Donations
Are you accepting donated goods?
We are now accepting donations at all open shop locations. You can check our full list of items we are able to accept, and those we are unable to accept. You can help us further by considering whether they are in a good, clean condition and in working order before bringing them in. If you're wanting to donate furniture or bulkier items, please take a look at our Furniture collection page, or alternatively, you can email at furniture@demelza.org.uk.
There may be occasions where our shops are unable to accept donations due to capacity, waste costs and safety but you can find alternative Demelza locations to donate to.
Please don't forget to Gift Aid your donation if you can, to help make your donation go further!
What can I donate?
The following items can be donated at our charity shops:
Clothing
- Womenswear, menswear and children's clothing
- Shoes and boots
- Handbags, purses, wallets and suitcases
- Accessories, such as belts, ties, hats, gloves and scarves
- Jewellery
- Wedding and bridesmaid dresses and accessories
Collectibles & Homeware
- Furniture with fire safety labels in place where appropriate (please visit our furniture collection page for more details before donating furniture)
- Soft furnishings and linen, cushions and throws
- Household items and equipment
- Tools and DIY equipment
- Electrical items, such as working lamps, functioning kitchen appliances (please visit our furniture collection page for more details before donating bulkier items)
- Collectables and memorabilia
- Designer and vintage brands in excellent condition
Media & Technology
- Books and records
- DVDs and CDs
- Gaming consoles, tech and other media
- Toys, puzzles and games that are fully working with all parts
What can't I donate?
The following items are prohibited from being donated at our charity shops:
Furniture and household Items
- Upholstered furniture without a fire label including items without a label that are part of a set
- Upholstered furniture that is damaged or has torn fabric
- Furniture with missing parts or damage that makes them unsafe
- Veneered items that are damaged exposing the inner wood
- Coat hangers
- Chopping Boards & Food Hygiene Products
- Plastic carrier bags
Electrical items
- Electric blankets
- Electric showers
- Sunbeds and tanning equipment
- Waste disposal units
- CRT televisions or televisions without the remote controls
- E Scooters
- White goods
- Personal hygiene items (hair trimmers) unless new and boxed
Heating and cooking
- Old toasters
- Gas cookers
- Oil or gas agas
- Microwaves
Sports and safety equipment
- Safety helmets
- Riding/cycling hats
- Crash helmets, cycle helmets, motorcycle helmets
- Fire fighting equipment
Children’s equipment
- Children’s car seats
- McDonald's toys
- Toys without a CE mark
- Broken toys, or games and toys with missing parts
- Hairbands, clips, brushes
- Old travel cots or moses baskets with no stand
- Potties/nappy disposal units
- Used cups/beakers/bottles
Pianos and organs
- Please speak to a member of our staff who will be able to advise you about donating these items
Weapons
- Knives, swords, crossbows
- Guns and ammunition
- Replica guns
Software and hardware
- Home recorded DVDs, videos and audio tapes
- Home recorded computer games and software on recordable CDs and DVDs
- Printers and ink cartridges
- Cassette and video tapes
- Sky boxes
- Sat Navs
Miscellaneous
- Broken and damaged or unsellable bric-a-brac including mugs, cups plates and glasses unless they are part of a set
- Personal appliances such as shavers and foot spas, unless they are unused
- Used duvets, pillows, and sleeping bags
- Lifesaving or flotation swimming equipment or inflatables
- Medication, including vitamins or medical equipment
- Prescription glasses/sunglasses
- Cleaning products, solvents and adhesives
- Ivory, fur or taxidermy
- Fitted carpets or used blinds
- Perishable goods, food or drink
Are you collecting or delivering furniture?
We are able to offer collection and delivery (subject to driver availability and location) on furniture and bulky items and would request that a doorstep service is in place where possible. These must be prearranged in advance.
If you are interested in our collection or delivery service please visit our furniture collection page for more information, or email furniture@demelza.org.uk to arrange.
Can you collect donations from my house?
We do not collect donations from houses, apart from prearranged furniture collections.
Please be aware that we do not currently distribute or collect charity bags door-to-door. If you do receive a charity bag claiming to be from Demelza Hospice Care for Children, please let us know by emailing websiteemails@demelza.org.uk in the first instance.
Can I drop off my donations to your shed at the Sittingbourne hospice?
Our donation shed at Demelza Kent is no longer open for donations. This is due to our central distribution centre in Maidstone closing recently, meaning we're unable to transport and process these donations.
Your closest donation points to our Kent site are Sittingbourne and Rainham Demelza shops, both of which are happy to help!
You can email queries to trading@demelza.org.uk or call our mainline on 01795 503110.
Alternatively, we have lots of information on our website about how what, and when you can donate to us which is worth checking first.
Where can I take my items that you can't accept?
We are sorry that we will not be able to accept all donations due to suitability and our own capacity. Please, do check your own local council website for advice on guidance on recycling centres, or approach other charities that may need your particular items. As always, thank you so much for thinking of Demelza.
How and when can I donate my items to your shops?
