What’s your best charity shop bargain?

An earlier poster mentioned a “dog on wheels.” This brings back memories - our annual church Holiday Harvest Bazaar had a silent auction item that no one knew what it was for - a dog on wheels, bright red stroller with a push handle. Undercarriage had an English Co as a manufacturer. You could tell it was beloved and worn (the dog’s head was nearly bald from being petted.)

I said it was for a baby learning to walk. It immediately went on the auction block - came down to a heated exchange between another “to-be” gran and myself. I went home with the new-won prize, $75 lighter. That was 40 years ago!!! (Go figure the value in today’s market)

It passed through our family and various grandchildren. The kids always wanted to ride it! What a find. I loved that little “dog on wheels.”
Cheers!
USA Gundy

A Hobbs gilet, brand new, very warm - for £4. It's 'dry clean only' but washes just fine.

ruthiek

You must all live in lovely areas as my local charity shops seem to have “ tatty “ clothing to resell 😪

Yeah same here😩
Have never got anything like most people on here have.What finds for some, your so lucky.

I bought a brown faux shearling, zip-up jacket for £5. I wear it a lot, particularly in spring and autumn. It is very warm and has a hood that is useful if there is a shower.
A few years ago I bought a beautiful silk-mix, embroidered and beaded jumper very cheaply. When I got it home I realised the label said 'Dry clean only'. I decided to risk a machine wash and it was fine! I recently wore it to church and two ladies said " What a lovely jumper!"

Another good find for me was a mushroom colour leather handbag. The label inside said The Tannery which I recognised as an expensive make. It was £17 and I looked it up and it’s still on sale for £118. It was immaculate as was the lining. The assistant says she knows the lady who brought it in and everything she donates is quality. I think some people have more money than sense to give away something like that.

The majority of my clothes/books come from Charity shops - a lot with tags still attached or in the case of shoes new in boxes. I've had 2 pairs of safety trainers for myself brand new for about £8 a pair, both worth around £45/50 minimum. Also a pair of safety boots for a male friend for £10. Last year a friend and myself went on a cruise for the first time - many of the dressier dresses came from charity shops for between £5-15, although there was one - a long Monsoon dress still with the label of £149 that I paid £25 for (don't normally go that high). Haven't actually worn it so labels are still on there - if i don't wear it can sell it. Another bargain last Saturday was a pair of glittery sandals (unworn) marked up at £4 but she charged me £2 so whether they had been there a while not sure. I like to google my bargains, they were originally £18 so not expensive but they look a lot more.

In my local charity shop I found some ‘ Beefsteak’ oval plates being sold for 50p each…. In perfect condition . I have my mothers set that she had 60 years ago !
They aren’t particularly valuable but they are ‘collectables’…..I explained to the assistant that they were worth £20-£25 a plate and she took them off sale until the manager came in . I saw them he next day displayed in the window for £7 per plate. They sold them all in two days. My point being ….surely just having a Millers antique book in the shop for them to run their eye over before putting ornaments and collectibles on sale would be sensible.

A charity shop manager used to bring me items for valuation and repair before putting them in their shop. There were some lovely items and when cleaned up were sold at a good price.

Chocolatelovinggran

Posh hats - perfect place to search for them! I've worn a few fab charity shop hats and fascinators over the years, as MOB, MOG, etc;. Buy them for a modest price, return them immediately after, absolute win- win ( and no hat boxes cluttering up the wardrobe)

Yes, hats are a great find, I forgot that! And my black handbags are charity shop, when it looks grotty I go searching.

Selling them on doesn't sit well with me, the money is for the charity - perhaps give some of profit to them?

I can't think of anything startling (a recent brand new new Seasalt Dress was £7.50, that was nice) but about half my wardrobe is charity shop, and its fun looking.

Locally if I have something valuable I'd take it to Oxfam, as they do price for a designer rail.

But I actually take my clothes to MIND shop in a very deprived area indeed. After seeing people count out shillings and pennies for children clothes or something nice for themselves, I'm very aware of the other side of charity shopping - its sometimes the only way for people to clothe themselves and family or have something nice. The shop prices things low accordingly.

Posh hats - perfect place to search for them! I've worn a few fab charity shop hats and fascinators over the years, as MOB, MOG, etc;. Buy them for a modest price, return them immediately after, absolute win- win ( and no hat boxes cluttering up the wardrobe)

It’s all fair to my mind.

