Giving to our charity shop
Things to consider
- Is it still functional - please make sure that items are not broken and unusable e.g. missing jigsaw pieces or pages in a book! Some items we may be able to mend but please ask us first as some items may prove too expensive to fix.
- Is it clean - items should be clean so that means clothing items recently washed and shoes not covered in mud
- Delivery is best - if you can drop items into the shop that helps reduce our transport costs and enables our volunteers to focus on sorting or upcycling donated goods.
- Can we sell it - please check what we can and can't accept and if you'd like more information then please contact the shop.
- Clothing or textiles - if it is beyond rescue then you can always give us a bag labelled 'for rag' so that we can sell on to a textile recycler.
- Blankets and towels - donations intended for our foster animals still need to be clean and functional. These can be dropped in to the shop but please label for foster animals.
Benefits
- Animal welfare - you are helping our branch and the animals we rescue
- Environment - the items you donate get a second life and rather than being thrown away in landfill they are re-used or up-cycled.
What we can accept
We sell a wide range of goods, the following list provides a guide only. If you aren't sure or it isn't on the list please ask the shop, if we can't accept it we can advise who can:
- Accessories and bags
- Books
- CDs and DVDs (not homemade or containing sensitive material)
- Clothing and textiles
- Games and toys (carrying the CE mark)
- Ornaments, bric-a-brac and household
- Paintings
- Sports equipment
- Musical instruments
- Small items of furniture (meeting Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations of 1988)
- Home furnishings
Please note: we are currently unable to accept electrical goods until we have recruited a volunteer able to undertake Portable Appliance Testing (PAT).
What we can't accept
- Children's car seats.
- Crash helmets, cycle helmets, protective headgear or riding hats
- Explosives, firearms or flammable items
- Medicines or medication
- Electrical goods
- Spectacles with prescription lenses
- Prams and pushchairs that do not conform to BS standards number 7409 or BS EN 1888:2003.
- Food, Wine or Spirits
- Videos and cassette tapes or floppy disks
- Counterfeit or fake goods
We also abide by the guidelines set down by the RSPCA, Science and Policy Division, in respect to items banned for re-sale.