Haggling in charity shops

[Andrew]

Hey all - further to Jon's blog post about buying from charity shops to resell on ebay being morally wrong (which you can find by clicking here) I thought I'd build on this and ask the question when/if is it acceptable to haggle in charity shops? Been staggered by some of the prices in my local charity shops of late and I'm wondering if they price things so high because they expect people to haggle with them on the prices.

 

[marriedmeeples]

I've noticed increased prices too. I'm usually on the lookout for kids clothes and it really bugs me when clearly used clothes are priced not far off new. Eg a set of 3 new baby vests can start from £3. In charity shops they are priced individually at £1 each. Better off buying new in a sale. So now I only buy good brands from charity shops where I know the item is worth it. I've come close to haggling a few times but not gone through with it. I figure if no one buys it at the high price they'll reduce eventually or move it somewhere else.

 

[homie]

I wouldn't haggle in a charity shop unless something has some damage which they might have not noticed.

 

[Jon]

Not sure I could handle the shame of haggling at the checkout in a charity shop lol

 

[Topaz]

Daughter used to work in a charity shop and they regularly let people have things cheaper if they said they didn't have quite enough money. It isn't exactly haggling, but they would prefer to get some money rather than none.
I agree that some charity shops do price way to high. When you can walk into Primark and buy a pair of new jeans cheaper than second hand in a charity shop, something isn't right!

 

[The Reverend]

Not sure I could handle the shame of haggling at the checkout in a charity shop lol

Same here.

 

[fraserbooks]

I help in a charity shop and I am always surprised by the type of people who haggle particularly those who you know are buying it to put it straight on e.bay. We have a policy of only accepting the price we put on the item. It is very difficult just to give discounts for your favourite customers. We also only price in 50 pence increments so we have a clear price band for an item which we can justify if asked. We have pensioners who save their pennies for us or take odd balls of wool to knit baby clothes for us to balance against the customers who try to get a £1.00 off. I did have one delightful chap who told me I must be white trash to work in a charity shop when I refused.

P.S. It is a children's cancer charity. Some of our volunteers have either had cancer themselves as children and been helped by the charity or lost a child to cancer.

 

[Andrew]

I help in a charity shop and I am always surprised by the type of people who haggle particularly those who you know are buying it to put it straight on e.bay. We have a policy of only accepting the price we put on the item. It is very difficult just to give discounts for your favourite customers. We also only price in 50 pence increments so we have a clear price band for an item which we can justify if asked. We have pensioners who save their pennies for us or take odd balls of wool to knit baby clothes for us to balance against the customers who try to get a £1.00 off. I did have one delightful chap who told me I must be white trash to work in a charity shop when I refused.

P.S. It is a children's cancer charity. Some of our volunteers have either had cancer themselves as children and been helped by the charity or lost a child to cancer.

I HATE people who get offended and become abusive with you because you're trying to make as much money as you can for the charity. At the end of the day the charity is trying to make as much money as possible to support its cause! That being said though I''m still surprised at some of the prices I'm seeing. But if the charity achieves those prices then great!

 

[fraserbooks]

I HATE people who get offended and become abusive with you because you're trying to make as much money as you can for the charity. At the end of the day the charity is trying to make as much money as possible to support its cause! That being said though I''m still surprised at some of the prices I'm seeing. But if the charity achieves those prices then great!

Thanks Andrew, we do price essentials like baby clothes cheaply but are happy to charge more for fake designer handbags. We also have some customers who are happy to pay more because they know their purchase is helping a charity. Donors also like to know that their donations have raised a reasonable sum for the cause. Our principle aim is not to provide cheap e.bay stock.

 

[David Says...]

There's nothing morally wrong about either reselling or haggling for charity shop finds.

Haggling comes down to a simple exchange. You'll only pay what you find acceptable, and charities sell for what they find acceptable.

If you wouldn't pay the 'sticker price' then it's reasonable to give the shop your best offer. If it's OK with them then it's a win-win.

