For UK charity shops and head offices only. WhatsApp first.Built for UK registered charity shops and head offices only. Start with a free WhatsApp valuation from a real UK human before anything is posted.
07375 071158This page is meant to be useful even if the charity is still deciding whether to use us regularly. A practical checklist reduces packing errors, speeds valuation, and gives a busy branch something it can print without needing a long policy note.
1. Human view first
The route starts with a real UK valuer or a page-specific enquiry, not a blind parcel and not a generic contact form.
2. Evidence next
The next step should create something usable inside the charity: a scheduled session, a governance review pack, a pilot conversation, or a written valuation trail.
3. Decision stays with the charity
Nothing on this site removes the charity's control. The branch, head office, trustee, or finance lead still decides whether to proceed once the evidence is on the table.
Registered charity bank account only. Written itemised valuation. Trustee-friendly PDF. Tracked return if declined.
Free same-day rough estimate before posting. Valuation within two hours on arrival. Same-day payment where cut-off rules are met.
Who this page is for
Written for the charity shop manager who needs a quick, head-office-safe route.
Service boundary
UK registered charity shops and their head offices only. The site is not written for the public or non-charity resellers.
What happens next
Step 1
Start with photographs on WhatsApp, or ring if the branch needs to talk through an unusual donation before anything is packed.
Step 2
If the same-day rough estimate suggests specialist handling is justified, the prepaid Royal Mail Special Delivery label is issued next.
Step 3
When the parcel arrives, the written valuation comes before any acceptance decision, so the branch and head office can review the paperwork calmly.
Step 4
If the charity accepts, payment goes to the registered charity bank account only. If it declines, the return is free of charge, tracked and insured.
One-minute summary
This section is written for quick internal review. Each answer is self-contained so a branch manager, retail lead, or trustee can lift the essential points without having to decode the whole page first.
Start point
The first step is not posting. It is a free WhatsApp valuation from a real UK human, usually answered the same day during opening hours. We are open 7 days a week, from 7am to 9pm. That lets a branch test likely value before staff spend time packing, logging, or explaining the decision to head office.
Operational safety
If the estimate justifies specialist handling, Vintage Piggy issues a prepaid Royal Mail Special Delivery label with the £2,500 compensation uplift. The shop keeps the Post Office tracking reference, receives a written itemised valuation on arrival, and can still decline without being locked in.
Banking rule
Payment goes only to the charity’s registered bank account. It does not go to a personal account, shop till, or informal holding route. That matters because managers often need a process head office can approve without having to rewrite banking or audit controls.
What we buy
Question 1
Include the items already discussed, a clear contact name, the branch or head-office reference if one exists, and any item notes that help the valuer understand what is inside. Do not add unrelated stock at the last minute just because there is space in the box. Keeping the parcel specific protects the paperwork and shortens the decision cycle.
Question 2
Take clear photos before sealing, keep the Royal Mail label readable, and retain the posting receipt with the tracking number. Photographing the batch and preserving the tracking reference gives the branch a simple internal record that can be referred to later if head office, finance, or a trustee asks what was sent and when.
Question 3
Leave out items that were not part of the estimate conversation, overly bulky goods that do not suit secure post, and anything the branch itself can already identify confidently as low-value routine stock. The point of the route is specialist uncertainty, not using insured post for items that do not need it.
Question 4
A checklist cannot replace common sense or the earlier valuation conversation. If the branch is still unsure whether the item should travel at all, the right move is another WhatsApp message before the parcel is posted.
Continue the review
These pages support the same decision from different angles. One explains process, one handles governance, and one gives the branch or head office a cleaner next action.
Next step
They leave the shop for pennies per kilo via bulk textile recyclers, or sit in a locked drawer waiting for a specialist who never comes. We are that specialist. You never pay us for anything. Not for valuations. Not for staff training. Not for returns. Not for shipping. We only ever pay you.
Read this pageNext step
This service is designed to be simple on the shop floor and defensible at trustee level. Each step is there to reduce uncertainty, protect the parcel, and keep the payment route clean.
Read this pageNext step
Some donations are simple to price on a shop floor. Others are not. These fourteen categories are the areas where a free WhatsApp valuation before posting can protect value and save time.
Read this pageNext step
We run free one-hour training sessions for UK charity shops over Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet or FaceTime. Unlimited attendees in the room. No charge. No contract. No minimum. No sign-up. Any charity that handles jewellery, watches, silver, antiques or small collectables can book one.
Read this pageFirst parcel checklist
The cleaner the first parcel is, the easier it is for the charity to judge the service on its merits rather than on preventable packing friction.
Before you act
Free same-day rough estimate before anything is posted.
Prepaid Royal Mail Special Delivery label when posting is appropriate.
Payment to the charity's registered bank account only, with return free of charge if declined.
If the question is head-office approval rather than branch confidence, send the Trust Centre and sample governance downloads internally before the parcel is packed.
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