13 charity-shop bargain hunting tricks blog discussion

MSE Jenny
Thanks for the article, I've been a charity shopper for more years than I can remember.

A few comments:
Re Ted Baker, Age UK also had some Ted Baker surplus stock (but only in very small sizes).


I did look at the Oxfam online shop but the website is 'clunky' and you can't search for specific things like you can on ebay.

• You CAN haggle – but whether you SHOULD is an open question. Many do report haggling in charity shops. This is more a moral decision than a financial one.
  
  Martin's view is: "This is about charity, so it's the one time paying full price (if it's reasonable) is a good thing to do. Yet if you're on the breadline and this is your only route available, then offering to pay what you can afford isn't wrong."

I'm not sure I agree with this ^^^^.

There's been a few comments on the charity shop bargains thread and so far, the majority think haggling is inappropriate in charity shops.

Here's what I posted:

Pollycat wrote: »

I read Martin's final quote to be a comment on # 13 of the MSE charity shop bargain hunting tips:
My opinion is that it is unfair to put what is likely to be volunteer staff in the position of having to say 'no' to a lower offer on an item.
We've already had the discussion about prices often being set by regional managers.

Unless of course, there is some flaw/fault with the item but you still want it.

How are staff to know that a customer is 'on the breadline'?

To me, haggling in a charity shop is a big 'no-no'.

Just my opinion based on years of using charity shops.

Haggling or negotiating all depends. Looking at Jacket for 12.50, I have simply said 'look I only have a tenner on me what can you do?' the assistant has made a decision and let me have it for the tenner. If I had the other 2.50 I wouldn't have asked. If she wouldn't let me have it for a tenner I would have put it back. Charity is for both parties, the consumer and the seller.

I buy from Charity shops because I can't afford to go to M&S or John Lewis and pay full price. Not all buyers are bargain vintage clothes hunters. The products are given for free and the Charity shops have minimum overheads. They do make a profit whatever they sell the stuff for. I also give stuff at least once a year to Charity Shops spreading it out between four different ones on the High Street!

Charity shops are also found on eBay, have had some amazing bargains there! Much cheaper than the Charity shops on the High Street - from a consumer side.

Note of caution - had my purse pinched in a Charity Shop in Camden Town! The narrow stuffy shop with clothes rails rammed closely to each other, left little room to manoeuvre as I and others squeezed around the rails. Despite my bag being on my shoulder/armpit, someone lifted my purse and the manager simply shrugged said sorry we don't have CCTV cant help.

I found a £10 note in the pocket of a coat I bought once! I went back and put the money in their collection tin.

Terargram59 wrote: »

Please can you explain where the ‘barcode symbol’ is on the qwerty keyboard? On the latest MSE newsletter about charity shops it says...open the eBay app, tap the search bar followed by the barcode symbol. Thanks.

I believe you use the camera symbol in the search field and point it to the barcode...

General_Grant wrote: »

How "minimum" would it have to be for a charity shop to make a profit on donated goods? They have to cover the cost of rent, business rates, water, heating, lighting, cleaning (premises and goods), employee salaries (not all are volunteers), volunteer expenses, coffee/tea (don't suppose they charge workers for at work refreshments) . . .

I always wonder at the 'new goods' that some shops appear to sell - BHF & Oxfam spring to mind.

I wonder how much of the stuff that they've shelled out for actually sells.
I've never found anything remotely interesting.