Charity Gift Giving – 5 Secrets to Buying Second Hand Presents

Gift giving isn’t easy. The stress finding the perfect gift can cause means you end up buying things you didn’t want, spending more money than you intended, or buying multiple presents to give yourself options. All of these things are bad for the planet and your bank balance, but what if there was an easier way? We have 5 secrets to charity gift giving which takes some of the stress away and can give something back.

If the thought of buying someone a preloved gift feels strange, then you need to start in the right place. Second hand does not mean poor quality, broken or old, in fact many people are selling on great quality items with loads of life left in them. With sites such as eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Depop and Vinted, it has become commonplace to find the best buys and bargains at the fraction of the cost of brand new products.

Secret One – Be Open Minded

If you’re new to buying second hand, then you can’t be so specific with what you’re looking for. A particular brand may not be available but that doesn’t mean there’s not something else just as perfect. Being open minded will allow you to find hidden treasures that you may not have even thought of purchasing before.

There are so many great charity stores that are now branching out online and adding different collections from their website that means you can find what you want at the click of a button, if battling crowds on the high street at Christmas fills you with fear.

 

Secret Two – See it? Buy it!

Unlike the big brands that get a restock of collections every few days, second hand goods are often one-offs. If you’ve seen something that would make the perfect gift, you need to buy it there and then before it’s gone as there’s no guarantee it’ll come around again.

If you’ve found it has sold, depending on where you’re buying from, ask the seller if it’s likely that there will be more. Items such as books, records, sports memorabilia and some toys may be products that a seller has multiple of, even if it’s not the exactly same.

 

Secret Three – Start shopping early

There are more benefits to shopping early than just avoiding the Christmas rush when looking to buy second hand gifts. Buying before December can work in your favour as, unlike seasonal collections that appear in main stores, people sell a whole range of items all year around, especially in the New Year and Spring, which can open up huge opportunities for getting bargains months ahead of the festivities.

Start building up a collection of presents throughout the year to avoid last minute panic buying. This will also help you to budget, especially if you have a lot of friends and family to buy for.

 

Secret Four – Keep Looking

With any type of shopping, it can be disheartening not to find what you want when you want it. This is possibly even truer when looking second hand, but the secret to successful shopping is to keep looking. If you know there’s something your loved one wants, it may take a few shopping trips or browsing online to find it, but remember secret one, if you can’t find the exact thing you’re after, then be open minded to buying something similar.

 

Secret Five – Don’t Reveal It’s Second Hand

If there’s a risk someone won’t like a gift we give a reason why and so it may be tempting to tell them it’s preloved. Don’t! Remember the reason you chose it in the first place, and if there are imperfections, they’re likely to know it’s not brand new without you confirming it. Feel confident in your gifts, don’t fall foul to the pressure of spending a fortune and bask in the joy that you may have helped a charity, reduced landfill and took the effort to treat someone to a special gift.

If you’re still unsure about whether second hand gift buying is for you, then read our guide ‘What are the Pros and Cons of Buying Second Hand‘ for more information.

Don’t forget you can start your journey to charity gift giving by shopping in one of our many stores across the UK or by visiting our online shop.