Mum's sad op shop theory highlights surging Gen Z trend: 'Categorically worse'

An Aussie mum has shared her theory about why op shops are "getting worse" as sub-standard items find their way into charity stores. It comes as Vinnies and the Red Cross have recently pleaded with Australians to donate their "quality" items after experiencing a seeming decline in the calibre of donations.

"Categorically op shops are getting worse," mum Roisin recently shared online after spending a day out hitting charity shops with her daughter. "Even though I found lots of really good pieces on our haul there was so much Anko, so much Shien," she said, referring to the mass produced, low budget clothes producers.

Shoppers have reported seeing Anko, a brand exclusive to Kmart and Target, selling in charity shops for a higher price than it was originally sold for. Other charity shops have been inundated with so many piles of donations that they have been forced to refuse new donations after having broken furniture and damaged homewares dumped on their sites.

"I think what's happening is people are selling their own high-quality secondhand pieces at secondhand markets, on Facebook marketplace, on Depop, so stuff that's actually making its way to the op shops is much lower quality," the mum said.

Virginia Boyd, Director of Retail and Logistics at St Vincent de Paul Society NSW, told Yahoo News it's a difficult trend Vinnies has been grappling with for the "last few years".

Vinnies says there is 'a place' for resellers and charity shops

While for-profit secondhand resellers are not a new phenomenon, with the likes of eBay existing for decades, more and more Aussies are turning to a rising crop of reselling platforms to get rid of their unwanted clothes in order to make some easy cash.

Global sales of pre-owned clothes surged by 18 per cent last year and are expected to reach $350 billion in 2028, according to a report by GlobalData for resale specialist ThredUp. It found over half of shoppers were found to have purchased a secondhand item in the last year, which is even higher among millennials and Gen Z.

Boyd, who heads up the retail division of Vinnies, admitted the quality of donations has dropped in recent years, part of which can be attributed to resellers. But she believes there is "absolutely a place" for reseller platforms like Facebook Marketplace and Depop to co-exist.

"Gratefully, Vinnies can benefit from quality donations, which may include the reseller platforms as part of the chain. We would ask people if they have not been able to sell their items to then consider Vinnies," she said.

She added that when Aussies donate low-quality items, there is an unintended consequence hurting charities which are then forced to "spend more time and money sorting through higher volumes of donations without being able to generate the same amount of funds for their programs".

"We ask people to be mindful when donating particularly through donation bins."

Last week, the clothes drive resulted in 360kg of donations with a 97 per cent keep rate.

"We’re very thankful to the Sydney community for their generous donations and ask anyone who is ready to clear out their wardrobe to consider donating directly to Vinnies Shops," she said.

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