Best charity shop finds

Although I regularly donate to charity shops, I almost never shop in them (I always just assume there will be nothing in my size, etc) but was killing time while waiting for a key to be cut, so popped into one.  I scored a really nice Kipling handbag for only £6.00.

So now I'm thinking I could be missing a trick here, and intend to visit charity shops more often!

Tell me about some of your best ever charity shop purchases... 

Charity shops are awesome! I found an authentic Gucci bag for £10. I had it authenticated by an expert and it turned out to be from 1989, the year I was born, which made it an even cooler find! 

Other times, I've picked up some really good professional clothing for interviews and such. Brand new with tags for like £3 each. That's when I was in my thinner days though. Now I do have trouble finding things in my size.

What an interesting thread!

I love charity shops but in this area the quality is very variable and in some cases, ridiculously over priced for what you are getting (ie Cancer Research in Chiswick).

Once however, I found a black velvet bustier style top in perfect condition for £3 . I failed to try it on as I was in a hurry, and when I got home it was too big. I was not that bothered and listed it on ebay. Little did I know it was an expensive boutique brand and it sold for £67! 

Hard to say which was my best find.  Maybe the Liberty square fine wool scarf I found in a London charity shop! They had it in with the usual cheapo stuff for something like 2 quid. I nervously took it to the counter and paid before they realized what it was. 

I've found some lovely hand-knit sweaters which wash up beautifully. I usually look for the labels and will go for anything M&S, etc. I once found a cotton jersey Landsend dress which I wore a lot. Found a snowsuit the kids wore for years (if it snowed).

You can't go in thinking "I want to find a wonderful handbag" because they probably won't have any nice ones that day. But you might find something else you fancy. I got into a routine of making the rounds of the local shops two or three times a week -- in case I missed something good! (Is there a Charity Shoppers Anonymous?)

My best finds are usually at car boot sales, rather than charity shops - can I mention those here?

My top one was an authentic Lloyd Loom green wicker laundry box for £3. And I've also picked up a few semi-valuable first edition books over the years for under £1 each. But a friend of mine really hit the jackpot when she bought a basket full of Hermès scarves for a tenner. She wasn't absolutely sure they were genuine, but took them to the shop in Paris and had them valued. There were about 25 of them!

But a friend of mine really hit the jackpot when she bought a basket full of Hermès scarves for a tenner. She wasn't absolutely sure they were genuine, but took them to the shop in Paris and had them valued. There were about 25 of them!

WOW! That is awesome. Was this at a charity shop or car boot?

WOW! That is awesome. Was this at a charity shop or car boot?

That was at a car boot.

I haven't really found anything at charity shops in the UK. In the US at thrift stores, if I spend about two hours in the huge warehouse ones, I can find a ton of stuff. I actually started an Etsy selling vintage stuff I found and have sold on eBay too and made a huge profit. The best find so far has been a NWT Antropologie dress that I paid $4 for and sold on ebay for $60. I have a few Topshop and Jaeger items I've gotten in the US that I am going to put on eBay next time I'm in the UK.

I've sold stuff that I've found as well - it's usually things that I don't personally like, but that I think would sell well on eBay. For instance, a Royal Worcester milk jug and sugar bowl that I paid £2 for and sold for £28! But my "best finds" are always the things I love too much to part with! 

The trouble with car boots is you really need a car to get to 'em. Especially if you're going to buy much.

The trouble with car boots is you really need a car to get to 'em. Especially if you're going to buy much.

That's true.

About time somebody started a thread like this!!

As most of you know I work in a charity shop and my wonderful finds are many.  But for those of you who are a bigger size, don't assume their won't be anything for you!  Keep checking.  We often get bigger sizes and nice stuff, too!

I too struggle on the clothes front -

But I found some really neat chemistry jars once- little pyrex beakers and erlenmeyer flasks, which I absolutely adore!

I found a great burgundy suede handbag for £5.00 at a charity shop in Pontefract last fall. Looked brand new. It's very cool and funky, and one of my favorite bags.

I don't seem to find as much as I did at places in the US, but maybe I'm just a bit more careful with my money now, until I'm able to work!

I *love* when Andee has given her 'donation of the day' updates - often on Facebook, but occasionally on here, on other threads...from the charity shop donations that she has to sort through at work.

Sometimes it's something really good!

And sometimes it's really awful or bizarre - like that time that someone donated a pair of wornout smelly trainers filled with dog kibble! 

Ok I know the trainers alone themselves could have gone, sold by weight (along with other un-sellable textiles) to the rag & bone man.  (The shop still makes money on rags & items unsuitable for resale - by selling these on.)  But dog kibble?!