Charity shops?

porto_bello

bartelbe wrote: »

Complete non-sense, the reason why you don't see your 'high quality' stock in national chains is because most charity shops sort their donations before they put them on the shop floor.

The best stuff is saved for online selling like ebay and auctions. For perfectly reasonable reason that charity shops don't want to sell something for a couple of quid, that they could get £50 for on the internet.

It isn't some conspiracy by evil shop volunteers. I have no doubt that theft occurs, but I doubt it is that common. Don't believe me, do an ebay search and you will find online charity shop listings.

We are all well aware that today, most charity shops are clued up commercial operations, with the experience to sort and sell donations and sell them via the most beneficial marketplace, be it on-line, bricks and mortar auction room or in the shops themselves. The references and criticisms in the above posts are to the stock that ‘disappears’ BEFORE it reaches a marketplace … ANY marketplace.

Among my local charity shops, within some that represent the national chains, there is an open culture of what might be deemed ‘skimming’ the donations for personal gain. It’s also often noted that when staff depart in the evening, they are regularly seen to be weighed down with bags and boxes.

[Of particular note locally was the controversy of a ‘disappearing’ grandfather clock, which apparently 'dematerialised' within hours of arrival at a charity shop, without the charity ever recording a sale, and without the shop ever recording its departure or arrival].

In contrast, this culture does not exist and is hotly criticised within charity shops supporting local charities, which in-store volunteers no doubt feel a personal loyalty towards and are driven to volunteer to assist, rather than to acquire stock. As a result, some of the chains not only have a depleted stock due to staff theft, but many residents divert their donations to charity shops known to operate for the good of the charity, rather than volunteers’ perks.

No doubt there are charity shop volunteers who regularly leave the shop loaded with bags and boxes, have suddenly very well dressed families, very well accessorized homes, very successful auction businesses, who would declare the observations of their activities as ‘complete nonsense’, but I prefer to believe my own eyes and ears.

whitewing

We donated my grandmother's stuff to a charity shop. When they sent us the gift aid totals over the two years, it came to the sort of amount that we expected them to have sold it for.

[Deleted User]

I agree with the OP, I have looked in vain for top quality Berghaus and Karrimore raincoats, or any of the expensive raincoats such as North Face etc and never ever seen one for sale. Given that there has to be lots of familys donating all clothing en masse of the deceased, there has to be a filtering off of more desireable and saleable rainwear. Regatta stuff abounds in charity shops.
I have always thought that the really good stuff finds its way into someones individual profit making scheme and the paying public dont stand a chance. We need a "whistle blower " at the charity shops to enlighten us where its going.
If its true that better stuff go s online etc its still wrong, I would still give, say £50 for the right coat. So it looks like all the many charity shops on the high streets are purveyors of "seconds " and lower quality stuff only. Not a good business model really if the public go in only ever to see the dregs of whats left

Anselm

sacsquacco wrote: »

I agree with the OP, I have looked in vain for top quality Berghaus and Karrimore raincoats, or any of the expensive raincoats such as North Face etc and never ever seen one for sale. Given that there has to be lots of familys donating all clothing en masse of the deceased, there has to be a filtering off of more desireable and saleable rainwear. Regatta stuff abounds in charity shops.
I have always thought that the really good stuff finds its way into someones individual profit making scheme and the paying public dont stand a chance. We need a "whistle blower " at the charity shops to enlighten us where its going.
If its true that better stuff go s online etc its still wrong, I would still give, say £50 for the right coat. So it looks like all the many charity shops on the high streets are purveyors of "seconds " and lower quality stuff only. Not a good business model really if the public go in only ever to see the dregs of whats left

Your best bet in my opinion is either Ebay, or the classifieds section on www.ukhillwalking.com

To give you an example, I bought a Mountain Equipment Morpheus jacket off a member on ukhillwalking for £90.00
http://compare.ebay.co.uk/like/170912189661?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&adtype=pla&crdt=0

pulliptears

sacsquacco wrote: »

