Lucky Find?

[towisuk]

In my experience most of the charity shops are staffed by "ladies of a certain age" who do their bit for charities.

The "know it all's" on this forum who think that the shops staff and other helpers should be able to put a market price on each and every book, live in a very narrow world.

I have only the greatest respect for these helpers who support charities by their honest efforts.....

regards

Tom

[Phil Evans]

My wife does a couple of shifts a week in a local charity shop, sorting the incoming bags. The staff are only allowed to put books on the shelf that are in perfect, or near perfect condition. The staff are not even allowed to buy items that are rejected. The rest are bagged up and go to a recycling company. What's the betting that the books are just weighed in, like the rags?

The "ladies" don't have a say in it - it's Head Office policy.

Paul's book, if it was in exceptional condition for its age, may have made the shelves, I don't know. If it did, he may have got it for 50p

Phil

[Steven Broomfield]

Encouraged by their lack of stringent procedures, I popped into my nearest branch earlier.

I found "Welcome to my World" by Coleen Rooney for 95p, which seems reasonable.

You were done. I got it for 50p at Oxfam.

[IPT]

You were done. I got it for 50p at Oxfam.

Had you been looking for a cheap Trollope?

[Stoppage Drill]

No mischief intended.

. . . . and no offence taken.

[Stoppage Drill]

You were done. I got it for 50p at Oxfam.

You should have held out for more - they probably would have had enough in the till to pay you.

Unless it was Oadby Age Concern.

Where the hell is Oadby ?

[Steven Broomfield]

Had you been looking for a cheap Trollope?

[Steven Broomfield]

Where the hell is Oadby ?

Wiki is your friend. Well, acquaintance, really.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oadby

"One of the most affluent and upmarket parts of Leicestershire". You probably wouldn't be welcome.

[ianw]

I support my local charity shops with purchases and donations so the occasional good buy is part of the rich pageant - although I have bunged them an few extra quid on occasion.

A pal of mine did strike very lucky with a medal purchased for a few hundred at a Leatherhead charity shop that after much research proved to be an award to a sailor that had served on a number of ships with Nelson. Very valuable indeed apparently. As a gnarled old coin dealer he did not feel any obligation to make any further thank you payment!

[Stoppage Drill]

"One of the most affluent and upmarket parts of Leicestershire". You probably wouldn't be welcome.

So I should kill myself ?

I found "Welcome to my World" by Coleen Rooney for 95p, which seems reasonable.

I should kill myself

[Staffsyeoman]

In my experience most of the charity shops are staffed by "ladies of a certain age" who do their bit for charities.

The "know it all's" on this forum who think that the shops staff and other helpers should be able to put a market price on each and every book, live in a very narrow world.

I have only the greatest respect for these helpers who support charities by their honest efforts.....

regards

Tom

The part in bold I have no disagreement with.

The part in red is a different matter. There is an Oxfam bookshop nearby. The manager is far from a 'lady of a certain age'. But I did hear him say to one of them... 'Don't put any - any - of those on the shelves until I've checked them on the internet!' So this would fulfil Mr Broomfield's criteria for supporting the charity at least. Recently, we met one of the neighbours in the pub, who introduced us to her friend, who is the manager of one of the other charity shops, which has books as part of its stock. A (far) smaller charity I shan't name. 'Oh him...' she snorted. 'Wanders around like he owns the place... acts like he's an antiquarian bookseller and we're inferior'. Indeed. An innovation recently has been a tall glass cabinet displaying the expensive stuff. Never anything military, but for some reason railway and photographic coffee table books get in there, at high double figure prices. I am in there about once a fortnight. The stock in this cabinet has not changed in at least six months. I would contend that leaping onto Abebooks and shaving 10% off the highest price (well, perhaps not the highest, as we know there are some 'looney tunes' prices there compared with the average for the same book) and not selling the book serves the charity's interests no better than selling it for three quid if it doesn't sell at all.

[Guest exuser1]

The above is spot on ,when I lived in Rochester Kent the Oxfam book shop was twice as expensive as the normal book shops , have their stock donated and the volunteers are free labour , the majority of the good collectables are kept back , I had experience of a medal group kept back and the shop manager asked various locals to make offers ! which we did infact our best offer was over what you would expect to see on a dealers list ,it was a RN WW2 Long service group she said oh I will send it to head office and see what they say? when after about a month she contacted us and said very well you can buy it ,we declined and off she went in a huff

[David Filsell]

I see no problems in selling un-needed books - some go to the local charity shops and, recently, I sold almost 50 to a specialist book dealer - to free up space. I have found charity bookshop bargains and bought them - sating my conscience sometimes by adding a bit to what they are asking. Dealers who don't know their stock I have no problem with - they price - I pay and still seek a discount. I have also had bargains from Oxfam's specialist 'shop' and I do regularly get bargains in their shops (although they are never my first port of call. There's no crime in a profit in buying or selling - if you can - and purchase can - to stop books, medals, death pennies or pictures "getting into the wrong hands".

[Steven Broomfield]

There is an Oxfam bookshop in Winchester, which I visit every few weeks. To be fair, I have never found anything out of the ordinary in the military line I want, but I frequently buy paperback novels to read on the train. Their "antiquarian" stuff is, as Mr yeoman says, in a glass-fronted cabinet and prices seem slightly lower than catalgue and antiquarian book shop prices.

I work for a charity which has shops, and I fail to see the argument that says the staff are volunteers and the stuff is gifted so it should be cheaper: why? Surely the point is that the profits go to the charity? Therefore, the more profit, the better the deal for the end-user - simples.

I'd also suggest the staff in Oxfam bookshops have slightly more nous than the sort of people to whom reference has been made, and the "professional" charities are well-aware of the value of donated goods. Our shops trade a lot on eBay for top-end gifts.

I reckon the OP was damned lucky.

[Guest exuser1]

Oxfam Rochester all paperbacks £1.99 at least most over £2.50 the bookshop 3 doors down sells them £1 , as the Oxfam shop paperbacks don't sell to often and more are given free ,the stock is regularly sent to be pulped , when the manager mentioned this head office replied "put up your prices by 10%? "

Though recently EMAUS in St Omer had its new stock in for the year and had a complete run of 1950s yearbooks for the Foreign Legion at 2€ copy so not just UK shops that can sell it cheap , but it does sell and raise money for the needy which is the point ?

[Kath]

What annoys me is a dealerI see who trawls the charity shops, gives advice on items saved for him to see, and is allowed to buy those he wants.

Re. Oxfam pulping - a book dealer told me he gets books from their skip!

Kath.

[Black Maria]

I had one of my best buys in Winchester Oxfam, a first edition copy of Rogerson's 'Last of the Ebb' for £1.95, I assume it was because it was rare and there were no

other copies on line to price check because they had his other, more common, book 'Twelve Days' (same book plate, so same donor) in the rare book section for

£50. I purchased a copy of an old book (not ww1) in the local Oxfam for 70p a few years ago and have just sold it for £125, so if some charity shops are disposing of

old books because they are less than perfect they must be mad, it's like throwing money away.