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Charity Shops and hand made items

Arthog
Arthog Posts: 223 Forumite
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in Charities
A Charity shop near us has told me that they will not accept anything hand made as they are not allowed to sell them. Hand made items are sent straight to a recycling centre, which presumably pays something for them.
I'm quite shocked about this policy, which I've never heard of anywhere else. It affects so many donors who want to give paintings, greetings cards, and many, many other hand-made things
I was about to donate a brand new crocheted item to this charity - a white baby blanket in a white organdie bag with white ribbons. It's beautiful and could be used to raise a lot of funds for the Charity. If I had taken it in, I hope they'd have given it back to me!
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Comments

  • Savvy_Sue
    Savvy_Sue Posts: 46,017 Forumite
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    What an awful shame, although I can see that there might be difficulties with labeling fabrics etc - I know when I'm browsing in charity shops I'm very fussy about knowing what fabric clothes are made of.

    And I can see why that would apply to hand-made jams etc, which I HAVE seen on sale in some charity shops.

    I think it would be worth asking around because I know some shops sell hand-made cards near me, so the ban can't be universal, it may be that this particular set of shops has decided it's not worth the risk.
    Signature removed for peace of mind
  • luvchocolate
    luvchocolate Posts: 3,254 Forumite
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    Everything should have a fibre content label on now, its a shame but unfortunately charity shops have to follow trading laws, we do get checked by trading standards and although they are very understanding we have to comply.
  • halogen
    halogen Posts: 426 Forumite
    I knit and sew so often have homemade items I would like to donate or otherwise get rid of and I've yet to find anywhere that will take them.

    I've even had to cut back on the making things cause there's no where to put the results.
  • zaax
    zaax Posts: 1,910 Forumite
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    halogen wrote: »
    I knit and sew so often have homemade items I would like to donate or otherwise get rid of and I've yet to find anywhere that will take them.

    I've even had to cut back on the making things cause there's no where to put the results.


    ebay, or the like?
    Do you want your money back, and a bit more, search for 'money claim online' - They don't like it up 'em Captain Mainwaring
  • Jenna_Appleseed
    Jenna_Appleseed Posts: 4,819 Forumite
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    zaax wrote: »
    ebay, or the like?

    or etsy/folksy & similar sites dedicated to selling home made crafts.
    "And suddenly I find myself listening to a man I've never known before,
    Telling me about the sea..."
  • Savvy_Sue
    Savvy_Sue Posts: 46,017 Forumite
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    I happened to find myself in a charity shop today where there were some home made knitted scarves for sale, with a note saying what the yarn was and very basic washing instructions. But it was on a detachable label, so I'm not sure if that meets the regulations or not ...
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  • sheramber
    sheramber Posts: 19,058 Forumite
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    Our local charity shop sells hand knitted baby blankets, hats etc.

    There are charities that welcome hand knitted goods.

    Women's shelters can take hand made goods, charities which donate to the homeless welcome hats, gloves- scarves are not usually of use.

    Loving Hands is an online community who donate to charities in need.

    A Google search should give you options.
  • luvchocolate
    luvchocolate Posts: 3,254 Forumite
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    The hand knitted baby items should have a label attached to them saying they are made from mixed fibres, but I am always surprised to see balls of knitting wool sold without labelling doesn't seem right to me.
  • Savvy_Sue
    Savvy_Sue Posts: 46,017 Forumite
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    luvchocolate wrote: »
    The hand knitted baby items should have a label attached to them saying they are made from mixed fibres, but I am always surprised to see balls of knitting wool sold without labelling doesn't seem right to me.
    Yes, I was admiring some lovely wool today in a charity shop, but no clue about what it was, so I left it.

    'Mixed fibres' doesn't help much in reality though. If it's mixed with mohair, it's got to be washed differently to yarn mixed with acrylic / polyester / cotton. My hand-knitted socks go in with the regular wash, because the label says they'll take machine washing at 40. My hand-knitted cardigans don't!
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  • luvchocolate
    luvchocolate Posts: 3,254 Forumite
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    Savvy_Sue wrote: »
    Yes, I was admiring some lovely wool today in a charity shop, but no clue about what it was, so I left it.

    'Mixed fibres' doesn't help much in reality though. If it's mixed with mohair, it's got to be washed differently to yarn mixed with acrylic / polyester / cotton. My hand-knitted socks go in with the regular wash, because the label says they'll take machine washing at 40. My hand-knitted cardigans don't!

    totally agree its all nonsense
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