Whether you are after something unique, a vintage-lover or simply don’t have the cash to be buying brand new clothes, you may be drawn towards a charity shop. If you are lucky, you might pick up an old fashioned couture coat that you could never in your wildest dreams afford or a gorgeous ball gown that you know you are only ever going to wear once.

The KonMari method, wherein you remove the things from your life which don't 'spark joy' is seeing a huge increase in popularity – leading to charity shops having more treasures to find that ever before. 

But before you start Googling shops in your area, you definitely need to have a read of our ultimate guide to buying clothes in a charity shop.

Talk to the staff
Have a chat with the staff or bring them in a coffee, anything to put you on their good side –  they will let you know where all the best items are hidden.

Try it on
Just because it says it’s a size 10 doesn’t mean it is still a size 10. Remember, these items are pre-loved and their previous owners may have done some adjusting which you won’t know about until you try it on.

Go to the men’s section
Don’t walk past the men’s section – there might be something good hidden there. A boyfriend style duster coat perhaps, or some high quality shirts for work that double up as summer cover-ups. 

Visualise it outside of the shop
We admit it, while they are a fantastic money raising resource, charity shops aren’t the most glamorous of places and can often make that fabulous find not-so-fabulous looking.

So try to visualise it outside of the shop – think about where you will wear it or how you will style it.

Take your time
They are not the same as high street stores and you can’t go in with the same ‘if something doesn’t catch my eye I’m walking straight out’ attitude.

Take your time walking up and down the aisle, rummage to the back of the rail and go back and forth to items that do grab your attention – you will definitely pick up a fantastic find this way.