Charity shops - expensive?

jessie18

I do agree the prices in a lot of charity shops have gone up quite a bit. But i just wondered if anyone realised some of these shops have a weekly or monthly target to beat? Its just the same as other shops on the high street, and if the targets are not met the general manager wants to know why. I would have thought that whatever money was made would be a bonus as long as the stock is not being given away at a ridiculous price. I used to love to rummage but find now most are too glam and upmarket, with a matching price tag.

Bogof_Babe

Hi again Churchmouse, I do see your point, but on the other hand isn't it only a small step away from getting a purchase home (for your own use) and finding out on the net that it was worth a lot more than you paid for it? Do you think the buyer should then go back to the shop and give them more money?

Isn't it half the appeal of such shops, thinking you might find a great bargain?

Say he wore the tie a couple of times, then Ebayed it, would that be okay?

Logically everything that sells in a charity shop is going to be underpriced, as if it were priced at "new" cost, people would just buy it in an ordinary shop. The Hermes tie might have been kicking around in the back of someone's wardrobe for years, might smell of mothballs or goodness knows what, so how do you establish an appropriate second hand price for such an item?

I think it is fair game to pick up bargains when you can. It helps to offset the times you pay over the odds for things that turn out to be rubbish.

OrkneyStar

Perhaps if you get something from a Charity shop really cheap that you suspect will sell on ebay for a lot, then select to donate 10% of your price (or more if you like) to a Charity (the same one if you can or a different one if you want), or even take a small percentage of the price as cash into the shop and put it in the tin ? Eg buy for 50p, sell for £20, put perhaps £2-£5 (or more) back ? This would make me feel a bit better tbh .
Just a thought.

crazyaboutsaving

Great idea OrkneyStar, I think that's fair. That way everyone benefits. After all, if the shop tried to sell the same product for 20 in the shop they probably would never sell it.

Churchmouse

Hi Bogof_Babe! I accept this is a very grey area, but I do think a charity shop is different to a normal retail outlet. Of course I realise the charity shop would never have got £27 for the tie:D But I got the distinct impression the tie was bought, not because it would ever be worn, but purely to make a profit. I see this as exploiting the naivety of the worker who so grossly underpriced it. I like a bargain as much as the next person, but not in these circumstances. I'll never forget the woman on one of the TV auction shows, who was so proud of snapping up a Moorcroft for £1 that sold for £800. She'd known what she was buying from the start. I couldn't have done that.

Just out of interest if you read of a dealer who paid an old woman the £10 she wanted for her old furniture, then sold it at auction for £540 would you consider that a fair transaction because that's all she asked for? Perfectly legal, but in my opinion, lacking in morality.

Think we'll just have to agree to disagree:D

Bogof_Babe

Hmm, yes it is indeed a very grey area.

If the poster on here hadn't bought the tie, I bet someone else would have snapped it up and possibly done exactly the same.

Actually if it wasn't for his post, I would never have known that Hermes was a particularly "designer" brand. There are so many "names" on sale nowadays (every clothing shop seems to have several of their own) that it might as well have been C&A for all I'd know!

So is it not the act of buying it cheap that is in question, more the morality of re-selling it at a profit? As each person's morality is a matter for their own conscience, I'm not sure it makes him a bad person. I bet for every person who buys a tie because they like it, there are half a dozen who know what's what and only buy the "valuable" ones. What they then do with their bargain is really their own business. Lol I don't mean that in the literal sense, although it is quite apt here!

I must admit, when I see a rail of £1 tops in a charity shop I will always buy the M&S one over the Primark one. It's human nature to want the best value for money, whatever the circumstances.

The best way to overcome this situation would be for donators of goods to point it out if they bring in something that is worth a bob or two!

As regards the furniture, my jury is still out on that. I must admit it sounds like it borders on shady practice.

Reverbe

I have to say I am a bit taken aback at one of our local charity shops. After having read on here about the smaller non chain charity shops being more reasonable and more grateful for donations, I took a huge bag of good quality wool I had got as part of a batch from Freecycle. I couldn't use most of it as it was too thin for my purposes so decided to let someone else have the benefit and put what I couldn't use for sale in the charity shop for a local hospice.

Several days later and I am going in there every single day a coupla times when out doing errands and they have not put it out for sale. I am not sure if they have actually binned it or if they are just not putting it out for display but I am rather upset that they have treated my good quality donation as garbage.

floss2

Churchmouse wrote: »

......Just out of interest if you read of a dealer who paid an old woman the £10 she wanted for her old furniture, then sold it at auction for £540 would you consider that a fair transaction because that's all she asked for? Perfectly legal, but in my opinion, lacking in morality.

A bit like the dealer who bought some of my mum's furniture at auction for very little £s, and had it on Ebay for a huge amount (and sold it) shortly afterwards......we know it was ours by the combination of pieces and some identifying marks from 25 years ago! We could have put it onto Ebay ourselves, but we had a whole house of stuff to clear & no storage.......would you also condemn the "quick profit" of the person who snapped up that bargain?

N9eav has bravely owned up to something that privately I think a few posters may have done - certainly I have albeit at a lower scale - but I do think it was foolish of the shop to ticket an item of recognisable name at such a low price.

floss2

Reverbe wrote: »

I have to say I am a bit taken aback at one of our local charity shops. After having read on here about the smaller non chain charity shops being more reasonable and more grateful for donations, I took a huge bag of good quality wool I had got as part of a batch from Freecycle. I couldn't use most of it as it was too thin for my purposes so decided to let someone else have the benefit and put what I couldn't use for sale in the charity shop for a local hospice.

Several days later and I am going in there every single day a coupla times when out doing errands and they have not put it out for sale. I am not sure if they have actually binned it or if they are just not putting it out for display but I am rather upset that they have treated my good quality donation as garbage.

Maybe they just haven't been able to put it out? Or have already sold it?

LizD_2

Reverbe wrote: »

I have to say I am a bit taken aback at one of our local charity shops. After having read on here about the smaller non chain charity shops being more reasonable and more grateful for donations, I took a huge bag of good quality wool I had got as part of a batch from Freecycle. I couldn't use most of it as it was too thin for my purposes so decided to let someone else have the benefit and put what I couldn't use for sale in the charity shop for a local hospice.

Several days later and I am going in there every single day a coupla times when out doing errands and they have not put it out for sale. I am not sure if they have actually binned it or if they are just not putting it out for display but I am rather upset that they have treated my good quality donation as garbage.

Stuff often gets sent to other branches with the chains, but perhaps one of the volunteers took it to knit items for the shop? Maybe one of the volunteers bought it, or perhaps it's gone for some other use within the charity?