Clothes collection

biko

I get a lot of these through the door and will compile a little list of them for the craic.

In case you're wondering if someone posing as a charity is genuine:
Some background here to fake collectors.
How do you spot the fake charity flyers?
* It will have a contact number but it’s more than likely a mobile number. A landline number means that they at least have a base or premises in the country.
* The flyer should have a registered charity number. A registered business number is not the same.
* Ring your local authority and ask if the “charity” is licensed to make door-to-door collections.
* Use the Google search engine to find out about them. Use any registration numbers you find, an identifying website address, even search for text from the flyer. Any charity with the resources to organise a door-to-door clothes collection will have at least some presence on the Internet.

Note that these below are not fake in the sense that they pose as a charity. They don't mention anywhere that they are a charity. They just promise "new life" for old clothes. The money goes to "poor people".

http://pix.sparky-s.ie/a21a2.jpg
No name, just a private number.

Second one gives us a bit more info, like a gmail address and www address that doesn't lead to a working site. A private retail company regged a year ago.
http://pix.sparky-s.ie/b7876.jpg
http://www.google.ie/search?hl=en&q=newlifeclothing.org%22+472169&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&gs_upl=789%2C789%2C1%2C0%2C108%2C108%2C0%2C1

Clothes collection in the UK
More

PopeBuckfastXVI

What do they do with the clothes? Just sell them and keep the money?

biko

Yeah, they sort through them and keep the ones that can be sold on. The rest are usually dumped. It really depends on the collectors.
Having a company number means you are not a charity. Money is made from clothes collected free.
I'd suggest anyone to hand old clothes into a real charity shop instead.

PopeBuckfastXVI

That's a pretty sh*tty way to make a living.

Tony Almeida

Not the worst crime i've ever seen.....
The Hanley centre is much more disgusting. People taking my old clothes away, when i probably would never have charity shopped them anyways, doesnt really affect me.

Although granted, its a pathetic way of earning a living

PopeBuckfastXVI

Tony Almeida wrote: »

Not the worst crime i've ever seen.....
The Hanley centre is much more disgusting. People taking my old clothes away, when i probably would never have charity shopped them anyways, doesnt really affect me.

Although granted, its a pathetic way of earning a living

What's the hanley centre (please don't lmgtfy!)?

It's the guys collecting on the way to Edward Square.

The clothes collecting people usually gather clothes and then ship it in bulk to the third world. It is bought by weight and is sorted there.

These really cheap clothes compete with locally produced cloth and traditional costumes.

Edit: Vitalis? is one I get the odd time - it has spelling mistakes.

biko

PopeBuckfastXVI wrote: »

What's the hanley centre (please don't lmgtfy!)?

http://www.thehanlycentre.com/ For alcos in Dublin, not Galway.
Some guys from Tuam collecting at Edward square and are known to be aggressive and a big pain to get past.
Thread on them eventually locked
This thread is about stickers.

thefeatheredcat

I'm always getting loads of them, but most of have dropped off. I still get one yellow sticker from http://www.orphanhomecare.org/ I've always been suspicious of them especially since one came in around 8am on a sunday morning, which I thought was a bit odd...and now I've checked their seemingly bogus website (unless anyone has more details)... I'll be staying with going direct into the SVP shop like I've always done.

EDIT:
on the 'charity' i noted about above, looked up the C Reg No. 412080 and churned up a few bits... including a blog from 2007 with more info on it here http://karlmarcks.blogspot.com/2007/09/and-another-arrives-lithuanian-this.html
I'm sure if others get this sticker with the hands and the baby with a sun in the back, they'll be familiar with seeing it.

now I look that bit closer at the sticker, i see the spelling mistakes too!

Madame Razz

You can bring stuff direct to the Simon shop aswell; it's down on Sea Rd near Ernies

telepylus

have spoken to people about these before and for the most part many prefer to throw their old clothes in the bin etc rather than someone "profiteering" off them. personally, I reckon its a pretty ****ty way to earn a crust, and if thats what theyre doing with my clothes, its better than going on a landfill. i usually put them in the clothing banks which donate to enable ireland, but have used these supposed charities before too. why are some people so spiteful though that theyd prefer to throw their stuff in the bin instead is beyond me

sam34

telepylus wrote: »

have spoken to people about these before and for the most part many prefer to throw their old clothes in the bin etc rather than someone "profiteering" off them. personally, I reckon its a pretty ****ty way to earn a crust, and if thats what theyre doing with my clothes, its better than going on a landfill. i usually put them in the clothing banks which donate to enable ireland, but have used these supposed charities before too. why are some people so spiteful though that theyd prefer to throw their stuff in the bin instead is beyond me

i'd imagine that people dont want to be exploited by scumbags claiming they represent charities but who are actually pocketing any money earned.
people feel like theyre being deceived and taken for a ride.

it may be"better than going on a landfill" but woudlnt it be best of the clothes or the money raised from their sale was given to charity as is being claimed?

