By Sophie Kerr

With the rise in Vinted and Depop users, local charity shops are facing a loss of profit due to donators choosing online platforms so they themselves make a profit.

Local charity shops are noticing a decline in the amount of clothes being donated to stores due to online platforms becoming more accessible and easier for people to find exactly what they are looking for. Many charity shops are closing down because of a drop in quality clothes and donations as a whole. These factors, along with rising operational costs, are making the shops more expensive to operate and are therefore struggling to stay afloat.

Currently charity shops are not only being overtaken by online brands but also high street stores such as Primark, as they launched their “WornWell” section in store. This is partnered with ‘The Vintage Wholesale Company’, a vintage brand that sells pre-loved clothes. The section sells a range of clothes from high end brands such as Levi’s, Dr. Martens, Converse and Tommy Hilfiger to vintage sports jerseys.

As WornWell is on the high street it gives more accessibility to those who are not attracted to charity shops. It still has its retail look which is more appealing than rummaging around a charity shop. Primark's history with unethical labour, intense overproduction and huge carbon footprint, raises questions whether this is a performative move to appear more ethical.

The prices in Primark’s ‘WornWell’ are pitched higher than the regular price range with jackets costing up to £75 and jumpers being upwards of £40. While you can find similar items in charity shops or Vinted for half the price hinting that Primark only have this brand in store to make a profit instead of trying to encourage second hand shopping.

Adapting charities are trying to maximise sales by focusing their attention to the online consumers by using platforms like eBay and their own online shops to push sales encouraging more to visit in store. Many charities are having themed events and partnering with local brands to try and attract more customers.

Charity shops should be making smarter retail strategies to push their stores such as having a stronger online presence and being more aware of the online retail side. They should be tracking what sells and finding popular items to show off in stores, this will benefit sales and increase store profits by promoting more in-style clothing appealing to more customers.

With charity shops having a more chaotic layout it gives people the chance to take their time shopping and it gives a more genuine feeling when buyers find an item they like instead of the overconsumption high street stores give as everything is a micro-trend that will eventually go out of style.

The Rise of Online Second Hand Shopping