+ What donations do you accept?

• Good quality, clean clothing and shoes (including vintage and retro items, and even bras!)

• Bags and accessories

• Valuable items

• Books

• Music: CDs, vinyl, DVDs, Blu-rays, musical instruments and sheet music

• Homeware: china, kitchenware, ornaments, pictures, collectables

• Soft furnishings: small rugs, linen, curtains (must be clean and in good condition)

• Knitted items and blankets

• Toys and games

• Wedding dresses and accessories

• Mobile phones

• Stamps (including used stamps) and coins

• Electrical goods

+ What can't you sell?

• Medical equipment

• Anything broken, dirty, incomplete or unsafe

• Computers

• Mattresses, pillows and duvets unless they are unopened in the original packing

• White goods (cookers, washing machines etc)

• Safety headgear (e.g. motorcycle crash helmets)

• Baby car seats

• Furniture

Please donate anything else you think will raise money for Mercy in Action. If you are still unsure about an item please visit your local shop or call us.

+ Can you collect donations from my home?

It is not usually commercially viable for most shop teams to collect donations from your home. However, collections can sometimes be arranged locally, so it's worth asking your local shop.

If you have something particularly valuable to donate, please mention this when you call.

+ Where can I take my donations?

Your donations can be dropped at any Mercy in Action charity shop during opening hours.

+ How does Mercy in Action set its prices?

We are lucky to receive so many good quality donations from the public and we believe the best way to thank our donors for their generosity is to get the best price we can for their donation. So each individual shop team creates their own prices based on their knowledge of their customers and location. We do not set prices centrally. This allows us to make as much money as possible for our projects from your donations!

+ What is Gift Aid?

Gift Aid is a government scheme that allows charities to reclaim basic rate tax (25%) on your gift, increasing the value of your donations at no extra cost to you.

+ How can you track my donations?

When you sign up to the scheme you will receive a unique donor number which you should use to tag each bag of donations you give. Your local shop team will then give each item in your donation a barcode so we know when they’ve sold and can claim Gift Aid on the amount they raise.

+ Will I receive lots of marketing material if I sign up?

As part of the rules of operating a Method B Retail Gift Aid scheme, we are required to tell you how much your items have raised each tax year. We currently do this once a year by email or letter.

You can optionally choose to receive other updates from us. If you do not opt in to these then we won't send them.

+ I'm not a UK taxpayer - can I still join in?

In order to claim Gift Aid on your donations from the UK government, you must be a UK taxpayer. However, even if you can’t Gift Aid your donations, we’d love for you to keep bringing your pre-loved items to us and we’ll still be able to put them to good use to continue fighting poverty.

+ I’ve stopped paying tax – can I close my account?

If your circumstances change and you no longer pay tax then please inform us so we can close your account which will end your Gift Aid Declaration and your participation in the scheme. However, even if you can’t Gift Aid your donations, we’d love for you to keep bringing your pre-loved items to us and we’ll still be able to put them to good use to continue fighting poverty.

+ I’ve moved house, do I need to update my details?

In order to claim Gift Aid from your donation we are required to hold your current home address. If you need to change your contact details you can do that in your local shop or through emailing or calling us.