If the shop isn't willing to let the item go for the price that you find acceptable then the sale won't go through. Again, no-one is losing out.

Offering a lower price isn't 'ripping off' the shop. It's giving it the chance to sell you an item that you might not otherwise buy.

If you choose to pay more for an item than you might otherwise then you're effectively giving a donation. That's fine, too.

If the shop has a 'no haggling' policy then that's also fine. They aren't compelled to give you a discount.

You have a moral duty to do the best for you and your family. Charity shops - even if you haggle - will benefit if you buy from them, so why the shame or guilt?

 

[fraserbooks]

Is that how you behave in a shop like Marks and Spencers or John Lewis?

 

[David Says...]

Is that how you behave in a shop like Marks and Spencers or John Lewis?

I didn't say that it was how I behaved in charity shops. I said that it wasn't morally wrong. But since you asked - yes, I have on occasion haggled in high street shops, and sometimes (but not always) received a better price or offer.

Any discount requests are made without expectation or entitlement, and always in good faith and with good humour.

Incidentally, there are a couple of charities which I donate to. I prefer to donate directly rather than through higher charity shop prices because I make tax aid declarations.

 

[Dick Barton]

I have been dealing for years. In charity shops I always pay the price they are asking. If, in my opinion, the price is too high, then I don't buy the item. If you know your 'stuff' there will always be something else.
Everything has a level and charity shops can get inundated with items. Price too high and they have more stock than they can shift! I have friends who run these establishments and sometimes they ask me about selling on ebay (which many do now) and I give them my opinion as they do not always realise that some items have value. A named wooden coat hanger?

 

[Jon]

I have been dealing for years. In charity shops I always pay the price they are asking. If, in my opinion, the price is too high, then I don't buy the item. If you know your 'stuff' there will always be something else.
Everything has a level and charity shops can get inundated with items. Price too high and they have more stock than they can shift! I have friends who run these establishments and sometimes they ask me about selling on ebay (which many do now) and I give them my opinion as they do not always realise that some items have value. A named wooden coat hanger?

Makes you wonder how long it will be till Charity shops just put the stuff on ebay themselves and cut out the middleman (the ebay reseller!)

 

[The Reverend]

They won’t get rid of shops themselves.

When they sell via eBay they have 30% loss of ticket price. (Fees and PayPal charges) plus dealing with returns.

 

[Dick Barton]

Makes you wonder how long it will be till Charity shops just put the stuff on ebay themselves and cut out the middleman (the ebay reseller!)

Lots of charity shops do sell directly on ebay. What you have to remember Reverend is that they have a worldwide market. My friend who runs two charity shops told me they recently had a 'doll's house' bird cage that sold for £180. The chances of getting that in the shop is very unlikely. I have just sold some ephemera that cost £1.50 for £50 and that is off to Australia. Again, without the ebay coverage they may never have sold.

 

[Andrew]

Yeah I was having a chat with the manager in one of my favourite charity shops yesterday and she said that they always check eBay for prices and then put an item on sale for the eBay price minus fees where they can. That being said they're also happy to give me first dig at items as well even though they know that 3/4s of what I buy from them will end up on eBay because they know they can get a quick return from me. So it's all about the relationships you build!

 

[fraserbooks]

I help in a charity shop. Our charity has an e.bay shop and we spotted a Donkey Kong SNES game for an old Nintendo consol. We saved it for E bay and it made £230.00 as it was a limited edition. We normally sell computer games for £1.50. I am glad the extra money went to the charity but it is obviously worth checking out any old games you find.

 

[Dick Barton]

What if you are a collector and not a dealer? If you new something was worth £100 and it was for sale at 50p, would you tell the staff? I'm a dealer so, no way, but others might feel differently.

 

[TommyBoy]

I just find it too wrong to haggle in one, a lot of them are getting pricier though.

I have seen elderly women haggling prices at charity jumble sales, and that seems to be quite common as I used to help out a lot of Scout ones