Our shops are able to take donations during their opening hours, however, there may be occasions where volumes of donations are high and they do not have the capacity to accept any more items. We recommend calling ahead to your local Demelza charity shop to ensure they have the space to accommodate your donations.
Orders & shipping
When will I get my order?
Delivery times vary depending on your location, but we aim to dispatch your item(s) with 3 working days via Royal Mail 48.
Once your order has shipped, you will receive an email with further information.
How much does shipping cost?
Shipping is calculated based on your location and the items in your order. You will always be shown the shipping cost before you purchase.
Do you accept return and refunds on your items?
We can exchange or refund any item purchased from our Demelza charity shops provided they are returned with tags and a full receipt within 28 days. Refunds will be issued in the same way the purchase was made, so if you paid on a card please ensure you bring the correct credit or debit card along with you.
For furniture, please contact the furniture store that you purchased from directly.
Retail Gift Aid
What is the Retail Gift Aid scheme?
Retail Gift Aid is a HMRC programme that allows charities to claim an additional 25% income from the sale of a supporter’s donated items. This scheme allows for Demelza Trading Ltd (Demelza – registered charity no. 1039651) to act on your behalf in offering your sellable goods for sale in our Demelza charity shops, at a charge of 2% commission plus VAT which will be deducted from the sale. Demelza will then reclaim 25p through HMRC on every £1 of the net proceeds your donated items raise to the net value of £1000.
Who can sign up to Retail Gift Aid?
To sign up to Demelza’s Retail Gift Aid scheme you should fill in a Retail Gift Aid Declaration Form in one of our shop locations, which a Demelza colleague can help you with. You will then be given a unique Gift Aid ID, which you can use at any of our Demelza shops when donating to us. To sign up for Retail Gift Aid, you are confirming the following:
- You are over 18 years old and understand the Retail Gift Aid Declaration is a legal contract.
- You own the items you are donating; you cannot Gift Aid items that are not yours or donating as a business.
- You are happy for Demelza to act as an agent to sell these goods and claim the additional Gift Aid income.
- You are a UK taxpayer. This can include tax paid on pensions.
- You agree to the Demelza Retail Gift Aid Terms and Conditions. These terms and conditions are a binding contract between yourself and Demelza.
How do I sign up for Retail Gift Aid?
To sign up for Retail Gift Aid please visit your local Demelza charity shop or for any enquiries, please telephone 01795 503117.
If you are an existing Retail Gift Aid supporter, please note that we have updated our Terms and Conditions which you can view below.
If you have already registered for Retail Gift Aid, and need some more labels to donate your unwanted goods, please print the labels below, complete your details and attach them to your goods.
Will you contact me?
Unless you have ticked the box on our Retail Gift Aid Declaration Form to receive marketing communications from Demelza, we will only contact you for the following:
- If the net sales proceeds are more than £1000, giving you the opportunity to donate the proceeds in excess of £1000 to Demelza.
- If the net proceeds of your items reach Demelza’s minimum limit of £20 in a single tax year, or every three years, whichever happens first, even if the income raised is less than £1000.
- If you request an end of year Tax letter detailing monies raised.
Can I contact you?
You can contact us at any time at retail.giftaid@demelza.org.uk, or via phone on 01795 503117. Please be aware that the phones are only monitored between 8am and 1pm, however you are welcome to leave a message and contact details for us to reach you on. It is your responsibility to notify us of any change in your details that we have on record, or if you no longer pay UK income or capital gains tax.
What will you do with my donated items?
Sellable donated items under the Retail Gift Aid scheme will be labelled with a barcode linked to your details on our system, meaning that we can track how much income your donations raise. Sometimes we may not sell items straight away due to seasonal changes or donation fluctuations. Your sellable items will still be labelled and will be stored and sold on at a later point. If we are unable to sell your donated items, these will be recycled or disposed of accordingly. We are unable to return unsellable items. Demelza are not responsible for any loss or damage to goods bought into the shop for sale.
What else do I need to know?
As the legal and beneficial owner of donated items, until they are sold in our Demelza shops, you do have the right to keep the net proceeds of the sale if you wish but can choose to donate all or part of the proceeds to Demelza. Both yourself and Demelza have the right to be able to terminate the Retail Gift Aid Declaration at any time. This should be done in writing to retail.giftaid@demelza.org.uk.
As this is an HMRC scheme, we may need to update some of the terms of our Retail Gift Aid policy. You will always be able to find up to date T&C’s available on our website: www.demelza.org.uk/shop/retail-gift-aid
By signing up to Demelza’s Retail Gift Aid scheme, you are agreeing to abide by the terms and conditions set out.
Demelza Trading Ltd on behalf of Demelza Hospice Care for Children, Rook Lane, Bobbing, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME9 8DZ Registered Charity No. 1039651
Ecommerce Policy
The purpose of this policy is to outline the following procedures for our store hosted on www.shop.demelza.org.uk: complaints & compliments procedure, returns process and our timelines for service delivery. Full Policy can be found here.
