Charity shop

A charity shop is a retail establishment run by a charitable organization to raise money. Charity shops are a type of social enterprise. They sell mainly used goods such as clothing, books, collectibles, music albums, shoes, toys, and furniture donated by the public, and are often staffed by volunteers. Because the items for sale were obtained for free, and business costs are low, the items can be sold at competitive prices. After costs are paid, all remaining income from the sales is used in accord with the organization's stated charitable purpose. Costs include purchase and/or depreciation of fixtures, operating costs and the building lease or mortgage.
Shopping can be done in a physical shop, or online. Some charity shops are online only.

Terminology

Charity shops may also be referred to as thrift stores in the United States and Canada, hospice shops, resale shops, opportunity 'shops, and second-hands' in Russia.

History

One of the earliest known charity shops in the United Kingdom was set up by the Wolverhampton Society for the Blind in 1899 to sell goods made by blind people to raise money for the Society. During World War I, various fund-raising activities occurred, such as a charity bazaar in Shepherd Market, London, which made £50,000 for the Red Cross.
However, it was during the Second World War that the charity shop became widespread. Edinburgh University Settlement opened their "Thrift Shop for Everyone" in Edinburgh in 1937, the Red Cross opened up its first charity shop at 17 Old Bond Street, London in 1941. For the duration of the war, over two hundred "permanent" Red Cross gift shops and about 150 temporary Red Cross shops were opened. A condition of the shop licence issued by the Board of Trade was that all goods offered for sale were gifts. Purchase for re-sale was forbidden. The entire proceeds from sales had to be passed to the Duke of Gloucester's Red Cross or the St John Fund. Most premises were lent free of rent and in some cases owners also met the costs of heating and lighting.
The first Oxfam charity shop in the United Kingdom was established by Cecil Jackson-Cole in Broad Street, Oxford, and began trading in December 1947.
In the UK the Charity Retail group noted that in 2025 there are over 10,000 shops in the UK ; the shops generated £387million in profit in 2022 and had previously diverted 339,000 tonnes of textiles from waste in the space of one year.

Popularity

In the early 2010s, shopping at a charity shop became popular enough to earn a name in the United States: thrifting. There are both internal and external factors contributing to a person's desire to thrift.

Intrinsic motivations to thrift

Sustainability

s may prefer buying second-hand goods as this uses fewer natural resources and will usually do less damage to the environment than buying new goods would, in part because the goods are usually collected locally. In addition, reusing second-hand items is a form of recycling, and thus reduces the amount of waste going to landfill sites which is viewed as combatant to the effects of fast fashion. People who oppose sweatshops often purchase second-hand clothing as an alternative to supporting clothing companies with dubious ethical practices.

Fashion

People who desire authentic vintage clothing typically shop at charity shops because some specialize in selling donated clothing that is old and/or out of normal fashion. These items may be perceived as one-of-a-kind or especially unique. Many social media channels make thrifting videos showcasing fashionable and unusual finds.

Extrinsic motivations to thrift

Monetary

Charity shops tend to be relatively inexpensive, which has led to an increase in their popularity. During the United Kingdom cost of living crisis, a survey found that 53% of British young adults began thrifting as a budget-friendly alternative to purchasing new clothing items. Charity shops are also struggling in this economic crisis.

Health & safety

Consumers are less likely to purchase items if they feel they are unsanitary or dirty. However, second-hand goods are considered to be quite safe. The South Australian Public Health Directorate says that the health risk of buying used clothing is low. It explains that washing purchased items in hot water is just one of several ways to eliminate the risk of contracting infectious diseases.

Electronic word of mouth

Social media platforms help spread awareness and trust in the thrifting process. Online content creators who share their experiences, tips, and tricks about thrifting can influence their viewers to buy items from a charity or thrift shop. These influencers can also make the process more accessible by providing knowledge on where to thrift, why to thrift, and how to thrift correctly. Thrifting has become a popular trend amongst Generation Z with its increasing popularity on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok.

