A SAVVY thrifter has revealed the top items you should be buying second-hand that could be sold for hundreds of pounds.
Caroline Butler knows a thing or two about charity shops, and how much the pre-loved items you find while browsing could fetch online.
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The 46-year-old regularly shares her shopping tips with her TikTok 27.7K followers under the name caroline.shops.
Caroline, from Norfolk, is a pro at browsing the charity shop shelves and picking out the biggest bargains.
She told The Sun: “I shop in charity shops regularly, in fact, every weekend.
“And if I can sneak in a lunchtime trip – or even an after-work trip, depending on the charity shops’ opening hours – I will!”
Due to Caroline’s regular shopping habits, she makes sure to always donate or sell items after she is done with them, making her a cyclical shopper.
We spoke to Caroline about the top items she recommends looking for in charity shops if you have the sole intention of selling them.
She also shared her top tips for reselling and how to find the best items.
Of course, there’s no guarantee that you’ll sell an item, or get the price you want.
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You may have to wait for the cash if the item doesn’t sell instantly.
There are also some things to consider when you choose to sell items online.
For example, some platforms charge sellers a fee or take a commission that can eat into profits.
Designer clothing and accessories
The first items that Caroline recommends looking for if you’re keen to make a quick buck are designer clothing and accessories.
She told The Sun: “High-quality fashion items tend to retain value.
“Vintage Chanel, Valentino, Ralph Lauren etc can fetch quite the sum on eBay. “
So if you can get your hands on one of those iconic designer items that is a sure-fire way to know you’re going to make a profit.
Charity shops in particular tend to sell designer items for really cheap – for example, Caroline found a pair of Kurt Geiger slippers for £8, and they’re usually priced at £50.
Making a profit on these would therefore be pretty easy, although there are some things which make these kinds of items more appealing to buyers online.
Caroline said: “Designer shoes with their dust bags, boxes and certificates of authenticity reassure prospective buyers and will earn you good money if you’ve bagged them cheap at a charity shop, car boot sale, jumble sale or online.
“It’s also worth looking at watches – see a Cartier or Rolex and you could be quids in.
“Most often than not, watches will just need a polish and a new battery then they’re good to go.”
Sporting and fitness equipment
Further items which Caroline recommends could fetch you a quick buck on sites like Facebook Marketplace, eBay, Vinted or Depop.
In particular, she says that a good example of these are golfing and gym equipment.
Caroline said: “Like golfing and gym equipment, for example, these sorts of things can be very expensive to buy new.
“So keep an eye out for good quality gym, golfing, tennis, boxing, fishing and cycling items.”
That’s because these kinds of pieces of equipment are really expensive to buy new, so sporty shoppers will be on the look out for some discounted rates.
If you can bag a set of golf clubs in a charity shop and sell them for a profit, you’ll be quids in.
For example, we found that a set of iron golf clubs can sell for as much as £200 on eBay.
Retro toys
“There’s a big market for retro and vintage toys and games,” Caroline said.
A wide range of toys fall into this category, making it a good thing to keep an eye out for.
She added: “People like to relive their youth, and nostalgic items like these can be quite sought after.
“If you’re Gen X, like me, think of vintage Barbies, Cabbage Patch Kids dolls, Action Man toys, 1970s and 80s board games.
“Some specialist board games can fetch quite a price too.
“If you see a Heroquest game lurking in a charity shop for a fiver – snap it up. They can be worth about £100.”
Games and toys are among one of the top items people likely throw away the most too – for example when their children get older or the game goes out of style.
Given the interest in Barbies at the moment it’s definitely a good idea to have a look in your local charity shop to be in with the chance of cashing in.
For example, recent research by Carrington Dean found that a Gallery Opening Barbie doll from 2010 was sold for a whopping £7,784.11 on eBay within the last six months.
Good quality furniture
Good quality pre-owned furniture is also a good choice to pick up if you’re browsing charity shops according to Caroline.
She said: “Lots of today’s furniture lacks the sturdiness of older items.
“Solid wood furniture can be quite lucrative to sell on if you find the right sort of piece.”
She said that this is due to solid pine or oak being known to stand the test of time, and people can be willing to pay good money for it.
Caroline also pointed out that house clearances mean that these types of items can often be found in charity shops or car boot sales.
If you do pick up some second-hand furniture with the view to sell it, there are specific apps you can use to do this.
Narchie is an app-based marketplace where sellers can list second-hand homeware and interior items for buyers to browse.
The Sun previously spoke to on savvy reseller who makes £1,400 a month selling items like stools and magazine racks on there.
Appliances
Picking up pre-used household appliances is a good way to make some cash too.
Caroline said: “A fancy coffee machine can be quite the investment.
“But people often donate these sorts of appliances to charity shops – I see them quite regularly.”
She also pointed out that charity shops will put labels on these sorts of items stating that they have been tested and do in fact work, so you know you’re not wasting your cash picking one up.
Because these kinds of items can be so expensive to buy first-hand, if you list yours on a platform for less than the RRP then you’re likely to make a tidy profit.
We recently found a Nespresso maker which was sold for £72 on eBay, if you managed to bag one for even half that price in a charity shop you’d be making £35 profit.
Caroline’s top tips for selling charity shop finds online
Caroline has shared her top tips for selling second-hand purchases on online platforms.
She said: “If you are purposefully looking to buy things with the intention of selling them on, it’s good to look out for items which are in good condition – this is most applicable to clothing and accessories.”
These ideally include items which have price tags on showing the original RRP.
Caroline added: “Seeing the original price in comparison to what you’re selling it for, helps people see the great saving.
“They are more likely to see it as a bargain and snap it up!”
Another top tip from Caroline is to always be aware of trends.
She said: “So, with the current interest in the Barbie Movie as an example, people have been looking for items to buy that have a Barbie theme or are pink.
“Bags, jackets, dresses, shoes etc. I’ve even seen people taking advantage of the hype and selling pink pet wear.”
Doing your research on the items is absolutely key too.
Caroline said: “Also, and I can’t stress this enough, do your research.
“If you want to sell something online do your homework and give as much detail about something as you can.
“If it’s an item of clothing, give the size, the measurements, the colour, the brand, whether it’s new or used, even a little history behind it and ensure you show as many good clear photos of it too.”
If possible too it’s ideal to include photos of you wearing it.
“The more information you give, the more people are going to be inclined to buy,” she added.
Caroline’s final piece of advice is to trust shoppers love a bargain.
She said: “In general, people love a bargain. So if you’ve got something available to buy that is cheaper than what they can find in a shop, they’re likely to be interested.”
Meanwhile, here are four things to sell on Vinted that could give you £550 in extra cash.
Plus, the five things to always look out for and the four to avoid when thrifting to save £1,000s.
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