I’ve been shopping in charity shops since about 1978 it was a punk thing then and I don’t recall such places existing in towns until then.

Obviously if it wasn’t for the charity, no one would have the option to shop in them (and many people won’t even set foot in one) but if everyone was well off enough to buy everything brand new they’d soon close down.

Marydoll

I have a friend, who trawls charity shops for bargains and then makes a profit selling on Ebay.
She has even asked for her money back on items, if she gets home and changes her mind.
That does not sit well with me at all.

I knew someone who did exactly the same Marydoll. She visits not only Charity shops but car boot sales as well and sells old books. She has been known to return to shops when things she got in the Charity Shop still had all their tags.
When challenged she could see nothing wrong and said she was recycling.
I also knew two charity shops where volunteers kept the best back for themselves. One tried to get my late mother to buy things from her, luckily my mother told her where to go.
I never leave tags on clothes when passing the odd thing in and scuff the bottom of unworn shoes.
It doesn't seem right to me either.

Lomo123

Diamond and sapphire bracelet. Sitting on an open shelf along with plastic bracelets and necklaces. £5.

Did your conscience trouble you? Did you know what it was when you bought it? Did you keep it or sell it? Did you make a further payment to the charity?

Oh, and my daughter has also caught the charity shop bug and, as an adult, has bought some of her favourite clothes there.

Jocork, you have reminded me of some brilliant bargains l had for my daughter when she was small. When she was just under two she had outgrown her winter coat but, as her birthday is at the beginning of April, I was reluctant to buy her a new one at this point. A local charity shop had a red Ladybird anorak for 50p in the size she needed. It was ideal and she wore it for a few months in the autumn at which point I bought her a new coat. I passed on the red anorak to a friend for her little boy as it was a unisex design.When she was five, I paid £1 in another charity shop for a summer party dress. It was really pretty and as new because party dresses are not worn very often. When she was eight l bought her a pair of Gap jeans in a charity shop for 50p. Again, they were as new and had sequins too. The best part was that they had an internal elasticated waist so that they could be adjusted to fit the child. My daughter was, and is, petite with a very small waist and these were wonderful. They had a lot of wear.

A Le Creuset fondue set in a really tatty box but had obviously had never been used as forks etc in original bags. I suspected it was a wedding present that had undergone several house moves. Cost £5 and has been used and lent out a few times!

A large Jellycat bashful puppy. Absolutely perfect condition with original price ticket still on it. Couldn't believe the Charity shop only wanted £1.00. Ticket price had £55.00.

We had some dinner plates from M&S from a boot sale now discontinued but I liked them so much I wanted the other bowls etc. I found the whole set ..teapot, jug, gravy boat ,teacups , small plates , salt &pepper pots, cereal bowls . I got the lot for £16!

A pair of knee length suede Hotter boots, still boxed, new for £30.
I wear then every year, so a real bargain.

I bought my DD a coat about 30 years ago, so don't remember how much I paid. However I found a pair of gloves with each finger being one of the colours in the coat fabric so a perfect match in another local clothes shop. It was a beautiful outfit and when she wore it the next day someone commented on her 'new' coat and she said very loudly, "Yes, Mummy bought it from Oxfam!" She was too young to know it was a charity shop, it was just a shop brand to her. Now she buys lots of things second hand either from charity shops or on ebay. We believe in recycling as much as possible and it's usually cheaper than buying new.

A phase Eight full length red evening dress in Mint condition for £10

Most of my clothes are charity shop buys, so I consider them all a bargain as so much cheaper to have a good choice of clothes
One particular buy stands out however - a Honiton lace pillow, complete with approx 100 bobbins and a half-finished piece of lace on it. I enjoyed the hours it took to complete the piece (I felt I owed it to the previous owner who for whatever reason hadn't been able to complete it). I have since used it for other lace projects and don't think I under- or over-paid, the price felt just right for it, and the shop were pleased it was going to another lacemaker.

The thing I like about getting stuff from charity shops is that if you do decide the blouse or whatever is not for you after all, you can donate it back and you have made a donation to the charity.
Our local Oxfam is careful about dealing with valuable things. I gave a Hermes scarf and they said it would go on their website to get a sensible price.

You must all live in lovely areas as my local charity shops seem to have “ tatty “ clothing to resell 😪