A Bristol charity shop has been inundated with expensive designer goods as thousands of students leave the city for their summer break.
Cancer Research UK on Queen’s Road has recently been overwhelmed with clothing ranging from Burberry to Prada.
And these are not tatty hand me downs either as shop manager Martin Chandler said many are in pristine condition, some even still have the labels attached.
While many items found to be worth considerable amounts often ending up on eBay, Chandler said most of the clothes being received were being sold in store.
Surprisingly the manager said that despite the bargains on offer, sales actually go down during this period, as students form a big part of their customer base.
Cancer Research UK is based less than a five-minute walk from student accommodation Culver House, making it easily accessible store for departing students before summer.
It is not only valuable clothes Cancer Research UK receives from departing students.
The store has seen homeware and electrics also come in that are till worth pretty penny.
Televisions, laptops and hairdryers are just a few examples of goods regularly sold by the store.
Whilst most of the goods remain at Queen’s Street and are sold in-store, the higher value items are instead listed on Cancer Research UK’s eBay page.
Last year, the store was able to sell an embroidery machine on the auction site for £500, while a camera was also sold in the last few weeks for £361.
Most impressive is an auction that is still live on Cancer Research UK’s eBay, a gold necklace and bracelet. Despite the price initially starting at a low £4.99, bidding has since reached £540 with over a day left on the auction.
Other charity shops have not reported such good fortune, with the Sue Ryder store on Park Street reporting clothes donated by students were usually of lower quality than normal donations.
