That’s not true. My local Oxfam Books & Music shop will refund. I bought a few Jazz records one was warped & another had some very hard to see groove damage at the end of Side 1.
They gave me a full refund. Their prices on vinyl are expensive but I am happy to buy something which if not in the condition described will be refunded without hassle.
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Please do not tar all charity shops with the same brush. Is there any factual evidence of selling direct to dealers or is this mere supposition. Good donations may not still be around because … Good stuff sells quickly! If I get a donation of say Tull, ELO, Genesis in good nick at a fair price it goes in days if not hours.
As per my previous post. Oxfam do not sell direct to dealers, good stock is tried in the shop before going on-line. Rare or niche stuff may go straight on-line.
As per @Premmyboy we do offer refunds altho everything is cleaned, checked and repaired before going on the shelves. Clearly there is not time to play all albums through.
I recognise the scrabbling around cardboard boxes but to provide balance I attach a photo of my vinyl section this morning.
There is no easy listening - it doesn’t sell- but a sprinkling of Manilows etc and yes a small selection of La Bassey to offer variety.
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Thanks for telling me. I once returned an item from a charity shop and they did not refund me.
But this was not Oxfam.
Well that’s more like it, impressive, a lot of time and care must go into that! For most local shops it just seems an afterthought.
So is the consensus that most shops do not sell to dealers?
Personally I’ve always applied the tenet ‘caveat emptor’ to any music/film/book purchases from charity shops. Given the volume of items many of these shops deal with, I think it’s unrealistic to expect shop volunteers to have the time or expertise to quality-check such items. I carefully inspect the product in store and if I subsequently find a fault when I get it home, then that’s my bad luck.
Over the years I have binned many items found to be faulty in this way, and have been (relatively) happy to do so. The shop is unlikely to have sold me a faulty item deliberately, and I take some comfort from knowing that my money is at least helping a worthy cause. I would then regard it as a no-strings-attached donation. I cannot think of any circumstance when I could ever consider going back to a charity shop to request a replacement/refund.
As to charity shop pricing, I have often paid more than the ticketed price when I felt the item has been undervalued (IMO).
The bottom line for me is…IT’S FOR CHARITY.
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Agree with that.
Yes, I don’t think I’d ever take anything back either - inspect it yourself and decide if a few blemishes which may not even be audible after a clean (or without) can be justified for the price.
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The only Oxfam shop I have seen with that much music is the one in Broad Street, Oxford.
I understand the sentiments above regarding not taking stuff back to a charity shop.
My local sells albums in some cases for 3 figure sums. I think they need to offer the customer the confidence in these bigger ticket items that if there is a problem they will address it.
If I had bought a vinyl for up to £20 I wouldn’t bother to go back to return it either but if it’s an expensive item without the backup of a refund I would be reluctant to take a risk.
The same applies to buying second hand from record shops. I have a local one and I have got to know the owner well. I am happy to buy high price items from him as if there is a problem he will resolve it.
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I found a box set of Frank Sinatra - The Capital Years on sale at one of the many Charity shops near me. They wanted £25.00, so I looked it up on Disogs and found a mint condition box set was £300.00 so I gave them £100.00, glad I got in before a dealer - it is charity after all. Looked like it had never been played! 
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I think many would have a similar view.
If it’s a few pounds and you’ve decided to buy it, it probably won’t even be worth the time/effort to return it, and I certainly often feel that way with new vinyl from Amazon - I really can’t be bothered f there are some minor glitches to get a replacement/refund though we should probably hold bigger retailers to a higher standard of account than charity shops.
If as you suggest your shop has things going for 3 figures then yes you should expect some sort of assurance if it fails to live up to expectations. Equally I doubt I’d buy anything at that price as I am not a collector of raerities and just want to listen to the music. Much of what I enjoy is probably a load of old rubbish in the grand scheme of things.
I think the most expensive items I’ve bought over the years are Sade and Kate Bush box sets (This Woman’s Work and 3 of the 4 newer remastered sets). I have a Pink Floyd box set from many years ago but was never that much of a fan, just seemed like a good idea when I wanted a new copy of The Wall.
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Well, I never knew they had an online shop:
£250 for an Oasis original. Yikes!
£110 for Tracey Chapman!!!
Incredible, I didn’t even like the whole album.
This lot just dropped of to my wife’s charity shop. Got to go through them along with the other 3 boxes in our lounge.
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I can only assume that the decimal point is in the wrong place…
I wonder how much they would punt a NM/M copy for?
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