IRISH CHARITIES ARE reworking their sales strategies as secondhand clothing selling apps surge in popularity.
Vision Ireland has fully embraced these apps and has opted to sell its big-ticket items on the online market.
Jody Monaghan of Vision Ireland told The Journal that the charity tries to broaden its customer base through a variety of means, including pop-up shops at festivals and colleges.
The charity also utilises online selling. Big-ticket items often end up on Vision Ireland’s eBay page for sale, but it uses Vinted and Vestiaire, the latter being the designer and luxury equivalent of Vinted.
Items for sale on the charity’s Vestiaire include Jimmy Choo heels for €103, on Off-White jacket for €420, and a vintage Chanel brooch for €251. Other big-name brands currently on sale on the app are Celine, Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu, Gucci, and Balmain.
Charity shops have seen challenges arise in their models in recent years, most particularly regarding the slew of low-quality ultra-fast fashion they receive in donations that clogs up their warehouses and can only be sold for very low prices.
On whether the likes of these reselling apps are impeding the charity sector, Monaghan said the charity hasn’t noticed a “detrimental impact” and Vision Ireland remains “bowled over” by the generosity of donations from the public.
He said that the likes of Vinted becoming mainstream has encouraged more people to shop secondhand.
“I think we can see a far broader customer demographic in stores than certainly I would have expected,” he said.
“I think a lot of that stigma has disappeared. I think the more retail in general focuses on sustainability and overconsumption, the more vital a role the charity shop plays on the high street.
“I definitely think charity shopping and pre-loved in general has been adopted by a far wider demographic as the years progress.”
Spending on apps such as Vinted surged by 200% in just a year, according to data released by AIB last week on its customers’ spending.
At the same time, there was a 9% drop in clothes shop sales, indicating that people are increasingly opting to shop secondhand.
As the overall quality of donations drops, it is true to say that across charity retailers this has, at least minutely, been reflected on shop floors, Monaghan said – although he emphasised that curation is a key part of the charity’s ethos.
They also receive a lot of vintage items in donations that have been made to last, unlike a lot of newer offerings of the market.
Oxfam Ireland’s Mark Sweeney told The Journal that while they still receive unique and high quality items that make it onto the shop floors, on the backend, where they sort through donations, there are much higher rates of ultra-fast fashion to work through to find these pieces.
He noted that, while it is the case that some people will opt to sell their pricier items online and pack up cheaper and lower-quality clothing items for donation, it’s his belief that people selling their clothes online are not traditional donors to charity shops in the first place
For people who don’t donate unwanted clothing, Sweeney said they can put some of this down to people not living near a charity shop, or not having a car to transport donations.
Oxfam partnered with An Post for a free postal service for donors to send off clothing and other items. These can be dropped in at local post offices, or collected from the person’s door.
Sweeney argued that, for many people, buying clothing in person in a charity shop where it can be inspected and tried on before purchase is key, rather than going off online listings where an item may not fit or have imperfections not adequately disclosed.
While it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, he said for many there’s still enjoyment in going for a rummage in charity shops and finding “hidden gems”.
In a way, he argued, the likes of Vinted and Depop have increasingly normalised and made mainstream buying secondhand, which benefits the charity sector.
“There is a way that Vinted has helped secondhand, and there’s also a way that, yes, maybe it has taken away a bit of quality, but I wouldn’t feel strongly that it’s taken away a lot of the quality.
“I think the quality is still out there, we still see it coming in donations, and ultimately, even if people are selling on Vinted, we’re not going to change that. All we can do is say, if you don’t sell it, then donate it.
“Vinted isn’t going away.”
The influx of low-quality clothing has created a greater workload for staff to find items that can be resold, but this is not strictly confined to typical fast-fashion retailers.
“When you’re looking at garment composition, unfortunately, it’s not just these ultra-fast fashion brands that are made up of these man-made fibres – you’re seeing it right across the high street,” Monaghan said.
Both Sweeney and Monaghan stressed that although the charities have retail shops, their prerogative is fundraising for the respective charities.
Buying from charities, “you’re supporting so much more than just the item that you purchase,” Monaghan continued.
“Obviously, our goal as a charity retailer is to raise the maximum funds for Vision Ireland, and ultimately all of those profits go back into benefiting the blind and visually impaired of Ireland.
“So that’s one thing to consider that maybe isn’t as evident when you’re shopping through Vinted.”