Have Resellers Destroyed The Charity Shop?

The New Paradox of Charity Shops

At the end of my previous blog, I asked you all a question about the impact of ‘resellers’ on charity shops. This blog is based on your responses.

It’s clear from your comments that ‘charity shoppers’ are split down the middle, but one thing you all agree on is this: ‘trust and affordability have collapsed’. Shops that were once community lifelines for low-income families are now accused of chasing profit—through high prices, online sales and inflated CEO wages. Many feel shops have lost sight of their original mission.

However, resellers spark the fiercest arguments. Critics say “flippers” strip shops of bargains to resell online for a quick profit, leaving little behind for ordinary customers or those in need and in line with this, the rise of platforms like eBay, Facebook and more recently Vinted, coincide with this sharp hike in charity shop prices, fuelling genuine resentment.

On the other hand, defenders of reselling argue they are often the biggest spenders in the shop, putting thousands across the counter every year and in some cases, helping to keep shops open.

Either way, they’ve undeniably reshaped the second-hand market.

But something really interesting was also regularly mentioned … resellers aren’t the only issue!

Volunteers are accused of cherry-picking the best donations before they hit the shop floor—vinyl being a common example—while staff often check online values and then mark the items unrealistically high ... and what happens to the gold and silver that’s donated I hear you ask? It’s an interesting question?

But the common theme expressed in the comments is there for us all to see, finding a bargain through necessity or just for the thrill of it, once the heartbeat of charity shopping, is vanishing fast. Some of you believe resellers are to blame for this shift; others insist the problem lies with the shops themselves for chasing online competition and prioritising revenue over accessibility. The truth is probably a little bit of both. But what’s left is a charity sector at a crossroads: caught between mission and market, affordability and profit. For many loyal shoppers, the sadness lies not just in higher prices but in watching the very soul of charity shops slip away.

So, let’s break down the main themes that came across loud and clear in the comments.

Hopefully, we can all agree that charity shops were once lifelines for low-income families. Today, many feel they’ve become too expensive for the very people they were meant to serve and yet, to online resellers, those same shops remain treasure troves — places where a £15 pair of Levi’s can still be flipped into £45 on eBay or Vinted. This paradox is reshaping not just how we shop but how we think about giving, the concept of generosity and even how we consider the biggest question of all- ‘morality’ itself. Now here’s a question for you – are resellers fuelling this paradox by exploiting the gap between charity shop prices and online value, or are they simply adapting to a system that the shops themselves have created?

At the end of this blog, let me know what you think in the comments below.

For decades, charity shops embodied thrift, community and compassion. They offered struggling families a way to clothe themselves and their children, furnish their homes and buy books and toys at prices that undercut the high street. They were, in one sense, an essential safety net in addition to tax payer funded welfare support. However, step inside a shop today and the story is different. Racks are often filled with carefully selected items and priced with online markets in mind. Where once you could walk out with an entire outfit for a fiver, today that same money might not even pay for a single pair of trainers.

So, I want to ask you- and this is the big question– has the rise of the reseller and their constant hunt for profit encouraged charity shops to simply copy the reseller model to legitimately maximise their profits, or are they just profiteering because they can and they’re seizing the opportunity?

Either way, this shift isn’t accidental. It’s the result of a new ecosystem where resellers, online platforms and even charity shops themselves have transformed thrift into commerce. And in this transformation lies the paradox: too expensive for the vulnerable but still cheap enough for the ‘entrepreneurs’ – in other words, the resellers. So, do you think resellers are keeping these shops alive by buying stock in bulk or killing their original purpose by making them unaffordable for those in need? Let me know in the comments.

Over the course of this video, we’ll explore this fast-evolving story: the price paradox, the donation dilemma, the reseller effect, the charity shop counterstrike and finally- the cultural fallout.

In this first section we’ll examine the price paradox – In other words, who is their stock intended for? Why do charity shops feel too expensive for those in need, but still profitable for resellers?

The answer is not simple- and cards on the table, lies in the perspective you take on this question. There is no grey area in this debate. It’s a contentious question and most likely, you stand on one side of the argument or the other. For a low-income single parent walking into a charity shop, a £12 jacket might feel unaffordable when discount supermarkets sell brand-new versions for more or less the same price. So, for them, charity shops no longer function as the budget-friendly lifelines they once were compared to alternative sources of supply on the high street. However, for a reseller with a smartphone, that £12 jacket is a commercial opportunity. On eBay, Depop or Vinted it might fetch £35 or more. In other words, almost three times what they’ve paid for it and a chance to sell it as a ‘vintage’ item to a buyer who might value recycling or who simply sees it as a bargain compared to brand new high street prices?

So, what’s unaffordable to the local shopper who genuinely needs the jacket is still undervalued in the online marketplace and this is particularly true of branded items. You might argue that ‘those in need’ do not need high quality branded items, but a long time ago, before the rise of the reseller, at least they had the chance to acquire these items at an affordable price. Now it seems, the chances to acquire brand items are almost zero when charity shops themselves hold back the quality donations to sell online for ‘maximum profit’ or resellers mine the shops for the designer gear?

