Charity Shop Trawl

[Dave2002]

I might persuade the lady wife to let me apply for a long extension if we can achieve some sort of union concerning my media purchasing customs. She has promised not to back 'stop' as an alternative.

Are you intending to bring in more than 50 Articles?

[LMcD]

Are you intending to bring in more than 50 Articles?

As a charity shop volunteer, I get first refusal (and even a discount, which I usually waive) on incoming media donations in our shop, so the answer is probably 'yes'. I do carry out fairly regular culls, but have also recently noticed a worrying trend towards purchasing of different recordings of favourite works. I also believe, as a matter of principle, in freedom of movement between all the other charity shops in town. Any media products which I donate are gift-aided, which is good news for the charity concerned.

[mikealdren]

Rip the CDs to computer files, then put the CDs into plastic boxes to go in the garage or loft - or under the bed ***.

*** Doesn’t actually work - I tried that, but the “solution” is only short lived, and the “problem” comes back to bite after a while.

My solution but there's not enough space under our bed, we have 17 * 32 litre trays in the attic now and they're heavy when full!

[Edgy 2]

Tchaikovsky,Mendelssohn

Violin concertos

Arthur Grumiaux,New Philharmonia Orchestra,Jan Krenz

Haydn

Symphonies No’s 83,84 & 88

London Mozart Players,Jane Glover

Brahms

Symphony No 1

Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra,Jascha Horenstein

£1 the lot

[cloughie]

The curse of Spring cleaning? In Helston this morning Mrs C and I had a couple of bags to drop off at Charity Shops - tried first shop of choice - not taking any donations as are stacked out with stock. No2 tried - same response, but took pity on us when I said I could add Gift Aid to sales. LMcD - is Spring a surge time for donations to your shop?

[Dave2002]

My solution but there's not enough space under our bed, we have 17 * 32 litre trays in the attic now and they're heavy when full!

32 litre trays sound quite hefty - and tricky to get up in a loft as well - unless you pack them in the loft. I've one or two like that I think, but mostly I have the long thin ones which take around 50 CDs. Those are heavable into lofts and/or can be tucked away in other places.

[Conchis]

Today, in York

Die Freischutz - Schock, Grummer, Frick BPO/Keliberth
Die Lustige Witwe - Harwood, Kollo BPO/Karajan


£2.00 for the lot. :)

[LMcD]

The curse of Spring cleaning? In Helston this morning Mrs C and I had a couple of bags to drop off at Charity Shops - tried first shop of choice - not taking any donations as are stacked out with stock. No2 tried - same response, but took pity on us when I said I could add Gift Aid to sales. LMcD - is Spring a surge time for donations to your shop?

Not particularly - there's no pattern, rhyme or reason to donations, other than an occasional surge after Bank Holiday weekends.
Yesterday's bargain (from one of Felixstowe's numerous other charity shops): a double Chandos CD of Louis Lortie playing Liszt's Annes de Pelerinage plus Venezia e Napoli - both discs just over 80 minutes - 50p

[Jonathan]

I meant to post this last week but when we were in Harrogate the weekend before last, the Oxfam books and music shop had absolutely loads of opera cds - from Handel to Donizetti and everything in between! Prices were surprisingly good for Oxfam.

[mikealdren]

32 litre trays sound quite hefty - and tricky to get up in a loft as well - unless you pack them in the loft. I've one or two like that I think, but mostly I have the long thin ones which take around 50 CDs. Those are heavable into lofts and/or can be tucked away in other places.

Yes they're heavy with an average of 170 CDs in each but with over 3,100 CDs to date, I need quite big boxes. The 32L trays seem to fit CD well with the CDs on edge so that they can easily be found and the trays can be stacked too. Mrs A helps lift the trays into the attic.

[Conchis]

Today, in Kenilworth

Bernstein Conducts Bernstein West Side Story/Candide - only the WSS disc was missing, which was fine by me. I despise West Side Story. A bargain still at 80p.

Also picked up an audiobook of Simon Russell Beale reading Oscar Wilde's De Profundis - 5 discs for a quid.

[Bryn]

Today, in Kenilworth

Bernstein Conducts Bernstein West Side Story/Candide - only the WSS disc was missing, which was fine by me. I despise West Side Story. A barmain still at 80p.

Also picked up an audiobook of Simon Russell Beale reading Oscar Wilde's De Profundis - 5 discs for a quid.

I saw that Bernstein set in the Angel, Islington Oxfam shop yesterday (replete with WSS). They wanted more than £10 for it. Needless to say, I did not buy it.

[Conchis]

I saw that Bernstein set in the Angel, Islington Oxfam shop yesterday (replete with WSS). They wanted more than £10 for it. Needless to say, I did not buy it.

I know that shop well. The prices in their classical section really are a joke.

[pastoralguy]

I know that shop well. The prices in their classical section really are a joke.

There's an Oxfam Specialist music shop in Stockbridge, Edinburgh where the prices are unbelievable. What their modus operandi seems to be is to look up ALL donated discs on Amazon then deduct a pound. Needless to say, there are astronomical prices on boxed sets and out of print material. Even newish discs are only slightly lower than buying off Amazon. They recently had a set of the Dorati/Complete Haydn Symphonies on DECCA that had priced at £45! It's been sitting there for over a month now.

I know that Oxfam have to try to make as much for the charity as possible but their prices are ridiculous. Having said that, there must be customers who are prepared to those prices since there is a reasonable turn over of discs.

[jpegasus]

Not all Oxfam shops have over-the-top prices. My local shop has single discs at 2 or 3 pounds, with an extra pound for each additional disc in box sets. OK, so that's more than some of the bargains mentioned on this thread, and more than you might sometimes pay online, but the amount doesn't seem unreasonable to me given how much these things cost new, and I rarely see a scratched disc or broken case.