General Chat

If you bought something from a charity shop and you took it to one of the TV Antiquew shows and found it was worth a few hundred/thousand pounds..

Would you keep all the money or give so much back to the charity shop you bought the piece from..???

Personally I would give something back to the shop but some people say tou should keep the money..

Sue

depends how much money we're talking about - if it was big time, then of course I'd give the charity some of it

Being honest, if it were a charity I supported I'd probably give them some money, if it were one I didn't have an interest in, I doubt I would.

Yes certainly,,,I think I would give them at least a good share,as I would still have gained .

Most of the "big name" charity shops seem pretty clued up on the value of donations, but I think I would give some back, especially to the small localised charities.
A car boot sale - now that would be different!

No, bought as seen.
As Geordie says, most charity shops are well clued up.
I resent the way they have 'designer' rails at astronomical prices.
Those clothes were given freely and in good faith - they could have been sold on e-bay.
It also takes the fun out of finding a 'true' bargain.

If people thought they could find a true bargain in a charity shop - they'd get a lot more customers. These customers may not find a bargain - but are likely to buy something else.
By their own greed, charity shops are cutting off their noses to spite their faces.

I was told the other day by a neighbouring shopkeeper that a Samaritans Charity shop was done out before opening at a cost of £50,000. I think that's pretty disgusting and some of the prices these days are ridiculous, clothes that aren't well known labels at higher prices than a similar item at Primark.

My son has picked up a few things at Charity shops and sold them on on ebay to make himself a few bob.

I don't think many shops would miss a genuine antique nowadays but if I did find a bargain I would take a donation back to the shop.

Lizx

Have always thought of the charity shops as people giving nice things to them selflessly to raise a bit of money. And their customers as being just that - customers.

So cannot see why somebody should feel bad is they buy a cup for 20p and it is Meissen. Any more than they would feel bad if they bought it at a Sunday market or an antiques stall or shop.

And it does seem that, in these straightened economic times, charity shops and food banks are becoming the lower end of our shopping experience - whereas 10 years ago it was Ethel Austin, Primark, Lidl and Aldi.

Lidl seem to have gone very much upmarket. It amazes me when I see "Three Bird Roast", whole lobsters, raindeer steaks and escargots in their frozen range. :-)

A lot of Lidl produce is really good these days I think it was Good Housekeeping magazine that reccomended the mature stilton as being one of the best for this season.
The "Aldi Shopping Experience" was also recommended. I think both shops are great, and you don't get bogged down by having to chose between brands.

Geordie :-D Not been in Aldi for ages.

Chaity shops have gone quite professional and upmarket in some cases. Noticed a new development last week that may undercut even charity shops.

I went to a community centre on a large council estate development not far from where I live last week. They had racks and racks of second hand clothes for pennies. It seems that they were handed in for free, washed, ironed, sized and racked by community volunteers. Sold for pennies and small profit contributed to community projects.

John,
Ever heard of jumble of sales.? Similar thing to the community centres.
As a fan of charity shops, mainly for interesting books, that you would not be able to buy in shops, as out of print etc., i have noticed that they are getting very depleted of stock, in my area at least. Wonder if people are selling on ebay, instead of giving to charity.
I wouldnt blame them, i think targeting people to pay money each month, with a very hard sell, is wrong.
I would give something back if it was thousands, rather than hundreds.!! :-)

Hi Sue :-D Yes, jumble sales are popular. My church is always having them and bazaars and fetes to get money in.

I fully agree that we should give as much as we can afford to our chosen charities. But not necessaily link that with getting a bargain in a jumble sale or charity shop.

And if we decide to donate money to Trussell Trust or similar (food banks) rather than tins and packets, it would be sensible to Give as You Earn through work or otherwise try and supplement our giving with tax relief. :-)

A lot of Charity shops around my way actually buy in Christmas cards to sell at this time of year. I won't buy them cos they are bought from places like M & S etc.

I would probably give a donation but wouldn't feel guilty if I made money. But I don't think it is likely to happen, most charity shops sell their desirable items on e bay these days. Oxfam do in particular.

I used to make cards to be sold in charity shops (mainly CRUK) But I kept going in and being unable to find any of the donated cards, even a day or so after given so I got suspicious and stopped doing them. Wasn't sure if the helpers were getting them or what was happening.

Quite a few years ago now and after I had given up my career I vollied in a Charity Shop. We had an ornament in the window priced at £4 50. A lady came in telling us she was an avid collector and did we realize its worth. Cutting a long story short she wrote us out a cheque for £250.00. A fantastic true story.

We also used to get a succession of mostly men scanning the bric-a-brac for valuables to sell at antique markets, car boots etc.

Nowadays the well paid managers are trained to keep back anything that looks valuable for valuers to price up.

Interesting to hear that jumble sales are alive and well in some places. Our village hall stopped having them a couple of years ago, as many people used to dump all their rubbish on us, and it took armies of volunteers to sort the stuff out, then to take mountains of it to the local tip!

Years ago, at a local jumble sale, I bought a painting for £2.50, purely for the frame, and because it was still on the bric a brac stall at the end.
I never did anything with it, but when the internet came about, I looked for the name. It's by Rene Le Forestier, and other paintings by him have fetched over £250 in auction.

Have to admit that, at a recent jumble sale, towards the end, son in law & I got a lot of booze on the bottle stall. My daughter got hardly any - until we pointed out that most of the booze had dark blue tickets, whereas the fabric conditioner and bottles of water had light blue :-D

The charity shop local to us doesn't sell handmade cards that have been donated as they have their own range of cards with their logo on.

I used to love going to jumble sales but it has been years since there has been a local one.

I think if I made a load of money on something I would give a reasonable donation back to the shop.

Many years ago when I lived in Essex my then husband used to do the annual reports for a very well known Charity Shop. On year three he came home one day and told me and our children that "we were never to set foot in this "Charity shop again"! The reason was this. He had double checked with the Company about a "gift of the most expensive car in England had been given to a Chief in the country the money etc was going to. The reason for this was that the Chief had said. "no car no food or clothes etc would be given to his people".
To this day we have never entered this group of shops.

Where I live now the second hand shops are brilliant. No pretence about where the money goes, some is kept by the shop staff, some given to small local groups for the poor families of the area and the rest goes to caring for animals, such as a banded dogs, cats and horses.

I do buy in Charity shops and have had some splendid clothes and items.

My best find, must be two first additions of poetry, although I did find a piece of Morecroft at a boot sale, and when back in England I still go to a boot sale if I. An find one!