Charity shops get wise to rare vinyl
- Thread starter jusali
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Monkeygrinder's Organ
Dodgy geezer swilling vapid lager
So having a social conscience means less money for charity work in favour of some people getting cheap records?
zenie
>^^<
Surely some money is better than no money, which is what they're doing pricing themselves out like that.
bluestreak said:
Where are these?
baldrick
hmmmmm
that's not what I said.So having a social conscience means less money for charity work in favour of some people getting cheap records?
charity shops do, or at least used to, provide a kind of social service for those less well off. why isn't that kind of charity work worth something to oxfam, et al?
Monkeygrinder's Organ
Dodgy geezer swilling vapid lager
Not in those words - it means the same as far as i can see though.
Oxfam have a very clear remit on what they do, and a responsibility to do it as well as possible.
Was that ever a stated aim, though, or just an effect? I think people assume the 'charity' goes both ways..
If they're pricing themselves out, that's daft, but IMO their sole priority should be maximising the revenue raised for the charity concerned
Louloubelle
Well-Known Member
A lot of charity shops don't understand that, with books and records, the price you see an item selling for on ebay or amazon is not the same price as it will sell for in their shop.
The result is that they proudly display books and records for the same vastly inflated prices that amazon seller sell them for and the stuff stays unsold, get pawed and prodded by various people until they are in such poor condition that they are worthless.
I have seen this happen to books on countless occasions and I find it depressing. I'll make them an offer, a reasonable offer at a price that enables me to make money too, for the book but usually they insist on their "researched" price. A couple of months later and the book is, unsurprisingly, unsold, then they ask if I will give them however much I offered only by now the book is in tatters, so no good to me or anyone else.
The fail to understand that when an item sells on ebay for £75 it's because 2 or more people on opposite sides of the world really really want it and are bidding on it in competition with each other and that it is unlikely in the extreme that anyone of those same 3 people will travel from Australia / American / wherever to spend an hour in their messed up (and sometimes very smelly) charity shop looking for that rare record of book that they have always wanted.
I think that they should do their best to research the true value of the items, of course, but they need to understand how the real value of a book or record is established and to appreciate that people will pay less in a charity shop then in a top end boutique / record shop / book shop.
The result is that they proudly display books and records for the same vastly inflated prices that amazon seller sell them for and the stuff stays unsold, get pawed and prodded by various people until they are in such poor condition that they are worthless.
I have seen this happen to books on countless occasions and I find it depressing. I'll make them an offer, a reasonable offer at a price that enables me to make money too, for the book but usually they insist on their "researched" price. A couple of months later and the book is, unsurprisingly, unsold, then they ask if I will give them however much I offered only by now the book is in tatters, so no good to me or anyone else.
The fail to understand that when an item sells on ebay for £75 it's because 2 or more people on opposite sides of the world really really want it and are bidding on it in competition with each other and that it is unlikely in the extreme that anyone of those same 3 people will travel from Australia / American / wherever to spend an hour in their messed up (and sometimes very smelly) charity shop looking for that rare record of book that they have always wanted.
I think that they should do their best to research the true value of the items, of course, but they need to understand how the real value of a book or record is established and to appreciate that people will pay less in a charity shop then in a top end boutique / record shop / book shop.
baldrick
hmmmmm
i do agree, and i think i'm probably on my own here, but the corporatisation of charity work isn't necessarily a positive, imo. for bodies which market themselves as caring about other people, it doesn't seem to extend to their customers. it's not a stated aim, no, but it's obvious that they did some good for the local community.
what about the people who give stuff to charity shops though? i have given stuff in the past, i still do when i have a clear-out. but these massive profits that are being publicised occasionally may cause people to think twice about giving their junk away - what if it's not junk and they can make loads of money from Grandad's old records. then the charity loses out.
Monkeygrinder's Organ
Dodgy geezer swilling vapid lager
TBH I think that's liable to happen anyway, it's not as if ebay is a secret.
yes that is all quite right.
the odd branch of oxfam tho can get away with the higher prices, i am thinking of the record and book one in Dalston... where they have sifted through a lot of stuff already, so it's just like a music and video exchange shop almost.
Louloubelle
Well-Known Member
The other thing that happens is that most charity shops have dealers who buy a lot from them (I've been one of them at one point) and who advise them on the prices of stuff.
This can be a good or a bad thing depending on the integrity of the dealer.
In Camden there is a vintage clothes dealer who pops up in the charity shops now and then and opines that this and that item are under priced. They then change the prices to prices that are similar to that charged in his rather posh boutique.
The thing it that he's effectively managed to destroy competition as no other vintage dealers will pay retail prices for charity shop stuff. We just can't afford to do it as we have to make money to live. Of course all the really great stuff they now keep by for him so the "under priced" items that he gets them to put up in price are the items that I would only buy if they were really cheap, basically vintage stuff with flaws or in need of repair.
The same thing happens with records.
One shop I used to buy records from acquired a "dealer" and they put by all their records for him to price. In return for this free service he got to chose a few records for himself in the genre of music he liked. Which just happened to be northern soul. The result is that all the records are priced with the same price as the record and tape exchange and mr dealer gets his paws on all the really valuable stuff for nothing.
This can be a good or a bad thing depending on the integrity of the dealer.
In Camden there is a vintage clothes dealer who pops up in the charity shops now and then and opines that this and that item are under priced. They then change the prices to prices that are similar to that charged in his rather posh boutique.
