All items · Furniture
Large or difficult-to-handle furniture
Also covers: large sofa, three seater sofa, wall unit, display cabinet, bulky furniture, office furniture
Why shops refuse it
Some shops cannot collect, store or display especially large, heavy or fragile pieces, even when they are in good condition.
What to do instead
Ask a furniture-focused charity or reuse project and include measurements and photos before arranging a collection.
Charity by charity
-
Can't accept
Crisis
Only larger furniture items excluded; small homeware is still accepted.
Their wording
“not able to accept larger furniture items”
-
Can't accept
FARA Charity Shops
Their wording
“Large furniture — LARGE FURNITURE”
-
Can't accept
Great Western Air Ambulance Charity
broad category rule
General furniture is not accepted.
Their wording
“Furniture”
-
Can't accept
Marie Curie
broad category rule
No specific furniture items singled out; the page lists furniture as currently unaccepted.
Their wording
“Furniture.”
-
Can't accept
Octavia Foundation
Their wording
“Large furniture items — Large furniture items (none of our shops have space to display large furniture items)”
-
Can't accept
PDSA
broad category rule
Temporary suspension of furniture donations (framed as current, not permanent)
Their wording
“For the time being, we won't be able to accept furniture and have no collections available.”
-
Can't accept
Save the Children
Only large items of furniture excluded.
Their wording
“large items of furniture”
-
Can't accept
St Giles Hospice
Their wording
“Fragile wardrobes”
-
Can't accept
St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP)
Also includes large three-seater sofas, corner units and display cabinets.
Their wording
“Reclining chairs or sofas”
-
Can't accept
Traid
Their wording
“Bulky items generally — furniture or other bulky items”
-
Can't accept
Woodgreen Pets Charity
broad category rule
Furniture and other household items are not currently accepted because their collection service is not running.
Their wording
“our collection service is not currently running”
-
Check first
Emmaus
Large wall units and standalone headboards are refused; bulk office furniture may be accepted by prior arrangement.
Their wording
“Large wall units”
-
Check first
Princess Alice Hospice
Covers large wall units and display cabinets, fragile wardrobes, several bed types and TV stands; exceptions depend on size, construction or being part of a larger collection.
Their wording
“Wall units/display cabinets over 5ft (unless they split in two)”
-
Check first
Scope
broad category rule
Furniture (sofas, bedding, dining tables and chairs) is only accepted at the Wakefield and Grimsby shops.
Their wording
“Our Wakefield and Grimsby shops can also accept: Furniture: sofas, bedding, dining tables and chairs.”
Not mentioned in 30 charities' guidance
Absence from a charity's list doesn't mean they accept it — it just isn't singled out. Ask your local shop.
- Not mentioned Acorns Children's Hospice
- Not mentioned Age UK
- Not mentioned Barnardo's
- Not mentioned British Heart Foundation
- Not mentioned British Red Cross
- Not mentioned Cancer Research UK
- Not mentioned Claire House Children's Hospice
- Not mentioned Cornwall Hospice Care
- Not mentioned DEBRA
- Not mentioned Dogs Trust
- Not mentioned Dorothy House
- Not mentioned Keech Hospice Care
- Not mentioned LOROS Hospice
- Not mentioned Overgate Hospice
- Not mentioned Oxfam
- Not mentioned Phyllis Tuckwell
- Not mentioned Salvation Army (SATCoL)
- Not mentioned Samaritans
- Not mentioned Sense Scotland
- Not mentioned Shaw Trust
- Not mentioned Shelter
- Not mentioned St Barnabas Hospice (Lincolnshire)
- Not mentioned St Christopher's Hospice
- Not mentioned St Peter's Hospice
- Not mentioned Sue Ryder
- Not mentioned The Children's Trust
- Not mentioned Trinity Hospice (Blackpool)
- Not mentioned Wales Air Ambulance
- Not mentioned Willen Hospice
- Not mentioned YMCA (England & Wales)