I don’t know if it’s because I’ve got older (or just more boring), but binge-drinking and parties no longer excite me in the way they used to.
These days, I enjoy scouring charity shops. The buzz from finding a hidden gem that would normally cost an arm and a leg, for a few quid, is like bagging that elusive Beyoncé concert ticket 30 seconds before they sell out.
Thrift shopping has become my forte since having a baby and moving from a one-bed flat to a house.
I learnt very quickly that spending a lot on baby stuff is a fool’s game; the best-case scenario is that the new item fits for a few months, while the worst is that it hangs in the wardrobe gathering dust because it never fitted in the first place.
We no longer have money after the move (I blame the baby), so second-hand is the only option if we don’t want to sit on the floor until she turns four and I can stop forking out on nursery fees.
Charity shops now understand the power of carefully curated, highly desirable online collections – whether they’re high-end but second-hand designer clothes and accessories at Vestiaire Collective, or hand-picked vintage beauties aimed at younger people on Depop.
The second-hand game has changed, and it’s become digital.
I discovered online charity shopping a year or two ago (a rare positive of lockdown) and have been hooked ever since I managed to bag a silk Dior scarf for £15. Here are some of my insider tips.
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Crisis
Crisis is a charity that provides help to those who are homeless. Online it is one of my favourite second-hand sites as it’s visually appealing and easy to use compared to some of the others. Delivery is £3.95 for everything, or free if you spend over £50. These are some of the bargains I found:
Crisis often hosts online sales and offers voucher codes now and then. It’s worth signing up to Crisis’s newsletter for these extra discounts.
Cancer Research
Cancer Research currently uses eBay, Depop, Asos Marketplace and Vestiaire to sell items that have been donated. Its Vestiaire account is particularly tempting if you are into high-end designer items.
Some examples of items you will find include:
- Louis Vuitton Chantilly leather crossbody bag, £500 (was £595).
- Burberry cashmere scarf, £70 (or £50 if you use the voucher code, which gets you £20 off when you register). A new one is £390
Depop is aimed at the younger crowd and sells “cooler” items, often from the early noughties. You will find a lot of Vans trainers, vintage sportswear such as Kappa and Adidas, and high-street items such as River Island on the Cancer Research account.
You will also come across second-hand-steals at Asos, and there is a busy eBay store where you can go up against other bargain-hunters in a bidding war.
Barnardo’s
Barnardo’s has an online shop with mostly new items, but its eBay store is where you can hunt for luxurious second-hand items.
Some items you can bid on include:
If you are more interested in shopping in-store with Barnardo’s, big brands such as Koi Footwear, James Galt, Gibsons Games and French Connection all donate new items for the charity to sell at a fraction of the price.
Sue Ryder
Sue Ryder has two different ways you can buy second-hand items online, with 100% of the profits going towards the charity’s palliative, neurological and bereavement support.
Its Depop shop is where you will find vintage, retro, designer and other specially selected pre-loved treasures, from 1990s puffer jackets to Dr Martens.
This Adidas vintage jacket for £25 is very cool and a lot cheaper than the price you’d pick it up for at one of those hipster-run, curated vintage stores.
At Sue Ryder’s eBay store, there is a whole host of treasures – from wedding dresses to collectables, jewellery and musical instruments – that have been handpicked from Sue Ryder charity shops. To give you an idea:
The online shop runs sales twice a year, in January and August, with up to 50% off.
RSPCA
The RSPCA has not held back in selling online – with a presence on pretty much every thrift platform I can think of. It has a main eBay store, but other selling accounts seem to be run by individual charity shops.
On the main site, you can currently bid for:
The charity has a Vinted account (which, incidentally, is my favourite place to buy second-hand toddler clothing), and Depop accounts (run by different stores).
This isn’t an exhaustive list of charity shops with an online presence. Most have one, including Age UK, Oxfam and Fara, which all have lovely sites with brilliant designer bargains in them.
Don’t forget smaller and more local charities that may also sell online – and have less competition for bargains.
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Don’t fall into the designer dupe trap
When buying second-hand designer items, there is always going to be an element of risk that you’re not actually acquiring an authentic designer piece. That said, there are things you can do to protect yourself.
If you are thinking of spending some serious money on a second-hand designer item, maybe stick to the luxury resale website Vestiaire Collective. Every listed item for sale has to go through a rigorous authentication process, including shipping each item over to its French HQ for verification.
If you think you have bought a fake from eBay, you are first asked to contact the seller to get it to sort things out for you (and it’s a charity – so unlikely to be unscrupulous). However, If that doesn’t work out, you then go through the eBay resolution centre to sort out the issue. It’s always worth paying with PayPal if possible, as your claim qualifies you for a money back guarantee.
If you think you have bought something that isn’t authentic on Depop, you are covered under its buyer protection scheme. You will get a full refund if you report the issue to it within 180 days of the date of purchase.
As a general rule, if you are spending over £100 and under £30,000, consider using a credit card so you are entitled to the Section 75 cover. This means your lender is equally responsible for refunding you if there’s a problem.
It’s always nice to have that extra layer of protection if you are shopping for designer items online.
Read more ‘What I learnt from trying to save a third of my salary’
Prefer going to a charity shop? Here are our top tips
If going into stores on your local high street is more for you, here are my top tips:
- Hit the fancy areas
The wealthier the area, the more likely it is that you will be able to pick up high-end items for a fraction of their recommended retail price.
Just last week, I was in the Welsh town of Cowbridge, where I managed to pick up a pair of JoJo Maman Bébé shorts for £1 and a Sarah Louise dress in perfect condition for £4.99, when they usually sell for £60-£70.
- Find new high-street brands in charity shops
Some charity shops have relationships with high-street brands where new items that haven’t sold will be made available cheaply.
In my local area, there’s a Cancer Research shop to which French Connection donates items quite regularly, and a British Red Cross that had a ton of Zara clothing with tags on.
It’s worth talking to the volunteers at your local charity shop, as they have a wealth of knowledge and will be able to tell you which brands they have relationships with.
- Find the last-chance shops
When an item has hung around in-store too long, some charities will send it to a different part of the country, where it will end up in a “last chance” shop before being destroyed or sent abroad. These stores are usually massive and everything is one price.
There are two of these jumble sale stores local to me – one where everything is £1 and another where everything in the shop is under £3. I have nabbed a leather Boden bag for a quid and a Joules cardigan for £2.
- Be consistent
Most charity shops put out new donations daily, so you shouldn’t wait until the weekend where there is more competition. Hit the high street during the week.
- Keep the cycle going
Charity shopping is becoming a more pleasurable experience, with the items becoming more high-end. If you want to keep the cycle going, and to help those in need, then donate good-quality items yourself to be reused and loved.
*Prices were correct at the time of writing
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