Has your own experience been that resellers ‘scoop up’ the best items before locals even get a chance to and do you think this is fair? Let me know in the comments below what you think of this price paradox and the effect it’s having on charity shops and those in genuine need?

Either way, this dynamic appears to be fuelled by ‘visibility’.

It’s common knowledge that understanding how the resale market works, charity shop staff now price-check against online sales, eBay for example- and resellers do the same, scanning barcodes or browsing “sold listings” before they buy.

The result is a pricing model calibrated not for those in need but exclusively for profit … and the data backs this up! At the time of making this video, the Charity Retail Association reports that the UK’s charity retail sector generates over £363 million annually for good causes. Yet surveys show more than half of Britons believe charity shops are now ‘too expensive’ ... and the dichotomy is - both are true- because the market is split: charity shops have become too dear for those in need but still cheap for the resellers that mine them for ‘bargains’ to sell online.

This is the paradox: charity shops are simultaneously pricing out their poorest customers while fuelling a new profit economy for those who can exploit the gap. Do you think resellers have tipped this balance, or are they simply working smarter than the rest of us?

In the next part of this video, we’ll ask the question- “when you donate to charity, who actually benefits?"

In a previous video I’ve labelled this question, ‘the donation dilemma’ – in other words, is your generosity donating to charity shops being repurposed for profit rather than directly benefiting those most in need in your local community? There is a difference.

Most donors believe their clothes, books and furniture will help someone in need directly. And once, that was largely the case.

Today, about 90% of charity shop stock still comes from local public donations but what happens after you drop off those bags has changed. High-value items are now pulled for specialist hubs, online listings or even auction houses. For example, in 2019 eBay raised around £27 million on their charity platform, proving how significant online resale has become for charities.

For donors, this shift is complex.

They may picture their old jacket keeping someone warm locally. In reality, it might be photographed, listed and shipped halfway across the country to an online buyer who sees it as a collectible or a fashion statement.

Meanwhile, resellers also ‘intercept’ or ‘mine’ donations — buying that same jacket off the rack and flipping it for personal gain. The irony is striking: generosity becomes the raw material of commerce, fuelling either charity coffers or private profit, but rarely helping the struggling family down the street.

So here’s the question — when you donate, do you mind if your gift ends up in a reseller’s eBay store rather than on the back of someone in your community? Either way, I can hear you screaming at your screen. “What does it matter where the money comes from as long as it hits the charity shop bank account?” This is the sharp end of the debate. This ‘donation dilemma’ raises a profound question: is the mission of charity shops still about affordable access for those in genuine need, or has it shifted to maximising revenue at any cost?

To make matters even more complex, there is also the question of how that revenue is then used.

At least if the items are affordable on the shop floor, they can potentially go directly to those in need, that’s if the resellers don’t scoop them up first - but if the items are priced out of reach of those in need and it’s the charity that decides how this income from sales is spent, then you run headlong into questions about their overheads, including CEO wages and dubious expenditure?

And that is yet another paradox- is it ultimately about raising money or is it about supplying essential items directly to those in need? And that’s the metaphorical fence and based on the comments received in the YouTube videos- you’re going to be stood on one side of the argument or the other!

Let me know in the comments below which side of the fence you’re stood on? Have resellers built that fence even higher, making it harder for ordinary people to climb over and benefit directly or are they funding the charity’s good causes?

You tell me!

In part three of this video, we explore deeper the hot potato that is the ‘reseller effect’ and ask,’ is it a side hustle or a market force?’

In other words, have resellers- and by extension- YouTubers, unintentionally priced those in need out of the market? It’s a hugely contentious question and I suspect it will dominate the comments section- time will tell!

Anyway, let’s get into it!

Reselling has always existed, but there’s no doubt that social media has supercharged it.

TV programmes, YouTube channels and TikTok accounts are all dedicated to “charity shop hauls,” “what sold this week,” and “turning £10 into £100.” – and across the spectrum of these platforms, millions watch, fascinated by the thrill of flipping second-hand goods and turning them into instantaneous profit, money for nothing or at the very least, little effort!

But that’s another video altogether!

Regardless of how easy or difficult it is for resellers to flip their stock; this media exposure has changed everything. Shop staff, volunteers and even donors became more aware of the potential value of donated items. That £3 vinyl record featured in a viral video? Now it’s £12 in-store. The £5 designer bag? Staff might list it online to maximise profit or even ‘acquire’ it for themselves so it never hits the shop floor!

This cultural loop is relentless! Resellers showcase bargains, shops raise prices in response, resellers hunt harder and ordinary shoppers are squeezed further.

Have you noticed this cycle yourself — where every reseller video online seems to push prices higher in your local shops?

But let’s be fair: reseller culture has also raised the profile of second-hand shopping.

