5 tips for donating your preloved items to Oxfam

Your donations play a vital part in helping us raise money to support projects fighting poverty, and we are always grateful for them. But, there are some items we are particularly grateful to receive!

Oxfam shops happily accept:

• Clothing (womenswear, menswear, and children's)
• Accessories
• Shoes (as long as they are in a pair!)
• Jewellery
• Homewares and toys
• Books
• Music
• Technology (e.g. mobile phones, cameras)

But we really love to receive:

• Good quality high-street and designer brands including M&S, Next, Monsoon, ASOS, Levi’s, Zara, Topshop, Joules, Boden, & Other Stories, Nike, Adidas, Puma, H&M, Urban Outfitters, New Look, River Island, Hugo Boss, Calvin Klein and Diesel.
• Anything vintage
• Items made from premium fabrics like wool, cashmere, silk or leather.

The better the quality of your item, the more you will raise to help Oxfam fight poverty around the world.

When making your donation to Oxfam, consider what you would hope to find on our shelves if you were shopping for pre-loved items. As much as we love to receive your donations, there are some items we are unable to sell:

• Used underwear or socks
• Dirty, damaged, or incomplete items
• Books that are tatty or torn with the exception of antiquarian books
• Electrical items, including laptops, tablets and anything with an attached mains plug
• Identifiable work/school uniforms
• Angora wool products
• White goods (cookers, washing machines, etc)

If you are still unsure if we can accept an item you would like to donate, please ask your local shop – our staff and volunteers are happy to help with any queries.

Adding Gift Aid to your donated items is the easiest way to maximise the money we can raise, and the impact that can be made from them! When you sign up for Gift Aid, you supercharge the impact of your donated items by 25%. It costs you nothing, yet further shifts power to communities as they lead positive change. Click here to sign up to our Retail Gift Aid scheme online, or sign up in store when you donate (UK tax payers only).

There are several ways to donate your pre-loved items to Oxfam, see the options below to find the one that works best for you.

• Oxfam High Street Shops 

Our high street charity shops across England, Wales and Scotland are a great place to donate clean clothes and accessories in good condition. We can sell clothes donations and other donated items in our shops or online to generate money to help fight poverty.

• Oxfam Bookshops

Oxfam bookshops specialise in selling books and music and are always delighted to accept donations of quality undamaged books, CDs, and vinyl records. Oxfam bookshops can't accept donations of clothing and accessories. If your only local Oxfam shop is a bookshop, please consider donating to Oxfam by post.

• Donate by Post 

If you are unable to donate to an Oxfam shop, we will happily accept your donations via our Donate by Post scheme. Simply use any mailbag or box up to 60x60x60cm or order a free postal bag, fill it with your donations, and take them to your nearest DPD drop off point. You can print a postage label at home, or in store for free.

By donating to Oxfam, you have helped us raise vital funds to support fighting poverty around the world. And the donated items you no longer needed might be just what someone else is looking for! By donating your pre-loved items to Oxfam regularly, you can continue to support us in our mission to end poverty.