Oxfam's pricing policy

[Barry]

Popped into Oxfam yesterday. As some of you might know, I have expressed my annoyance concerning Oxfam’s erratic and generally overestimated pricing policy.

Now of course it is not unreasonable to expect any Charity to make the most of their assets, but when it seems they are pricing themselves out of the market, you do wonder what their rational is. If Oxfam’s prices were sensible I would have spent hundreds of pounds – but no. It is due to Oxfam’s “Man who knows about these things”.

Well yesterday I met the “Man who knows about these things” and tactfully asked him how they went about deciding the price. General run of the mill stuff is priced at the usual £4 per CD or LP. For anything more interesting, they either look to see what a similar recording has fetched on eBay, or they look at Amazon. For really specialised recordings, usually classical, there are the record catalogues (Schwann etc.). And for everything in between, well it’s down to the Man’s intuition and instinct.

When I politely suggested that using eBay as a guide was not at all reliable, the Man did admit it was “all a bit of a black art”. Didn’t push the point as I had just picked up a bargain there …. :eyebrows:

So now you know. They seem to be slowly learning, very slowly: a lot of their CDs are now £3 each, but the pricing of classical LPs is still erratic and overpriced.

[The Grand Wazoo]

This is more or less what I had assumed they do.
I think I've said before that if they want to achieve those sorts of prices, then they should put them on Ebay and let the market decide. At my local Oxfam shop, the market generally does decide that they're overpriced & so the more expensive items languish in the racks forever.

[worthingpagan]

there may be a need to censor/edit some of these posts, there may be a member of Oxfam reading this

[bobbasrah]

there may be a need to censor/edit some of these posts, there may be a member of Oxfam reading this

Why?
PCitis?
:steam:

[prestonchipfryer]

Bridport, Yeovil, Shaftesbury all within easy reach from where I live. All overpriced with their vinyl/cd. And yes stuff stays on the shelves for weeks and weeks. If anyone who works for Oxfam reads this take note please.

John

[sparrow]

I've had to laugh at some of the prices in Oxfam Stirling..Having said that I still buy from them if the LP or CD is in good nick..However I have seen run of the mill records in piss poor condition priced at £10..which believe it or not seem to either sell or dissapear from the racks.

[keiths]

My local Oxfam used to be like this - very overpriced with even the scratched James Last LPs being marked up at £4 or more. Then, all of a sudden, everything got priced at 49p. That was a few weeks ago.

Now the shop has re-opened after being shut for a couple of weeks for a re-fit, but no vinyl anymore.

[The Grand Wazoo]

Then, all of a sudden, everything got priced at 49p. That was a few weeks ago.

Now the shop has re-opened after being shut for a couple of weeks for a re-fit, but no vinyl anymore.

There you go. The ridiculous pricing policy drives potential buyers away, so those who 'know best' decide that there's no money in selling it anymore.

If they'd had half a brain & priced things to sell - and I don't mean cheap, just realistic, we'd be fighting each other to get at them.

[Wakefield Turntables]

Oxfam in huddersfield is exactly the same, so take note. Stupied over priced vinyl, when only round the corner is Wall of Sound where they are perfectly willing to chat, have a laugh and run around like mad buggers trying to find vinyl for you. Oxfam is crap.

[Barry]

My local Oxfam used to be like this - very overpriced with even the scratched James Last LPs being marked up at £4 or more. Then, all of a sudden, everything got priced at 49p. That was a few weeks ago.

Now the shop has re-opened after being shut for a couple of weeks for a re-fit, but no vinyl anymore.

This is just as bad as over-pricing!

The whole point is to shift stock at a reasonable price, so Oxfam turn their goods into money. I'm not expecting them to just 'give away' valuable items for peanuts, but neither is any good in pricing them out of the range of the normal average customer.

As Chris has said, genuine 'nuggets' ought to be put up on eBay with a sensible reserve or starting bid, and then let market forces take their place.

One of the books I donated to Oxfam was valued at £75 and was displayed in a glass case for months and months! Eventually it disappeared, not because it was sold, but because the stock gets 'churned', so some other shop is probably still trying to sell it. The display case now contains, inter alia, a copy of The Who's 'Tommy' for £85!

[Wakefield Turntables]

The display case now contains, inter alia, a copy of The Who's 'Tommy' for £85!

Fantasic album, completely WRONG price! :eek:

[oceanobsession]

Oxfam at leamington has the lp in a dolls house by family £87.00

i could not believe the price.

[Marco]

You should've asked them if they'd put the decimal point in the wrong place ;)

Marco.