A YouTuber has made a hobby of hunting for bargains in charity shops11:31, 31 Jul 2026Charity shops have become a staple of high streets across the UK, offering shoppers the chance to pick up pre-loved bargains while supporting worthwhile causes. Selling donated items such as clothing, books, homeware and furniture, they raise vital funds for charities working across a wide range of areas, including medical research, hospice care, homelessness, animal welfare and international aid.‌But many shoppers have noticed a significant change to charity shops over the last few years.‌One YouTuber, who regularly films their visits on the hunt for charity shop bargains says that the rise of one particular app has made it more difficult to find any great items.‌Charlotte, who updates viewers on her Pink Peach Finds channel, told Wales Online: "I was a regular charity shop shopper long before Covid. What's interesting is that I didn't notice an immediate change once the lockdowns ended. Looking back, I'd say the biggest shift has really been over the last three or four years."I still visit charity shops most weeks but I definitely go with different expectations than I did even three or four years ago. Back then I'd expect to come across something really special most weeks. These days, that's much rarer."Charlotte explains: "For many, the rise of one platform has reshaped secondhand fashion. And according to thousands of comments under my videos, it's reshaping charity shops, too.‌"The good stuff never gets donated anymore. Everyone just sells online until one name kept appearing again and again. Vinted", reports Wales Online.Vinted has become one of Europe's leading online marketplaces for buying and selling pre-loved fashion, including clothing, shoes, accessories and other second-hand items. The platform has grown in popularity across the UK as more people look for affordable ways to update their wardrobes while embracing more sustainable shopping choices.‌Many people use Vinted because it:Makes it easy to earn money from unwanted clothesOffers affordable access to branded and designer fashionEncourages clothing to be reused rather than discardedCharlotte added: "In 2022, around 4.8 million people visited Vinted each month in the UK. By 2024, that number had jumped to 11.4 million. Almost 1 in four adults online on Vinted every single month.‌"And across Europe, Vinted became a giant. By 2026, the company was valued around 8 billion. And although Vinted doesn't publish the number of active listings, analysts estimate the platform hosts well over 200 million items at any given time."In fact, in 2025 alone, people bought and sold £9.4bn worth of second-hand goods on the platform, more than £25m every day, over £1m every hour, and nearly £18,000 every single minute.""Suddenly, that bag of clothing in the spare room wasn't clutter anymore," Charlotte says. "It was money. And money you could very easily unlock from your sofa in just a few minutes.‌"That changed something much deeper for people. How people value their belongings. People began to mentally price their stuff. They know what it's worth – because Vinted shows them."Charlotte has visited charity shops up and down the country but has noticed a significant change in the last few years. "Somewhere along the way, something has started to feel very different," she says. "The shops aren't empty. Far from it. Most are packed with items and stuff, but the quality of those products seems to be changing.Article continues below"Increasingly, rails are dominated by ultra-fast fashion and plastic tat. Meanwhile, the brands that you dream of finding about in a charity shop, Ralph Lauren, Barbour, quality vintage pieces, are much harder to find."She said: "I was a regular charity shop shopper long before Covid. What's interesting is that I didn't notice an immediate change once the lockdowns ended. Looking back, I'd say the biggest shift has really been over the last three or four years. For me, that's because Vinted really came into its own at around the same time the cost of living crisis started to bite. I think the combination of those two things has had the biggest impact."