Have Charity Shops Become Too Expensive?
This post may contain Affiliate Links
It was recently announced that British Heart Foundation plans to close 150 charity shops across the UK as costs rise.
In all honesty, I’m not the slightest bit surprised.
I’ve noticed several charity shops disappear from my local high street over the last few months, and while there are undoubtedly lots of reasons behind this, I think pricing is a major factor.
If you ask people who love shopping second-hand why they’re visiting charity shops less often, many will give the same answer: the prices just aren’t what they used to be.
I distinctly remember my mum buying a cardigan from a charity shop recently. She hadn’t checked the price properly before getting to the till and was shocked to discover it was £15.
It wasn’t a designer label or anything particularly special, just a fairly ordinary cardigan.
Charity Shops Were Never Designed To Be Cheap
One thing I think people often forget is that charity shops were never designed to provide cheap clothes for people on low incomes.
Their purpose has always been to raise money for charitable causes.
However, as the cost of living has increased, charity shop prices seem to have risen too.
The problem is that many of the people who rely on second-hand shopping are also feeling the squeeze and have less disposable income than they did a few years ago.
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve seen brands like Primark priced at, or sometimes even above, what the item would cost brand new.
A prime example below: a second-hand top priced at £3, which costs £2.50 new.
Why would someone pay more for an item that’s already been worn, washed and potentially has signs of wear when they can buy it new for the same price?
Vinted Has Changed Everything
I think the rise of Vinted has completely changed the second-hand shopping landscape in the UK.
Personally, I love Vinted. Most of my children’s clothes and a large chunk of my own wardrobe come from there.
The biggest difference is convenience.
With charity shops, there’s never any guarantee you’ll find what you’re looking for. You can spend time travelling between shops, pay for parking, browse several rails and still come home empty-handed.
With Vinted, all it takes is a few clicks.
You can search for exactly what you want, in exactly the right size, at any time of the day or night, without leaving the sofa.
Of course, Vinted isn’t perfect.
You can’t try things on. You can’t feel the fabric before buying. Returns can be difficult, you can’t return if something simply doesn’t fit.
In many ways, charity shops still offer a better shopping experience. But for many people, price outweighs those disadvantages.
The Price Difference Can Be Huge
My son recently needed some new shorts for the summer.
In my local charity shop, most pairs from high-street brands such as Primark and TU were priced at around £2 or £3 each.
On Vinted, I found a bundle of seven pairs for £1.
Even after adding fees and postage, the total came to £3.67.
That’s less than I would have paid for two pairs from the charity shop.
When you’re trying to stretch a family budget as far as possible, that’s a big difference.
Charity Shops Do Have Costs
Now, before anyone accuses me of being anti-charity shops, I’m not.
Charity shops receive their stock for free and rely heavily on volunteers, but they also have significant overheads.
They have rent, utilities and staffing costs like all shops do.
I often see people complaining about charity CEOs earning large salaries, but personally, I think charities absolutely need paid staff, especially at senior levels.
Running a large charity requires specialist skills. The people doing those jobs could often earn considerably more in the private sector. One of my best friends works for a charity, and I absolutely believe her skills are valuable and she deserves to be able to pay her mortgage.
The same goes for shop managers. Volunteers are incredibly important, but most shops also need experienced paid staff to keep things running smoothly.
Are Resellers Really The Problem?
Another argument I hear a lot is that resellers are ruining charity shops by buying all the best stock and pushing up prices.
Personally, I’m not convinced and it’s actually something I’ve written about before: Reselling: Is It Unethical To Buy From Charity Shops?
As long as resellers are paying the prices the charity shop is asking, they should simply be treated as another customer.
In fact, you could argue they’re helping charities by moving large amounts of stock so quickly.
Resellers also take on work that the charity shop doesn’t want to do. They research prices, photograph items, store them, and sometimes wait months for them to sell.
If charity shops don’t want to take those extra steps themselves, I don’t think it’s fair to blame people who do.
To me, pricing seems like a much bigger issue than resellers, many of whom are small businesses, trying to provide for their families around other commitments.
Are Better Items Going To Vinted Instead?
Another factor could be where donations are ending up.
While most charity shops in my area still seem to be overflowing with donations, more and more people are selling their items on platforms like Vinted instead.
If someone can get £1 or £2 for an item they no longer need, many will choose to do that rather than donate it, especially in the current financial climate.
This means fewer high-quality items make their way into charity shops in the first place.
It’s A Shame, Really
The thing is, I don’t have all the answers.
I genuinely like charity shops.
I love having a browse. I love finding hidden gems. I love buying books, toys and unusual bits and pieces second-hand.
But I’m also very conscious of value for money.
If I know I can get something significantly cheaper elsewhere, I’m probably going to do that.
Children’s clothing is probably the best example. In my experience, a good bundle from Vinted is often considerably cheaper than buying individual items from a charity shop – unless I’m lucky enough to find one with a 50p basket.
That’s why, for many shoppers, Vinted seems to be winning.
Not because people don’t want to support charity shops, but because budgets are stretched tighter than ever before and were busier than ever before. Convenience matters more than it used to.
And until charity shops find a way to compete with that, I suspect we’ll continue to see more people making the switch.
