Charity shops on the high street are under threat due to the boom of clothes re-sale apps. Before the rise of platforms such as Vinted and Depop, most Brits would donate their unwanted clothes to charity, but now most are choosing to sell their best items online instead.
This shift has left charity shops in dire straits, with the British Heart Foundation set to close 15 stores. Cancer Research and disability charity Scope are also reducing their outlets.
Quality of donated stock falls
Retail economics analyst Richard Lim said: “The quality of stock that has entered the charity retail sector has generally fallen.”
Catherine Shuttleworth, a retail consultant who advises charities, added: “It is a proper crisis for the sector about whether it survives. A number of charity boards are currently questioning whether to remain in retail at all.”
Rag prices plummet
On top of the re-sale issue, Chinese clothing companies have pushed into Africa, driving down the prices UK charities get for unwanted clothes, known as rags. In Kenya, the UK’s share of used clothing imports has fallen from 20 per cent to three per cent, while China’s has soared from three per cent to 54 per cent, according to UN trade data.
At Oxfam’s textile recycling plant in West Yorkshire, 1kg of rags fetched 37p five years ago, but is now worth just 9p. Things could get worse next year, with some experts suggesting charities will be forced to pay recyclers to take away poor quality donated clothes.
Book sales offer some relief
While rag prices have plummeted, Oxfam’s book operation is generating £10,000 a week. The charities’ struggles come despite UK spending on second-hand clothing quadrupling in the last decade to £8.8bn, according to GlobalData.
