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CHARITY shops are traditionally a way to pick up donated items for a fraction of their original price.
But some shoppers say they are turning their backs on buying pre-owned charity clothes as they claim they are “ridiculously expensive” and say it’s cheaper to shop at Primark.
It comes as Gen-Z shoppers are increasingly favouring second hand sites like Depop and Vinted, along with car boot sales, to snap up purse-friendly outfits.
A number of young shoppers have taken to social media to complain about the expensive prices at charity shops.
Anna, who posts under @thecharityshopqueen, has uploaded a number of videos in charity shops calling out their “audacious pricing.”
In one shop she found a fast fashion Boohoo dress that cost £17, despite being £22 brand new.
Anna was shocked and said: “How can they justify that?”
She was also unimpressed at some orange heeled sandals for £14 that were £25 when bought new, and she added: “I'd rather pay that and not have had someone's smelly feet in them.”
The charity shop whizz said £5 would have been more reasonable.
In another video, she was amazed when a charity shop said they didn’t sell anything for under £8, even H&M items.
Anna isn’t the only shopper who has taken issue with charity shop pricing lately.
Bargain hunter Hope Bailey called out shops in Manchester saying: “Why are charity shops going so expensive?”
She held up a belt and said: “£10 for this belt, that's a whole hour's work.”
Meanwhile influencer Lilly Whitfield, who lives in London, said: “Somebody tell me why charity shops are becoming so expensive.
“I am fully aware that we are in a cost-of-living crisis, I get it... I have been shopping in charity shops since I was tiny because my mother couldn't afford toys and clothes.
“I just don't understand why these charity shops are all of a sudden charging so much money for items that aren't even that high quality.
Ross Dutton has been a manager for Crisis's charity shops for four years and currently runs the charity's Finsbury Park shop in London.
Choose your area - As a rule of thumb, the posher the area, the better quality the clothes that are donated.
Don't hang around - If you see something you like, buy it, as it'll likely be gone when you come back
Look out for cut-off labels - Some of your favourite high street stores will have deals with local charity shops to donate stock that isn't sold during their own sales. Often part of the deal is that they need to cut the labels off the clothes.
Stay at home - While some charities have their own site, like and . many also sell from dedicated eBay stores, such as and . You won't get the range of bargains that you would get in a physical store, but if you're looking for something specific it may be worth checking online too.
“I just want to start the conversation because... I have just started noticing the prices getting ridiculous.”
Many people have taken to X, previously known as Twitter, to join in with the debate.
One said: “When did charity shops get so expensive?”
A second added: “Charity shops have gone weirdly expensive.”
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