It can be argued that reselling has normalised thrift, boosted footfall and helped reduce waste by keeping goods in circulation. What began as a niche hobby or side hustle has now reshaped the entire second-hand economy in ways that were never imagined twenty years ago by those entrepreneur’s that paved the way for today’s resellers. Still, the unintended effect is clear and can’t really be denied, can it? By broadcasting the profit potential, resellers have helped transform charity shops into contested commercial spaces rather than the community lifelines for those in need they once were.

Do you think resellers have created opportunity, or have they closed doors for the people charity shops were originally built to serve?

The Charity Shop Counterstrike – Fighting resellers at their own game

Another question we have to ask is, how are the charity shops responding to resellers? In other words, is there a hidden ‘battle’ between resellers and charity shops? I guess we could paraphrase this question as; “if resellers profit online, why shouldn’t charities do the same?”

Well, in my opinion, this is exactly the thinking behind the digital online expansion of charity retail. As I understand it, Oxfam’s online shop now lists thousands of curated items, with specialist teams ensuring the best donations never touch the shop floor.

Sue Ryder, Cancer Research and British Red Cross all run e-commerce divisions, competing directly with resellers on platforms like eBay, Vinted and Depop. The bottom line is, the charity shops are playing the resellers at their own game and the evidence is, it works! The UK’s ‘eBay for Charity’ programme is currently one of the largest in the world, generating huge amounts of money annually.

By moving online, charities cut out the reseller middleman, claiming the profit exclusively for themselves. So, the irony is, the charity shops themselves are the biggest resellers in the world! But here’s the kicker — if charities themselves are resellers now, where does that leave the so-called independent reseller hustling on Depop or eBay? Are they partners in recycling or rivals fighting over the same stock?

But this strategy does come at a cultural and social cost. Local shoppers often notice that the ‘best stock’ is missing from their high street branch. Donors too may feel uneasy knowing their gifts don’t serve local families directly but instead are sold to the highest online bidder and the paradox deepens: in responding to resellers, as I’ve said, charity shops have become resellers themselves. The line between charity and commerce blurs, leaving us to question whether the soul and mission of ‘charity’ has shifted permanently.

In the final part of this video, we’ll explore the cultural fallout of the reseller wars.

As a result of this commercial combat, have charities lost trust, have they lost the prestige they once had and have they lost the cultural capital they once had when they embodied the meaning of charity? Have they lost the meaning of charity? It has to be said that based on the vast majority of comments in the previous two charity shop YouTube videos, viewers are consistently saying the same thing- why does the charity sector now look like commerce and does it have to be this way?

Charity shops were once symbols of community trust. Volunteers staffed them, donations flowed in freely and the local community benefitted from affordable goods, particularly those in need. The bottom line is, they represented grassroots compassion and generosity but today, that image is fractured. For some people, charity shops are now little more than boutiques, catering more to middle-class bargain hunters than to struggling families. Displays are curated, prices are steeper and the stock reaching the shop floor is carefully filtered.

This transformation exposes uncomfortable divides.

Donations from working-class households are often monetised online, while wealthier collectors and resellers profit from what is almost arbitrage. Meanwhile, the poorest shoppers — the very people these shops were meant to support — are increasingly priced out … and here’s the uncomfortable question — ‘have resellers turned charity shops into middle-class playgrounds, leaving behind the low-income communities they were meant to serve?’

Defenders of this system argue the outcome justifies the method: if higher prices and online sales fund hospices, medical research, animals or humanitarian relief, isn’t that the true purpose? Critics counter that in losing local accessibility, charity shops risk betraying the very trust that built them all those years ago. At its heart and it can’t be denied; the fallout is both cultural and economic. Charity shops now reflect society’s uneasy dance with capitalism — where even altruism becomes a marketplace to be capitalised and generosity is reframed simply as supply ... and increasingly it seems, excess supply!

Conclusion – The Crossroads

So, in conclusion – What is the future of the charity sector, where do we go from here?

I think it’s fair to say that charity shops stand at a crossroads.

They can continue evolving into professionalised, online-focused commercial enterprises, maximising every donation for maximum profit or they can reclaim their original role as affordable lifelines to those in need, prioritising access over revenue.

Most likely, in my opinion, they will attempt to straddle both worlds — balancing online commerce with community presence, in other words, juggling affordability with corporate ambition and commercialisation. But one truth is unavoidable: the era of the charity shop as a hidden treasure trove for the less well-off is fading, in fact, some might argue, it’s already gone! They are now contested spaces — between donors and buyers, resellers and charities, affordability and commercial profit.

And so, I’m going to leave you with what to me is a troubling question, one that remains long after the donation has been made or the item purchased:

‘When charity is indistinguishable from commerce, can it still be called charity and perhaps more importantly, when resellers are part of that equation — are they preserving the life of charity shops, or are they the very reason their soul has been lost?’

Let me know what you think in the comments below.

My name’s Mark.

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