Kay McKnight, 39, regularly visits charity shops hunting for budget-friendly bargains, leading her to save £10,000 in one year – and she says everyone is missing out on one particular aisle
A canny shopper claims that hidden gems in charity shops helped her save £10,000 last year alone – and she’s revealed her secrets so others can do the same. Kay McKnight regularly trawls charity shops in search of budget-friendly finds and frequently shares her money-saving tips on social media.
The 39-year-old asserts that her purchases last year would have amounted to more than £10,000, resulting in the significant saving. The retail manager argues that the toy aisle is often overlooked, yet it provides the greatest potential profit when items are resold on eBay.
Among the old Barbies and worn-out teddy bears, collectables such as Wallace and Gromit figurines, Shaun the Sheep characters and even Jellycat plush toys can be found. A recent video shows her rummaging through a bucket of toys and finding three Shaun the Sheep figures, which she snapped up for 50p each.
One of these later sold for £8.99 on eBay, marking an incredible 1,698% markup on her initial investment for just one item. Admitting that if she could “start over” professionally she’d likely become a reseller, Kay is now urging others to delve into charity shop toy sections as they’re a “goldmine” for deals.
Kay, who lives in Sutton in Hone, Kent, said: “Charity shops are an absolute treasure trove and people are really missing out on some amazing stuff. Most of the time it’s stuff that people wouldn’t even think of. Who would have thought to go into a toy bin and pick up toys for 50p?
“Wallace and Gromit has a massive cult following and the stuff sells really well. Because you can’t get it anymore, you can’t go into Smyths anymore and pick it up, it holds its money. One of them was 50p and one sold for £8.99, so if you were to bundle them together, you could sell them for £27.
“I always say look in the plushies bin too because a lot of people are into Jellycats and I’ve found them in the past for 50p. I found one toad in a Cancer Research plushie bin for 50p and, if I was to sell it today, it would sell for £100. There’s so much money in toys that people don’t realise. They’re like a gold mine, and people don’t look in them enough.
“If I could do my life again, I probably would’ve been a reseller and I would’ve done it as a career. I’ve got friends who are making £200,000 a year reselling, that’s more than some doctors make.”
Kay first started visiting charity shops and car boot sales in 2020 following lockdown. Once her mates urged her to share her bargain finds online, she set up Facebook and TikTok accounts.
In her spare time, Kay resells Lego and mini figures via the online marketplace Whatnot, asserting that her bargain-hunting saved her £10,000 last year. Despite her efforts to prevent toys from ending up in landfill, Kay reveals she still faces criticism from online trolls for being a reseller.
Kay said: “I get comments like ‘I hate resellers’. I feel like there is a stigma around it. There are people saying ‘you’re taking away from people that need it’ and ‘charity shops are there for people that can’t afford stuff’, which isn’t true. The lady in the shop said the Shaun the Sheep figures had been in there for a month and nobody had picked them up.
“If I hadn’t taken them and given them a second chance, then they would just be going to landfill. Sometimes a lot of stuff sells because it’s nostalgic. Last year alone I saved myself in excess of £10,0000 easily. It’s out there, you just need to know what you’re looking at.”
