'I bought charity shop cups and plates and couldn't believe amount I made reselling them'
A woman has shared how she managed to turn a box of donated china into a staggering profit after taking them to an auction house - and it promoted others to share their success stories
As the saying goes, one man's trash is another man's treasure. The old adage turned out to be very true for one charity shop worker, who took a gamble on a box of china which had been donated. The volunteer explained how a man brought in the box, which was covered in "about an inch in dust", saying he was clearing out his mother-in-law's house after she passed away.
She said on Reddit: "He just wanted rid of the stuff. I have an Etsy shop which specialises in vintage items, and thought I had seen that style of china before - what had been donated to the shop was not stamped, but the early editions weren't always marked.
"I asked the manager if I could take one of the pieces to the local auction house to let the owner have a look, and was told I could."
With that, she says the man's face "lit up like a Christmas tree" - and he asked her how many other pieces she had in the collection.
She added: "I'd known him for years and never seen him smile before. The plate I'd taken in sold for £300, and the entire box full of china made over £2,500."
This prompted others to share the unsuspecting items they've discovered in a charity shop, with one user adding: "I bought a 1991 Stranglers tour T-shirt in the 2000s for £2.50, it goes for up to £200 on eBay.
"I also have a first edition White Box Thoth tarot deck which go for variable amount but around £500, for £5, not in a charity shop though.
"Friend of a friend recently bought a Tupperware container from a car boot that contained an almost complete hand painted tarot/early playing card deck (not sure if Victorian or Georgian) for 50p worth at least £1,000, £5,000 if it had been complete. Its up for auction at a fancy London auction house."
Another user added: "Many years ago, when my daughter was at primary school, I used to sell stuff on Amazon/eBay just to earn a little extra cash.
"I was selling mainly her old books and toys. I went in a charity shop for a browse and found a book, can't remember what it was called or who it was written by, but it had a white cover with pastel blue writing on it.
"I didn't think it was worth anything but I just liked the look of it. I paid 50p for it and sold it on the bay for £50.
"I was quite surprised at how much it sold for and I don't/didn't have the knowledge to continue seeking out charity shop hidden treasures, I think I was just very lucky that one time.
"Don't know if it's still true now but some old VHS video's are worth quite a few bob. Which just reminded me of the Disney DVDs.
"The first lot of the Disney movies that were released on DVD sold for a bit, I remember I had snow white and it sold for £80."