Identity and aesthetic motivations

In more recent years, online thrifting has become a cultural phenomenon from younger consumers such as Generation Z, who view second hand shopping as an expression of individuality and values. Platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and Depop facilitate the merging of social networking, style curation and resale shopping, which allow users to show thrifted outfits, engage in ‘haul’ culture, and participate in fashion communities. Researchers have noted that second-hand fashion is linked to digital style curation and the performance of individuality, rather than solely to affordability or necessity.

Online second-hand shops

Online charity and thrift shops are digital marketplaces that host buying and selling of second-hand goods, such as clothing, accessories, or other items. These platforms typically act as intermediates between independent buyers and sellers by providing spaces for users to upload unwanted items to be sold to other users. Companies such as eBay, ThredUp, Depop, Poshmark, and Vinted are examples of for-profit, exclusively online second-hand shops. Some non-profit brick-and-mortar charity shops host online spaces where users can both buy and donate items. Some examples of these are The Salvation Army and Oxfam. Additionally some thrift shops are run on social media platforms such as Instagram where sellers can post available items on their page and interested buyers may direct message to purchase the items.
Online charity and thrift stores have gained popularity in the 21st century with the rising concern of environmental sustainability. Online second-hand shopping saw a 23% rise from 2023 to 2024, marking the highest growth in the market of thrifting and charity shopping and leading to a projected $367 billion dollar global market value in 2029.
One concern with the rise of online thrift stores is that they are causing a decline in the quality of items donated to conventional thrift stores. Items deemed higher-value may be sold on for-profit sites, while lower value items that might not sell will be relegated to physical thrift stores, which leaves those stores with a plethora of low quality or even broken items that must be trashed.

Sale of new goods

Some charity shops, such as PDSA, also sell a range of new goods that may be branded to the charity or have some connection with the cause the charity supports. Oxfam stores, for example, sell fair trade food and crafts. Charity shops may receive overstock or obsolete goods from local for-profit businesses ; the for-profit businesses benefit by taking a tax write-off and clearing unwanted goods from their store instead of throwing the goods out, which is costly. Some charity shops which provide clothing to homeless people who have government-issued vouchers have a few new items, as these items are less suitable for resale when they are used.

Charity shops by region

Australia

The first "opportunity shop" in Australia was set up in Melbourne in 1925 by Lady Millie Tallis, the wife of a high profile member of the entertainment industry. While similar shops were already in place in the United Kingdom and United States. They were generally filled with poor quality items and stigmatised. In order to raise money for St Vincent's Hospital, she organised for the abandoned Fitzroy Cyclorama, to be transformed into an opportunity shop. More than 10,000 quality items were donated from manufacturers, shops and the public to raise funds. Over £2000 was raised in 9 weeks of trading, with the hospital able to buy their first X-ray machine.
In Australia, major national opportunity shop chains include the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store which operate 650 shops across Australia, Anglicare Shops, that currently operate in 19 locations across Sydney and the Illawarra also various locations around Australia, the Salvation Army, the Red Cross, MS Research Australia, and the Brotherhood of St. Laurence. Many local charitable organisations, both religious and secular, run opportunity shops. Common among these are missions and animal shelters.
The first World Op Shop Day is due to be held on 18 October 2025.

Canada

Beginning in 1972, the first MCC Thrift Store opened in Altona, Manitoba. In 2025, the Mennonite Central Committee operates 85 thrift stores in Canada and United States.
In 2025, the Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity each have over 100 shops in the country. Mission Thrift has more than 50 thrift stores across Canada.

Denmark

Most of the charity shops in Denmark are operated by either The Danish Red Cross or by Christian organizations. The Danish Red Cross has 250 shops in the country and 10,000 volunteers working in the shops. DanChurchAid has operated charity shops since 1972, and currently operates 114 shops. In 2025, the Blue Cross, founded as a Christian organization, runs over 50 charity shops in the country. They focuses mainly on helping alcoholics, addicts and other socially marginalized groups.
A study from 2019 shows that Danes on average had spent 5.475 kr. on second-hand items the last 12 months, and that 77% of Danes had either shopped or sold second-hand, although the study was not exclusive to charity shops.

Red Cross	Blue Cross	Folkekirkens nødhjælp	Kirkens Korshær	Kræftens Bekæmpelse
c. 250	55	114	240	15