I agree with the OP, I have looked in vain for top quality Berghaus and Karrimore raincoats, or any of the expensive raincoats such as North Face etc and never ever seen one for sale. Given that there has to be lots of familys donating all clothing en masse of the deceased, there has to be a filtering off of more desireable and saleable rainwear. Regatta stuff abounds in charity shops.
I have always thought that the really good stuff finds its way into someones individual profit making scheme and the paying public dont stand a chance. We need a "whistle blower " at the charity shops to enlighten us where its going.
If its true that better stuff go s online etc its still wrong, I would still give, say £50 for the right coat. So it looks like all the many charity shops on the high streets are purveyors of "seconds " and lower quality stuff only. Not a good business model really if the public go in only ever to see the dregs of whats left

Or alternatively perhaps the charity shop sell those goods on elsewhere and make more for the charity.

Here is one of my local shops proving well that not everything is a conspiracy:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MDM-MINT-PROOF-SILVER-14-COIN-COLLECTION-PRESENTATION-BOX-QUEEN-MOTHER-/400325941822?nma=true&si=0kbP%2BoXkfLy%2Fg9sxAoGqrxvHCK8%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Check their completed items. Radley handbags, Swarovski Crystal, Ashton Drake figurines and Uggs.

Manchee

Ugh I hardly ever bother with charity shops now days, there's never anything in them thats worth a look. Also they're so expensive, I think the last straw was when I found a shop selling primark clothing for more that primark originally sold for!

ess0two

Sounds like sour grapes from the OP.

building_with_lego

pulliptears wrote: »

Or alternatively perhaps the charity shop sell those goods on elsewhere and make more for the charity.

....

I've actually sold items on behalf of my local CS. (They had an unusually moulded lamp a few months ago; they have no electrical tester so it would have had to go in the bin but I thought it so lovely I offered to list it (one a one-day free listing). I started it at a fiver and it eventually sold for over £30 :j:T. The shop got the full amount of profit after postage/fees, somewhere around £25.) The manager holds some things back as she knows she won't get the full *value* of the item instore- if she can sell it to a dealer or get me to ebay it she gets more money for the charity.

pulliptears

building_with_lego wrote: »

I've actually sold items on behalf of my local CS. (They had an unusually moulded lamp a few months ago; they have no electrical tester so it would have had to go in the bin but I thought it so lovely I offered to list it (one a one-day free listing). I started it at a fiver and it eventually sold for over £30 :j:T. The shop got the full amount of profit after postage/fees, somewhere around £25.) The manager holds some things back as she knows she won't get the full *value* of the item instore- if she can sell it to a dealer or get me to ebay it she gets more money for the charity.

Im actually happy that the charity do that, the auction I linked to above is Douglas MacMillan. They helped me so much when I was nursing my Dad through the end stages of Cancer, in his own home as he wished. I couldn't have coped without them.

If they have a Radley bag donated then I'm damn sure my preference would be for that bag to be sold to its maximum potential, and if thats eBay then so be it. The local economy is such that a Radley bag put out on display for £40 more than likely wouldn't sell and if it did it would be a long time coming. The fact that this can go onto eBay and sell quickly, releasing much needed funds to the charity is much more appealing.

lindseykim13

ess0two wrote: »

Sounds like sour grapes from the OP.

Perhaps try reading the thread and my replies before commenting?



My gripe is with the charity workers keeping items for a selected few and not getting the best price for it.
This is a local charity with a chain of approx 7 shops down south- there is no ebaying for the charity as has been discussed in the shop before. They have also priced stuff up before with a sign saying 'worth £x on ebay' and then pricing it close to the mark. So although they don't sell on ebay they check it for pricing.
However they keep certain items back and they will never make it into the shop.

Rarely see anything good in there, however go into the next town to the same 'brand' of store and they have lots of goodies. I believe it's a problem with this partiular shop and the woman who is in charge of it.
Either way it is interesting to hear others opinions.

I will give my donations to one of the other shops as i don't trust the lady in question.