it. Re-cycling is fab!

Thanks to all who post, I love reading. Enjoy your bargains, if you love it & think it's worth it, treat yourself! You can either treasure it forever or pass it on for someone else to love when you've had your enjoyment from it. x

Hobsons_Choice

I'm not a label freak either, I buy what I like and what fits.....however.....when they're asking £3.95 for a Primarni tshirt,:eek: I walk away!
This happened to me last week in one of the CSs in Worcester. I really think some of them are getting a bit above themselves, it's all donated after all. I know they're there to make money for charity, but think the stock would move faster if they priced a little more realistically.
Congratulations on a good haul Nicepeach.