amiable

Same people have been known to get kids to climb into the legitimate clothes banks to rummage through for clothes.

telepylus

yeh it would be better that the money go to a charity, hence it being better to put em in those clothes banks. There should be greater regulation on said charities to filter out the legitimate ones from the ones that arent. My main point is that people throw their clothes into landfilll because of the potentiality that all of these organizations are scam artists, which I think is a waste and unnecessary pollution. Maybe I'm being naieve, and maybe all of these door to door things are scams. Definitely people should bring their unwanted clothes and stuff to charity shops rather than throwing them out. I just hate people throwing out things unnecessarily...
Anway, just wondering which organizations are defo scammers does anyone know?

martyboy48

telepylus wrote: »

have spoken to people about these before and for the most part many prefer to throw their old clothes in the bin etc rather than someone "profiteering" off them. personally, I reckon its a pretty ****ty way to earn a crust, and if thats what theyre doing with my clothes, its better than going on a landfill. i usually put them in the clothing banks which donate to enable ireland, but have used these supposed charities before too. why are some people so spiteful though that theyd prefer to throw their stuff in the bin instead is beyond me

I remember when this was a subject matter on the Joe Duffy show I think it was, people were saying how they found clothes 'thrown around the place around the corner', where the collectors just rummaged through the bags and took only what the wanted.
And I've heard of similar reports regarding what amiable said about small kids being used to retrieve clothes from the clothing banks in town...
Bring the clothes directly to the charity shop of your choice is what I recomend...

Madame Razz

I hate how these bogus outfits still put those slips thru the letterbox even when you have a 'no junkmail' sign.

amiable

Spagellian wrote: »

I hate how these bogus outfits still put those slips thru the letterbox even when you have a 'no junkmail' sign.

And at 6am before they go to work and before we are up

alwaysadub

We don't leave any clothes outside for collection anymore-even when it's a legit charity. Cos the dodgy collectors go round early in the morning and take all the stuff they want out of them.
Actually, from what i've noticed anyway, a lot of the proper charities don't drop bags in the doors anywhere near as much as they used to cos of this.

telepylus

alwaysadub wrote: »

We don't leave any clothes outside for collection anymore-even when it's a legit charity. Cos the dodgy collectors go round early in the morning and take all the stuff they want out of them.
Actually, from what i've noticed anyway, a lot of the proper charities don't drop bags in the doors anywhere near as much as they used to cos of this.

jesus that's awful!! only left clothes out the once to a legit one, but won't do it again if this is happening. wonder is there no way of policing this kinda crap from happening?!

The Durutti Column

Two reasons you should NOT give to these guys:

1. Real charities are suffering from their activities. Irish charities reported losses of about €20 million last year from people either giving these scammers the clothes or the scammers just stealing real charity bags from front doors.
   So they are just stealing from real charities. Millions!
   
2. It's low level crime, but it's connected to higher level crime. It's lucrative, so it provides a revenue stream to finance other, much worse, criminal activities — drug smuggling, people trafficking, sex slavery, the works.

You don't really want to promote those, do you? Be a good citizen:

1. Call the cops if you see their vans about.
2. If you can, photograph the van and especially its number plate. And the scumbags.
3. Call your Neighbourhood Watch.

biko

Since you brought this thread back, can you link to sources for those claims?
It's not that I don't believe you, it's that without sources it's really just hearsay.

The Durutti Column

biko wrote: »

Since you brought this thread back, can you link to sources for those claims?
It's not that I don't believe you, it's that without sources it's really just hearsay.

Well, the Minister for Justice agrees with me:

Minister for Justice and Equality (Deputy Alan Shatter): I am informed by the Garda authorities that they are aware of the potential involvement of organised crime gangs in the collection and sale of used clothes and that intelligence-led operations are in place to target and disrupt any such activity. Section 6 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud) Offences Act 2001, which provides for the offence of making gain or causing loss by deception, may apply to the type of activity referred to by the Deputy.

http://debates.oireachtas.ie/dail/2011/05/31/00195.asp
http://karlmarcks.blogspot.com/2007/09/and-another-arrives-lithuanian-this.html
http://bit.ly/mSJk9A
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clothing_scam_companies
http://tgr.ph/nmaHXM
http://www.cavalorn.kilu.de/wpress/the-used-clothes-scam
http://bit.ly/qVhVXg
http://bit.ly/oA2gW1
http://ocaoimh.ie/2006/11/13/do-not-delay-how-to-spot-a-fake-charity-flyer/

Should be enough for the moment...

The Durutti Column

Oh, and if anyone wnats to see how lucrative used clothing can be and why two gangs of clothing scam scum started shooting at each other in a truf war in Sandyford a few months back, take a look here: http://www.textilefiberspace.com/a/tx1415.html

You'll need to give an email to get into the actual prices on this used clothing exchange, and I recommend a new gmail just in case, but it is VERY illuminating.