Kay McKnight, 39, often visits charity shops hunting for budget-friendly bargains, claiming she saved £10,000 last year – and the expert says we’re all missing out on one particular aisle
A savvy shopper claims hidden treasures in charity shops enabled her to save £10,000(Image: Kennedy News/ @kaymcknight86)
A shrewd shopper says she managed to save £10,000 last year by discovering hidden gems in charity shops – and she’s revealing how others can replicate her success. Kay McKnight regularly scours charity shops for bargain finds and frequently shares her money-saving tips on social media.
The 39-year-old claims that her purchases last year would have cost more than £10,000, leading to her impressive savings. The retail manager argues that the toy section is often overlooked, yet provides the best opportunities for profit when items are resold on eBay.
Among the Barbies and worn teddy bears, collectables such as Wallace and Gromit figurines, Shaun the Sheep characters and even Jellycat plushies can be found. A recent video shows her rummaging through a container of toys and uncovering three Shaun the Sheep figures, which she bought for 50p each.
One of these later sold for £8.99 on eBay, representing a remarkable 1,698% markup on her initial investment for just one item. Admitting that if she could “start over” in her career she’d probably become a reseller, Kay is now urging others to check out charity shop toy sections as they’re a “goldmine” for bargains.
Kay, a resident of Sutton in Hone, Kent, shared: “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 initially started frequenting charity shops and car boot sales in 2020 after lockdown.
After friends 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 through online marketplace Whatnot, saying her treasure hunting helped her save £10,000 last year.
Despite helping keep toys from being thrown away, Kay says trolls online still shame her for being a reseller
Kay stated: “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.”
