Give us your unwanted gifts to sell in our shops and turn them into something worthwhile.

Our charity shops sell your donations to fund the work of the British Red Cross. The Red Cross helps people in crisis, whoever and wherever they are. We are part of a global voluntary network, responding to conflicts, natural disasters and individual emergencies – both in the UK and across the world.

Drop items off at a Red Cross charity shop in your area. Please don’t leave donations outside the shop when we are closed as they could be stolen or ruined by the weather.

Please contact your nearest charity shop if you:

• would like to arrange a house clearance
• are a company that would like to donate end-of-line, samples or surplus stock
• have any particularly large items to donate that you are unable to bring yourself.

Give your local Red Cross charity shop a ring to see if a collection service is available in your area.

Big recycling sack scheme
Some areas operate a ‘Big recycling sack’ scheme. Our drivers will post a sack through your door for you to fill up at your convenience and will then collect it on the day stated. Alternatively you can collect a big recycling sack in-store to fill up and return. If you want to check if a Red Cross sack you’ve received is legitimate, have any questions or want more details, contact your local Red Cross charity shop.

All donations must be clean, useable and of saleable quality. If you wouldn’t buy it then we probably won’t be able to sell it! The better the quality of your items, the more money we can raise from their sale.

We are always looking for:

• unwanted gifts
• children’s clothing, toys and games
• men’s and women’s clothing and shoes
• books, books on tape, DVDs, videos, CDs and vinyl
• accessories, non-pierced jewellery, belts, handbags
• bric a brac, crockery, glassware, bakeware, household linen and ornaments
• any old clothes or textiles that are no longer useable can still raise money by being sold to textile merchants.

Some shops can accept second-hand furniture and electrical equipment.

Find out more about our specialty shops.

We cannot sell anything that it would be unsafe for you to buy – anything that is broken, dangerous, unhygienic, where its safety cannot be proven or it would be illegal for us to sell. Please do not bring these items to us as we will have to incur costs for their disposal.

In particular, we can’t accept:

• medication or solvents
• gas/oil appliances, batteries
• 18 certificate, counterfeit or homemade films and music
• crash helmets, hard hats or protective headgear and clothes
• food or drink, poisonous, toxic or hazardous substances, tobacco
• toys, nightwear or upholstered items that don’t have the relevant safety labels
• used dentures, jewellery for pierced body-parts, cosmetics and toiletries
• used children’s shoes, clothing with drawstrings, cots, prams or nursery furniture
• weapons or realistic toy weapons, blades or objects that could be used as weapons
• mains electrical items (apart from our designated furniture and electrical shops).

Prescription glasses
While we cannot sell prescription glasses, they can be sent to:
Vision Aid Overseas
Unit 12 The Bell Centre
Newton Road
Manor Royal
Crawley
West Sussex
RH10 9FZ
Telephone 01293 535 016
 

In the event of an emergency appeal, we gratefully welcome cash donations only.

Unfortunately we cannot send any donated items abroad. Wherever possible we source necessary items from the affected region because local purchasing helps the region, reduces our transport costs and speeds up our delivery times. For this reason, the British Red Cross only accepts donated goods for resale in the UK, through our chain of charity shops.

Find out more about why we ask for money for emergency appeals

Find your nearest Red Cross charity shop

Learn more about our charity shops

Become a charity shop volunteer

Recycle mobile phones and cartridges