Charity shop profits plummet as Vinted swipes the last good cardigan

Charity shop aisles echo with the sigh of empty cash registers as Vinted swipes the last good cardigan.

Charity shop profits have nosedived after Oxfam’s retail profit fell 23% and the British Heart Foundation warned of ‘exceptionally challenging’ trading, blaming the surge of online resale platforms.

The shock came as Oxfam disclosed a 23% drop in its retail profit, a figure that sent ripples through the charitable second-hand market. The British Heart Foundation, never shy about dramatic phrasing, described the current climate as ‘exceptionally challenging’, a description that now reads like a tagline for a thriller.

Meanwhile, a legion of online resale platforms, led by the ever-cheerful Vinted, have turned the humble charity shop into an unwitting side-hustle for fashion-forward shoppers. Their sleek apps promise a quick flip of a coat, leaving shoppers to wonder whether the only thing they can donate now is a sigh.

Charity volunteers, once proud custodians of pre-loved treasures, now find themselves fielding questions about why their beloved thrift-store aisles are as barren as a post-COVID boardroom. Some have taken to posting “Will work for socks” signs, a desperate attempt to lure the last of the foot-traffic.

The sector’s future now hinges on whether the charitable sector can reinvent itself faster than a fast-fashion influencer can post a haul. Until then, the only thing more scarce than spare change in the donation bins is a decent cardigan on the rack.