Knives donated to charity amid quality concerns

The growing popularity of reselling apps has caused a drop in quality donations to charity shops

A charity shop has received donations including knives and razor blades amid concerns about the falling quality of stock.

Steph Townsend, assistant manager of the Great Western Air Ambulance charity Shop in Gloucester, told BBC Radio Gloucestershire it had been handed items so damaged they were unsellable.

With the rise in popularity of reselling apps such as Vinted, Depop and eBay, charity shops have spoken out with worries about the decline of quality donations.

Julie Kenworthy, head of operations for Mind, which runs a shop in Dursely, said since Covid the charity had "definitely started to see a diminished quality, particularly on branded stuff".

"We've seen obviously more people selling online so this could be one of the reasons why we've seen a drop in our donations of quality stock," she said.

"It is hard on a lot of charities nowadays", added Ms Townsend.

Amid an explosion in reselling, some charities themselves are turning to the sites themselves to sell their best quality items for a higher price than they might typically go for in traditional charity shops.

But they're also struggling to source good-quality items as more people see the potential profit in their own unwanted clothes, or become more adept at finding pieces for bargain prices in charity shops and reselling them for profit online.

'You get this whole experience'

Cheltenham-based stylist Sarah Cross said charity shops were also up against the growth of sites that offered pre-labelled bags for unwanted clothes, that could then be dropped off at convenient locations such as petrol stations in return for vouchers.

But while there were more convenient options than charity shops, Ms Cross highlighted the sometimes insecure nature of reselling apps, warning of counterfeit items being offered up.

Using Bath Road, Cheltenham, as an example of the positives of charity shops, Ms Cross said: "If you've got a few friends, we start at one end, we have our coffee and croissant at one end to give us some energy, we tell each other what we're looking for.

"If you go 'I'm looking for inspiration, it could be anything', that's too general and you end up with nothing or panic buying.

"We tell each other what we're looking for and what size we want, so when we are in the charity shops and there's four of us looking and someone can say 'oh maybe this could be for you'.

"Then you get this whole experience of a day out together, and four eyes looking for what you want - knowing what you want - rather than just general inspiration."