Reality behind ‘insane' op shop trend

News.com.au

2 days ago

OPINION
Every week, it seems like someone new has posted a TikTok or Reddit rant about a 'wildly overpriced' op shop item – an $80 jumper, a $50 platter, a $300 dress – and it instantly blows up.
The general consensus is that charity shops are meant to be cheap, and this feels like a betrayal.
Given the cost-of-living crunch, I get why people are fired up.
But here's the thing. As someone who's been turning to op shops for as long as I can remember to help keep my insatiable shopping habit in check, I have to say, I don't actually see the issue.
Not only is the outrage often misdirected, but the story behind the expensive price tags is often much more nuanced than TikTok wants it to be.
And frankly, if we're going to talk about op shop prices in 2025, let's do it with some facts.
Here's why I'm standing in defence of 'expensive' items in charity shops.
1. The issue has been massively overblown
The idea that op shop prices are spiralling out of control is just a huge misrepresentation.
There are currently 3000 op shops in Australia, selling 160 million household and clothing items per year at an average price of $5.81 per item.
Yes, $5.81.
This average includes clothes, toys, books, furniture and homewares … so, no, the average price has not gone up, and there are millions of very low-priced products available.
In other words, the vast majority of items are genuinely affordable for everyday Aussies, and offer a decent cost-of-living relief.
According to Charitable Reuse Australia, a national network of charitable reuse enterprises, shopping second-hand saves Australians $2 billion a year.
Drilling down by state, where there are government-funded studies, shopping second-hand saves the NSW community a whopping $432 million in cost-of-living relief a year, with an average item price of $5.33 across 107 million items resold locally.
In Tasmania, shopping second-hand saves the community $147 million in cost-of-living relief, with an average price of $4.91 across 13 million items resold locally.
In South Australia, the savings range from $147 million to $432 million.
2. Shopping second-hand is still the more sustainable option
By aligning quality and prices with current retail trends, op shops discourage mindless consumerism and fast fashion.
'Charity Shops will assess and sell suitable items,' Omer Soker, CEO of Charitable Reuse Australia told news.com.au. 'Staff and volunteers will price them accordingly to what they feel is a fair price, and saleable to Australian consumers.
'Charity shops can't resell lower-quality items that aren't designed to last as they don't have the quality or durability for people to want them. A durable second-hand item in a charity shop will last much longer than a cheap new one of inferior quality, so it gets worn again and again, providing better value and sustainability over time.'
According to the organisation's National Reuse Impact Report 2025, 190,000 tonnes of waste were diverted from landfill to reuse, and op shops saved 1.4 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.
3. There is a market for higher-priced items, and it all goes to a good cause
Of course, thrifting has become increasingly trendy over the years, thanks to the renewed movement towards sustainability and slow fashion, as well as the influence of social media platforms like Pinterest and TikTok.
Because of this, some op shops in certain areas will sell items for $100 to $200, or even $300 or above for designer pieces.
According to a spokesperson for St Vincent de Paul Society, Vinnies stores are 'stocked and priced according to location and demographic'.
For example, city stores will stock differently from regional centres.
'There are also boutique-style vintage stores in the suburbs where they resonate with style-conscious consumers,' they added.
And it's important to remember that these pricier items are still a huge bargain when you consider the value the item is worth.
The other day, I was visiting one of my favourite local op shops, Op for Change in Manly, and I came across a $290 dress, which I initially baulked at.
However, after a quick Google Reverse Search, I found that the Agua dress retailed for $1143, which was a 75 per cent markdown.
Another dress from the brand Alexis was priced at $240, but retailed for $1288, an 80 per cent reduction.
This is objectively good value, and although these sorts of items 'may not be within budget for every customer,' as the Vinnies spokesperson notes, they do cater to the large number of higher-income buyers who enjoy and value shopping second-hand.
Interestingly, when these media reports come out about expensive items, op shops say they actually sell them almost straight away because there are many buyers eager to snap up these bargains.
'Op shop buyers are happy to pay a high price for a preloved item that would have cost them in the thousands, especially when they know the proceeds go towards social good,' Mr Soker explains.
'Most importantly, selling items at fair prices to buyers that want them has a social impact in helping those in need, and op shops raise $1 billion every year and generate a net profit of $180 million for social welfare programs across the country.'
The Vinnies spokesperson explains: 'Your purchase could be used to help people experiencing homelessness, women escaping domestic and family violence, or families who are struggling to put food on the table.
'Every purchase should be considered a donation.'
On the other side, donors also want to see charity shops receive a fair price for their high-quality or designer items, and will stop donating these items if they are sold too cheaply.
'For example, someone who has generously donated a designer handbag would expect that we would price that bag at a higher value in order to raise more funds for charity,' the Vinnies spokesperson pointed out.
Mr Soker says charity shops have noticed that when donors return to see how much their preloved designer items are selling for, they are often disappointed to see that the prices charged are lower than they would have expected.
4. Initiatives are in place to help lower-income shoppers
While these higher priced items still make up a small minority of items for sale, and most items are considered affordable – those who are doing it tough can always access initiatives at op shops to help them shop.
'There are often people who turn to our shops who are facing financial constraints or disadvantage,' the spokesperson said.
'We will provide people in need with vouchers to go into our shops and have dignity to shop like any other customer. For anyone who requires further assistance, the St Vincent de Paul Society has Vinnies Support Centres (VSC) across Australia.'
5. Who really benefits from complaining about high prices?
While there might be a lot of outrage online about op-shop prices these days, it's important to think about who might actually be behind these sorts of posts.
There's a trend for 'resellers' to go around to different op shops and buy in bulk at low prices, to then resell with higher prices on platforms like Depop, Facebook Marketplace, car boot sales and clothing markets.
Resellers represent a large proportion of op shop buyers, so it makes sense that they have a commercial interest in driving down prices at op shops for their own personal gain.
It's also worth noting that not many people complain about the high prices on resell platforms, even though a lot of their stock is originally bought from an op shop.
If thrift shoppers were to see something for $300 on Depop (which is not uncommon), they might automatically assume it's a high-value item.
Whereas if the same thing was seen at an op shop, that same person might take a video for TikTok, labelling it a 'rip off' – despite it being the exact same thing.
6. Running a op shop comes at a cost
There is a misconception that running op shops is free or low-cost, because items are donated.
But like any organisation, op shops also have budgets from an organisational perspective that link back to planning, resourcing, priorities and sustainability.
They are also privy to the commercial realities of running a brick-and-mortar store, which means leases, utilities, sorting facilities, and recycling costs.
So, before we rush to call out that hundred-dollar dress, let's try and think about who is really losing when we expect charity shops to sell everything, even designer items, for next to nothing.