# Over a third of UK adults prefer pre-owned products over new if they support a good cause

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2021/10/18/over-a-third-of-uk-adults-prefer-pre-owned-products-over-new-if-they-support-a-good-cause/
- Published: 2021-10-18T08:30:00+01:00
- Author: Melanie May

**A poll of 2,000 UK adults has found that one in two now use charity shops and 
more than a third say they’re happier buying pre-owned products over new, if it 
means they will be supporting a good cause.**

Nearly a quarter (22%) have also said they plan to do even more charity shopping
next year.

The items most likely to be purchased for charity are books (53%), interior items(
32%) and statement coats (30%), with the last two often where Brits are seeing the
biggest bargains.

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The poll was commissioned by eBay UK to mark the launch of Charity Connect, a six-
month programme created to help digitally upskill hundreds of charities to the [eBay for Charity](https://www.ebay.co.uk/b/Charity/bn_7115162245)
platform. 

Chris Gale, Head of Social Impact at eBay UK said:

> “So far this year, a staggering 87 million pre-loved items went to a new home 
> via eBay. And with thousands of charities already on the marketplace, we’re delighted
> to see that this growing trend for shopping with impact, be it online or on the
> high street, is becoming the norm for many.
>  
> “With our Charity Connect programme in its second year, we’re excited to partner
> with charities to teach them skills that will give them access to the 29 million
> eBay customers and a virtual shop window to the world 24/7, ultimately helping
> to raise even more vital funds.”

Daniel Taylor, from St Rocco’s Hospice, commented:

> “Our online sales through eBay have definitely increased since the start of the
> pandemic. Not only was there greater demand from buyers online, we were also able
> to focus some extra resources onto the operation resulting in long term growth
> and Charity Connect had plenty to do with this. The best opportunity that eBay
> presents us with though is to sell our best-selling items, such as fashion and
> books, closer to their true market value, which is something that we couldn’t 
> achieve in our local network of shops.”

Last year’s Charity Connect programme saw charities including British Red Cross,
Marie Curie and Vision Foundation take part in a series of free webinars on how 
to boost sales on eBay, including follow up 1:1 sessions with e-commerce experts.

People in the UK can also donate between 10% and 100% of their sale item to over
11,000 charities on eBay. In 2020, almost £31m was raised by the eBay UK community,
with £27m directly from charities selling on the platform. To date, $1.1 billion
has been raised globally through eBay for Charity, with £199 million raised for 
UK charities since 2007.  In 2020, it [broke its record](https://fundraising.co.uk/2020/03/02/ebay-for-charity-uk-breaks-record-for-2nd-year-with-over-27m-raised/)
for the second year running with a 17% increase on the previous year.

 * **[Charities urged to enter eBay Business Awards with £10,000 prize available](https://fundraising.co.uk/2022/07/18/charities-urged-to-enter-ebay-business-awards-with-10000-prize-available/)**(
   18 July 2022)
 * **[eBay for Charity’s free training programme now open for applications](https://fundraising.co.uk/2023/07/04/ebay-for-charitys-free-training-programme-now-open-for-applications/)**(
   4 July 2023)
 * **[Salvation Army eBay shop celebrates selling over 1,500 items in first year](https://fundraising.co.uk/2024/05/10/salvation-army-ebay-shop-celebrates-selling-over-1500-items-in-first-year/)**(
   10 May 2024)