Thursday 30 January 2014

The Price of Charity

Normally I don't get the time to browse in charity shops but recently I decided to combine exercising my wonky knee somewhere with lots of places of interest to stop and look.

Byres Road in Glasgow has a very laid back Westend vibe with fab restaurants, cafes and bars, boutiques, everyday and speciality shops as well as a number of charity shops. Its sometimes referred to as the desperate mile if you're on a pub crawl, though definitely not advisable while on painkillers otherwise I'd have keeled over and been classified as a traffic bollard, or hazard!

Oxfam has a dedicated bookshop AND a couch so this was definitely worth a visit and a little rest. I was chuffed to pick up a Kirstie Allsopp Crafting hardback for £4.99 which seemed reasonable enough and had a browse of their other books and dvd's but was quite surprised at some of the prices.

I saw a Belinda Jones novel I hadn't read but thought it was rather overpriced at £3.99 especially as it was a used mass market paperback. When I checked online, amazon have it new for £1.50, used for 1p and £3.49 for kindle. I know book prices are fluctuating wildly due to the whole e-reader impact and resellers, and there are also the ethics of supporting authors and charitable endeavours which I strongly support, but something is not quite right here.

When I moved house I donated what probably equated to perhaps 3-4 tall bookcases of books, most read but some new to a charity which supports homelessness. I fully expected them to be priced attractively but would have been rather annoyed if they had overpriced them and retarded sales that fund the charity.

Oxfam wasn't alone as I noticed the prices were quite steep in another that I visited. They had some nice cut glass/crystal wine glasses but at £38 I'd be looking to buy them new, shiny and boxed from a department store not loose and with some scratches. In their window they has a pair of ladies shoes for £72.99 which blew me away. On closer inspection they were well polished Ferragamo's, in an older style similar to those worn by the Queen, but they were very obviously used with the distinctive imprint of the previous owners foot spread and bunions.

It is nice to go into a clean and well organised charity shop, and to feel you are supporting their cause, but quite another to feel you are paying a premium for used items donated in good faith. This may be limited to this area as they can possibly demand higher prices. If it works then I wish them well but question whether I'd pay these prices when I can buy new items cheaper which come with guarantees and refund policies.

Is this a Byres Road phenomenon, or am I so out of touch with modern charity shops that this is the price of charity?

10 comments:

  1. I think it's a nationwide phenomena now - the charity shops got wise about the prices people will pay for 'vintage' things and they check out ebay and such now I think and try to make as much as they can for everything. I think they are too expensive - I'm always amazed at the prices I see now (I worked in a charity shop when I was aged 16-18 and things have changed a lot since then!), especially when you see primark clothes at prices that I think must be more than the cost new. I think it's silly as it puts people off buying. I believe some of them now have ebay stores and reserve their best vintage clothes for there. I know they want to make the most they can for their charity but sometimes, the asking prices are ridiculous!

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  2. I forgot to say, thank you very much for your comment on the work related blog earlier. I'm really disappointed but am trying hard to be positive and don't feel as low as I did in December. Who knows what might be around the next corner.

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  3. I can add that this is unfortunately a trend here in Canada as well, at least in larger centres. Whenever something becomes popular and accepted, prices always rise to the demand. I buy second-hand only if it is an item I am actively searching AND would buy new if necessary. Unfortunately, there seems to be a segment of shoppers who seek charity/used merely to be "on trend" :(

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  4. I agree with you. I have been very put off by the price levels in our local charity shops,

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  5. It varies from charity to charity. I've noticed that most have started overpricing the clothes now that "vintage" is trendy. Even the crap, stained clothes are overpriced. Oxfam has always been expensive for books though, there's no way I'd pay £3.99 for a paperback, no way at all. I think that £5 for Kirsty's book was expensive, but then I don't have a high opinion of the book!

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  6. I'm so glad someone else thinks the same way, some of the things are so very over priced, they must sit around for years not making money for them.

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  7. I completely agree with you. I buy a lot of my kids' clothes this way, because new ones would cost a fortune. I'm so disappointed when I go in to buy a pile of t-shirts and everything there is old and used, but almost as expensive as the sale prices in a regular store! Where's the bargain? It's frustrating.

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  8. So interesting! I am shocked at some of those prices, I must say. I find it totally depends on where you are. In my (un-trendy) corner of Leeds the charity shops are fairly priced and all have a lot of good stock and are always busy too - it's nice to see so many people donating to and buying from them. But I was in a charity shop in Chichester recently and was really shocked at some of the prices I was seeing - clearly it's an affluent area and that's what locals will spend. x

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  9. I think that charity shops rely on the fact that people think it is for charity and you are right some shop price at ridiculous prices. I find the local church groups are far more charitable and give back directly to the local community.. the bigger stores/charities are run as businesses.
    finding the bargain is more elusive now a days

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  10. I was in one yesterday in Mainz Germany. Very good prices for really fun things. I bought lace bits and a fun old pin and some metal buttons. Love your blog btw. Jean from French oddities.

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