AD- Post in collaboration with Buy Charity. All images and opinions are my own.
Buy Charity is the new way to shop second hand online whilst making a difference to local
charities. It is an online charity shop working with charities from across the whole of the UK
for a sustainable and ethical shopping experience; every penny you spend goes to charity.
Buy Charity are regularly getting in new stock, including charity shop clothing, pre-loved
homeware and garden accessories, unique antiques, sports equipment, pre-owned
jewellery and a range of bargain electronics.
Who Are BuyCharity.com?
In these most difficult of times, it’s been hard for everyone including charities – especially
those with high street stores. Some may have had to shut due to the pandemic which of
course has had an effect on the charities themselves.
Everyone benefits from shopping second hand, either online or in stores – I know I do – so this new website from Buy Charity benefits everyone. As it has the benefit of keeping everyone safe whilst still supporting the charities involved. Win win!
Buy Charity was the brainchild of Age UK South Lakeland who saw the potential of the
digital age who with their administrative partner Charitek CIC have built an e-commerce
platform that enables any charity or CIC to sell literally anything online – recreating a
positive charity shopping experience on the web.
“BuyCharity.com gives participating organisations the ability to tap into the charity
shopping ‘feel good factor’ in the online shopping environment”, said Hugh Tomlinson CEO
of Age UK South Lakeland and Managing Director or Charitek CIC.
“BuyCharity.com is not designed to replace charity shops or their online stores, but to
complement them. Those charities with a high street presence will be able to market
products to a different audience – which means finding new buyers and potentially selling
niche items such as brands and collectables at a higher price.
“Where charities have no physical shops but still gather physical donations, BuyCharity
can become their shopfront and help them capitalise on sales in a more cost-effective way
than most of the current online options available.”
“BuyCharity.com will resonate with members of the public who want to support charitable
activities or have a more sustainable approach to what they buy. It’s a trustworthy one stop
site where they can browse products from fully accredited organistations that are all
looking to generate much-needed funds to support the causes that they are passionate
about.
“BuyCharity.com is not a competitive platform, so the more partners there are and the
more items there are on offer, the more shoppers will visit the site – so everyone wins!”
My Picks From BuyCharity.com
As I browsed the site I was spoilt for choice from secondhand vintage clothes to preloved
handbags. As a Depop lover and someone who loves nothing better than a bit of retail
therapy, combining these two on BuyCharity.com was like a match made in heaven!
As we know, shopping online for clothes, even from reputable retailers can be difficult at
the best of times, so I decided to instead look at handbags, as a girl can never have
enough handbags!
One of the best things about BuyCharity.com is that you can be guaranteed to find hidden
gems like these two handbags I picked out.
The red one is from Laura Ashley and the beige one is from Bulgari. Ordinarily these wouldn’t be the ones I would go for as they’re designer brands and could be out of my price range. But thankfully, being on BuyCharity.com makes them accessible!
They’re both really good quality, look as good as new and work perfectly fine as handbags.
I know having two seems a bit excessive but I like to think of it as having one for different
occasions. Like, the red one would work well at Christmas, but the beige/nude one works
all year round with many different outfits.
I’m also giving them both another life, that’s the best thing about shopping second hand.
The items seem new to me, but are in fact being used again. With the rise of awareness
surrounding over-consumption and just how bad the fast fashion industry is, the second
hand market has never looked better.
Shopping Second Hand
Second Hand September is run by Oxfam every year to prevent up to 13 million pieces of
clothing going to landfill every week, help divert 47 million items of clothing every year and
also, 95% of textile waste could be reused or recycled and helping to reinvest in
communities as we learn just how dangerous fast fashion is for the planet.
Also, by donating your old clothes, textiles, toys, electricals, jewellery and other items to
charity, you’re also preventing those items from ending up in landfill too. So all in all it’s win
win for both sides.
Do you ever get to a point where you feel like you have too much ‘stuff’ and need a clear
out? Yup, me too! It’s inevitable really with over consumption and fast fashion brands
coming out with new fashion lines every week, it’s easy to see where the problem starts.
I’m always searching Depop and my local charity shops to see what’s available.
I bought loads of winter jumpers and a new coat last season, as well as t-shirts and even gym
leggings from the YMCA charity shop in my local town of Harrogate!
Making Charity Shopping Fun!
It’s always fun when you find a hidden gem within the rails of your local charity shop but
sometimes we don’t always feel like getting dressed and going out to the shops
themselves. This is where BuyCharity.com comes in.
Online shopping has seen a massive increase since the pandemic and even now not
everyone is ready to get back to the high street like we used to pre-covid. Circumstances
have changed for everyone, not least for the smaller shops on the high street who are still
having to pay the rents and rates on their stores whilst struggling to survive in the ever
changing marketplace.
BuyCharity.com, together with a range of different charities, are changing the face of online
shopping and the way in which we can support from afar. Who doesn’t love settling down
on the sofa with their phone/laptop for an evening of online shopping?
I for one will be keeping the BuyCharity.com tab open on my phone so I can browse the
various categories available. And with Christmas approaching in the not too distant future,
perhaps this could be the new place to look for various gifts for everyone on your list this
year.
I urge you to check them out this year and support the different charities available on
BuyCharity.com this season.
Sarah
xoxoxo
