I'm a Professional Thrift Shopper—These Are the Items I Wish People Would Stop Donating

All thrift shoppers have that one item they regret taking a chance on—for me, it was a high-end food processor. It had all the extra blades and attachments, but one tiny piece of plastic was broken and wouldn’t run unless a $40 part was replaced. Of course, I only discovered that after I’d purchased it and returned home, but it made me extremely skeptical of ever buying used appliances again.

Thanks in part to influencer content on social media, consumerism is near an all-time high, and people are getting rid of just as much as they’re bringing in. While an estimated 30 to 50 percent of these donations end up in the dumpster behind the store, many damaged items slip through the cracks and into our carts. Intake employees do their best, but sometimes stains are hard to see, and glitches in faulty appliances can’t be identified.

A simple rule to follow when donating to a thrift store to ensure your items make their way to the sales floor is this: only donate something if you would feel comfortable offering it to a friend. The thrift store is not to be used as a guilt-free garbage can. With that in mind, here are three items I wish people would stop donating, as someone who shops secondhand for a living.

Appliances

Even if an item has been checked by the thrift store and is marked "tested" or "works," I typically avoid appliances from thrift stores. Motors on small appliances can last up to five years, but there’s no way to know how much they’ve been used already. You can always take a risk, but I find it’s best to err on the side of caution when it comes to appliances. Whatever you do, never re-donate an item you’ve already bought from a thrift store that doesn’t work. Find an appliance recycling center that can properly dispose of the item.

Stained items

I’ve donated many items over the years, and I understand the thought process behind donating items that aren’t totally perfect. For example, the dress you paid a lot of money for has a small stain, and you donate it in hopes that someone will see it and know how to remove it. This is wishful donating, and it’s not doing anyone any good. Instead of donating a stained item, get creative and turn it into something else, such as pot holders, patches, pillows, etc.

If you can’t find a use for it, stained and shrunken clothing, clothing that has faded from washing, and fast fashion in poor condition can be donated as a last resort. However, I recommend placing it in a bag marked "damaged," so the store and potential buyer aren’t surprised.

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Toys and Games With Missing Pieces

Toys with missing limbs, wheels, or incomplete games and puzzles are meant for recycling or the trash bin, not the donation bin. Take a minute to go through games with your kids to ensure all the pieces are present, then add a note that says "complete" before donating. If you have incomplete games, you can bag up game pieces and donate the spare parts. They’ll likely end up in the grab bag section.