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By Alice Gibbs
Senior Reporter
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A volunteer at a thrift store has sparked a wider debate about inappropriate donations after sharing a video showing heavily used makeup items left for resale.
Vanessa, who did not share her surname, posted the video on TikTok after discovering a battered makeup case filled with used cosmetics while sorting donations at the thrift store where she volunteers in the U.K. In the caption, Vanessa wrote: "Please stop donating tat. Your trash is not our treasure."
The clip quickly gained traction, drawing reactions from current and former charity shop workers who described finding everything from damaged clothing to items that should have gone straight into the trash.
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"I was working in the back of the shop sorting through donations when I picked up a makeup case that looked fairly normal from the outside," Vanessa told Newsweek. "When I opened it, I immediately realized it was filled with heavily used, tattered makeup. It was clearly something that we could never resell."
The 2024 Thrift Industry Report by Savers Value Village found that nearly 1 in 3 U.S. consumers thrifted in the past year. Almost 90 percent of consumers have either shopped at or donated to a thrift store, up from 83 percent in 2022.
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Shopping in thrift stores is particularly popular with younger generations. Over 40 percent of Gen Z consumers are thrifters, with many shopping secondhand at least once a month.
Vanessa said that donations like the makeup case in the video are not uncommon. "We receive clothes that are stained or damaged, trousers with skid marks on them, leggings that still have used sanitary products inside them, and handbags that contain tobacco, cigarette ash or other waste," she added. "It’s unfortunately not unusual to find things that should clearly have been thrown away before being donated."
The most-problematic donations, Vanessa said, are items that cannot be resold, repaired or recycled—yet still require shops to pay for disposal. That, combined with the volunteer time needed to sort through unusable goods, reduces how much money can ultimately be raised for charity.
Rising Prices and Changing Donations
Some critics responding to the video argued that thrift stores should accept all donations.
"Yes, they shouldn’t have brought that to the charity shop, but why is she just throwing it out?" said one commenter. Another TikTok user wrote: "What am I supposed to do with clothes that are maybe not attractive enough for a shop but too good to bin? Someone could use them like a homeless person?"
Vanessa said she once shared that frustration, having grown up relying on charity shops during the 2008 financial crisis. But she added that volunteering changed her perspective.
A major shift, Vanessa said, has been the rise of fast fashion and ultracheap online retailers.
"Many of the items we receive now come from brands that produce extremely low cost clothing designed to be worn only a handful of times," she added. "By the time they are donated, they are already stretched, faded or falling apart."
As a result, thrift stores are increasingly becoming the final stop for clothing that was never designed to last.
Despite the challenges, Vanessa said that not all donations are problematic.
"Charity shops still receive some amazing donations, and we’re incredibly grateful for the people who take the time to donate thoughtfully," she added, citing high‑quality clothing, books and even a Steve McQueen Barbour jacket that helped raise significant funds.
Vanessa said she hopes the conversation sparked by her video encourages people to think more carefully about what they donate—and what should be thrown away instead.
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