The thing it that he's effectively managed to destroy competition as no other vintage dealers will pay retail prices for charity shop stuff. We just can't afford to do it as we have to make money to live. Of course all the really great stuff they now keep by for him so the "under priced" items that he gets them to put up in price are the items that I would only buy if they were really cheap, basically vintage stuff with flaws or in need of repair.
The same thing happens with records.
One shop I used to buy records from acquired a "dealer" and they put by all their records for him to price. In return for this free service he got to chose a few records for himself in the genre of music he liked. Which just happened to be northern soul. The result is that all the records are priced with the same price as the record and tape exchange and mr dealer gets his paws on all the really valuable stuff for nothing.
beesonthewhatnow
going deaf for a living
They aren't pricing themselves out the market though, there are people out there who can, and will, pay. It may not be fair to all, but from the charities point of view they would be foolish not to take on this market.
Blaim capitalism for this if you want, but to moan at the shops themselves seems daft IMO.
Which is why a lot of them are branching out with internet shops.
Louloubelle
Well-Known Member
Indeed
Now all they need to know is
how to effectively research, grade and price books and records
How to store them without damaging them
how to describe and advertise them when selling them on line
and they might start to reach the same prices as the people who sell them for a living
zenie
>^^<
I disagree, I definitley think they are and it's not only in London. My Mum always used to shop in charity shops, but has stopped because the prices keep getting higher and higher.
Louloubelle
Well-Known Member
There's one shop in Camden High street that regularly prices 2nd hand Primark and George clothes for more than they cost to buy new. They complain that people don't want to buy the clothes but who's going to buy used clothes than cost more than new ones?
Agree,
Not everyone is looking for rare records to flog on ebay and charity shops should get off their moral high horses and stop assuming so. It's not as if they're not at it either, see last quote
Monkeygrinder's Organ
Dodgy geezer swilling vapid lager
Agree,
Not everyone is looking for rare records to flog on ebay and charity shops should get off their moral high horses and stop assuming so. It's not as if they're not at it either, see last quote
You what?
It's got nothing to do with high horses or people selling things on. It's that they are trying to maximise the amount of money they make for the charity they are raising money for.
beesonthewhatnow
going deaf for a living
A product they have been given....
They are not a specialist dealership they have little or no research experience, apart from ebay, they don't exactly store stock well let alone know how to grade it and they are obliged to shift stock fast.
I'm all for the idea of giving to charity but this attitude is gonna do more harm than good especially when times become hard and money is tighter.
beesonthewhatnow
going deaf for a living
But some people are, blame them, not the shops.
Like so many things in life it's a small minority of selfish twats who fuck things up for the majority.
Monkeygrinder's Organ
Dodgy geezer swilling vapid lager
They've been given it to sell on to raise money. Why on earth does that imply they shouldn't try and get the best price for it?
chegrimandi
associated with adultery
jesus wept - this is a really very very very simple concept.
Charities have a moral obligation to raise as much money as they can from the goods they are given as donations. To undersell things would be to do a disservice to the people/animals/cause etc they are there to help.
They're facing increasing high street rents and increased competition from primark/ebay etc so they are having to focus on the value of the stock they are given and get the market value for that.
Outrageous I know. Some urbanites come across as extremely self interested, naive & hypocritical at times you know.
Charities have a moral obligation to raise as much money as they can from the goods they are given as donations. To undersell things would be to do a disservice to the people/animals/cause etc they are there to help.
They're facing increasing high street rents and increased competition from primark/ebay etc so they are having to focus on the value of the stock they are given and get the market value for that.
Outrageous I know. Some urbanites come across as extremely self interested, naive & hypocritical at times you know.
Therefore they have a duty to ensure that the product is indeed worth the money they are asking and a duty to grade and store that product in the condition that reflects the price. I.E emplying staff with the knowledge and expertise in their respective fields finding the customers for those products. Not overfilling a shop (very fast I might add) with overpriced tat.
The premise that they have been working on for the last decade or more has worked very well judging by the proliferation of charity shops in many a town High street. If they change they may very well find that they will drive away more customers than they attract?
Monkeygrinder's Organ
Dodgy geezer swilling vapid lager
Trying to portray shops run by volunteers raising money for famine relief and the like as profiteering scumbags taking away people's selflessly motivated right to cheap vinyl does look a bit like that, yes.
chegrimandi
associated with adultery
they are mostly staffed by retired volunteers. How do you propose a charity trains a retired old lady who maybe volunteers 4 hours a week to be proficient in rare vinyl worth? Bear in mind were they to do so or try to do so they would be left wide open to accusations of wasting donors money training up granny volunteers in rare vinyl worth.
Exactly and what we'll see is a bunch of amateurs pricing up books clothes and vinyl on their heresay of it's worth and a bunch of punters heading for the door. Capitalism.........
beesonthewhatnow
going deaf for a living
But that isn't what is happening. Read the link in your OP...
bluestreak
HomosexualityIsStalin’sAtomBombtoDestroyAmerica
I hope you're not including me in that. Is it possible to be sad that they've wised up without being critical of that fact?
Monkeygrinder's Organ
Dodgy geezer swilling vapid lager
Well yeah - I'd say it's a good thing. It's the idea that they are being evil grasping profiteers because of that I was referring to.
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