Charity shops

In the UK a significant portion of the money raised by charities is done through charity shops. Similar shops exist in other countries around the world, the phenomenon of stores operated under the branding of charitable groups and run by volunteers is uniquely British.
These charity shops can be found in high streets throughout the UK and they will typically sell second hand goods donated them by members of the public. However, some of the shops run by more well established charities will also sell new goods that have been specially created for the shop.  The goods that can typically be found for sale in these shops are often clothes, old toys and games and other unwanted items. However, some of charity shops have instead decided to focus on one particularly type of item, for example, Oxfam Books shops only sell books and music.
Items to be sold in charity shops can often be taken directly to the shop by members of the public, however the charities that run the shops will often organise regular collections. Labelled bags are often posted to peoples homes and they will be encouraged to fill them with unwanted goods. These bags will then be collected on a prearranged date and their contents will be sorted and distributed to charity shops run by the group. A great deal of charities in the UK raise a significant portion of their funds through charity shops.