"Charity" Clothes Collectors

Squonk

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What's the story with these organisations that ask for old clothes under the guise that they are helping the needy. My wife left two bags of old clothes outside my house this morning. The organisation that's going to collect these didn't have any stuff on their sticker label to indicate that they are a registered charity. They just had something like "Helping Developing Countries". Their contact number was a mobile. Apart from some stuff from Barnados a few months ago, all these organisations look dodgy to me. Methinks these are private companies trying to make some easy money. Am I just paranoid? Anybody got some insights?
 
We get those leaflets in the Galway area also. I left a bag out once but then my BF told me he heard that they weren't legit. Their leaflet does have a Registered Charity number on it. I must ring some Gov department to check up on them as their name rings no bells with me!
 
There was a post on this a few months ago - would have been around August/September as it was just after I moved house to an area where we are inundated with these things. Apparently, yes, there are con artists who use these to get their hands on any decent gear they can then sell on and who dump the rest. I'd say we get at least one of these a week but I just ignore the ones which have very generic "help the [insert chosen needy bunch of people]" messages and stick to Age Action which seems to be the only well-known charity that does this in our area.
 
In my local Tesco there is a Cerebal Palsy Ireland recycling unit with the other paper/glass etc recycling. I put my stuff in there. Or drop it directly to a shop.
 
I generally drop old clothes off at an official clothes bank or a recognised charity like Oxfam Ireland. We're plagued with these 'charity collectors' around our way and I have me suspicions, but I have to say the bin liners they shove through our letter box do come in handy....
 
i think these collectors sell on any good quality clothes and also sell the rest of old clothes to recycling companies. I only leave out bags to recogniseable charities or drop them in the collection bins.
 
These are bogus con-men of the highest order. Many of them are northern irish and apparently one guy has made millions from this. There was a "spotlight" program on a couple of months back about this. What is also annoying about this, is that they are finding out when genuine collections, ie, Barnardos, are collecting and getting up earlier than the Barnado collectors and take the bags left out.

Appartently they operate in busloads and target specific areas. In our estate in Lucan, we get on average five of these leaflets through every week. I particularly like the one that sponsers "childrens cheltered housing". Wonder what a cheltered house is?

I drop my clothes direct to Barnardos or the VdeP shop. At least you know they are going somewhere for charity.
 
Gosh, I've left bags of clothes out for these in good faith...never crossed my mind before whether they were legit or not!! i was just glad to be able to decongest my wardrobe a bit...
 
Thanks for the feedback....looks like I was right to be paranoid. This stuff should be outlawed, it's a disgrace and is taking from the genuine charities out there.
 
Some of the stickers quote registered charity numbers (CHY...). I've never gone to the trouble of verifying these but wonder if some of them are bogus anyway?
 
Thrifty said:
I get at least one a week. haven't had to buy rubbish bags for ages..

I have too but once or twice I've left stuff out for them that I wouldn't give to Barnardos because it wasn't good enough and I really mean not good enough. I reckon that a dodgy crowd can be given stuff that you wouldn't give the dog to lie on - it might discourage them.
 
My cousin used to work for a charity and knew a bit about this. If there's no charity no. and only just a mobile number then they're 'rag merchants' i.e. they sell them on.
 
joanmul said:
I have too but once or twice I've left stuff out for them that I wouldn't give to Barnardos because it wasn't good enough and I really mean not good enough. I reckon that a dodgy crowd can be given stuff that you wouldn't give the dog to lie on - it might discourage them.

Except if all they are interested in is reselling decent stuff how in the name of God are they disposing of this stuff? they could be illegally dumping it.

Either that or that pass it back on to the 'real' charities who have to pay to dump it.

I did some work organising clothes to be sent to Chenoybl and the amount of time & smoney spent of sorting & dumping stuff that was in no condition to be worn was frightening.
 
We get these bags on a very regular basis also, however I would never give anything to anyone other than a bona fide registered charity (preferably one I was familiar with). Most recently I dropped some stuff off at a local Gorta shop and was surprised with the quality merchandise they had in the store. I was glad to get rid of two particular unwanted wedding gifts (boxed and unused)- not to our taste but somone out there will be glad to have them I'm sure!
 
I got one today from the "African Orphan Association". They didn't even bother to post the free bin liner in my letter box (nor my neighbours) but just threw it on the ground in front of my doorstep. On their leaflet they have the following Reg.No. 382100. Is this number supposed to mean something?
 
I got a fright this morning as i was knocking of alarm someone walked by door and put one of these through the letterbox this was at 745, no normal charity would have people dropping these throught letter boxes at this hour. As my boyfriend said he is coming at this hour as he is a cowboy. I do give them to a girl that collects for the homeless or put them in the recycling centre near me.
 
I leave my house at about 6.35am and a couple of weeks ago at this time I saw someone putting the bags through the letterboxes.
 
Cahir said:
I leave my house at about 6.35am and a couple of weeks ago at this time I saw someone putting the bags through the letterboxes.

There's obviously money to be made if they are getting up at the crack of dawn to do this!

What charity worker works these hours?
 
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