r/glasgowmarket • u/DoctorEcstatic59 • 19h ago
Charity Shops Refusing goods?
Hi All,
I’ve seen many a post recently on social media and here about charity shops etc refusing donations because of either staff shortages or they have just too much stock.
After recently being made redundant, I’m trying to get myself up and running doing some reselling with the hopes of eventually being able to open my own preloved/ thrift shop☺️
If anyone has a pile of stuff they want rid of I’d be happy to take it off your hands! I can also pay a (small) fee for it if needed.
I can also collect this all throughout Glasgow and surrounding areas.
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u/meatflaps-69 17h ago
At the risk of being downvoted to hell, I'd consider some nocturnal charity shop bin raiding in the interests of saving stuff from landfill.
Charity shops pay to have their commercial bins emptied so you would be saving the charity money but technically "stealing" from the waste company or council, whoever collects the bins.
I got by for a few months a long time ago on ebay by visiting just one charity shop bin a couple of times a week, you would not believe some of the stuff they binned, it was as if they were not even opening bags to sort donations, everything from le creuset pans to diamond encrusted 18k gold jewellery and watches.
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u/DoctorEcstatic59 16h ago
From people I know who have volunteered for charity shops I’ve heard the waste and refusals far outweighs what they will take and actually sell. It just seems so futile when we are in a time where we really should be more considerate of our buying and reusing habits.
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u/meatflaps-69 16h ago
I think its disgusting that say, a recent widow who has supported a particular charity, decides to have a clear out of what is probably some quite sentimental things by giving them to charity shop for them to sell, to make some money from and for the new owner to get some use from.
Only for it to be thrown in the bin.
And thats just the emotional side it, the destruction of perfectly good things with plenty of life left in them.is a crime againt both the planet and humanity.
Them refusing to take stuff is better than binning it I guess.
You could always take a wander round charity shops offering to take care of their waste problem for a donation, the worst they can say is no
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u/DoctorEcstatic59 15h ago
I couldn’t agree more! I understand that so many people donate to charity shops because they do want to help a good cause, but at the end of the day they are also just a business like anyone else, they have no personal stake in what happens to any of this stuff.
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u/scotchlondon 13h ago
Don’t waste your time going round the charity shops asking for the rags (by this I mean unsellable stock). Most of the bigger charity shops will have companies they sell this onto already. And the stuff they get rid of is literally unsellable - socks, underwear, stained badly or damaged.
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u/Icecreamtvtravel 9h ago
And the stuff they get rid of is literally unsellable - socks, underwear, stained badly or damaged.
Not necessarily. Often items that haven't sold after a few weeks get bundled in with rags too and sold on to clothes recycling places for about 40p per kilo. It's worth asking about, especially in the smaller scale charities.
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u/theprincessofpink83 14h ago
Not to do you out of business OP but if anyone has books they'd like to part with, there is now a dedicated charity bookshop on the 1st floor of Buchanan Galleries who need donations. They distribute the donated books from their shop FOR FREE.
It's a great way of getting people reading, reducing book waste going to landfill and it's proved really popular so please consider taking your books there to keep them stocked up!
These would be hard for you to make much profit on anyway OP after postage costs
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u/Squirtlegangwaddup 8h ago
Definitely recommend going! Got quite a few books from them already and need to plan another visit to donate some books :)
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u/Squirtlegangwaddup 16h ago
I’ve got a pile of stuff that I’ve been meaning to take to textile recycling if that’s also what you’re looking for?
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u/Squirtlegangwaddup 16h ago
I’ve also got old curtains (great condition, I just don’t use them anymore) if that’s something you’re interested in
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u/meanmachines16 18h ago
This makes me feel a little sad but I hope you’re okay and that this venture works well for you.