Best Charity Shops in London

Hunt out the best second hand designer clothes, discover amazing vintage treasures, and quality fashion labels at low prices in some of the best thrift stores in London.

By Jayne Lambert | Updated Aug 1 2023

A long row of clothing on hangers is displayed in a bright, well-lit store or closet. The hangers, all white, hold garments in various colors and patterns. The background shows a spacious area with white walls and ceiling lights.

Here’s the scoop on pre-loved shopping heaven, where you can pick up eco-friendly fashion finds, ethical clothing and even second hand wedding dresses, without the price tags of typical vintage boutiques. From the desirable second hand stores in West Hampstead through to the eccentric second hand stores of South London’s Brixton, we highlight some of the best London stores for picking up pre-loved clothes and best sustainable fashion finds.

Best Charity Shop North London

All Aboard

For some of the best second hand fashion picks and vintage fashion finds, perhaps the best charity shop in North London is All Aboard in West Hampstead. A far cry from the carefully curated Chelsea boutiques, All Aboard demands that you rummage, and with plenty on offer you've got more chance of stumbling across something amazing.

North London is the perfect destination for a good thrift store rummage, with several dotted along Holloway Road, with a variable but cheap-as-chips selection including Scope, Sense and the British Heart Foundation

All Aboard - 224 West End Lane, Hampstead & West Hampstead, London, NW6 1UU

Best Second Hand Book Stores

Oxfam Bookshop

A cozy bookstore with shelves filled with books of various genres. The space is well-lit with track lighting, and there's a mix of contemporary and vintage books. Signage for different sections is visible, and a Wanted: Books and People sign is prominently displayed. — thisisalfred.com/community/how-brexit-is-affecting-shaftesburys-oxfam-bookshop/

Expect to find vintage clothing, second hand designer clothes and well kept books from some of the borough’s posher inhabitants in Highgate’s thrift stores.

Highgate is home to a scattering of great charity shops including RSPCA and Mind just outside Highgate Tube station, with Oxfam Bookshop and Cancer Research close by on the High Street.

Highgate’s Oxfam Bookshop offers a wide selection of second hand books from modern fiction or leisure through to more specialist subjects and rare or collectable books.

Finally, venture over to Crouch End where Oxfam Books & Music has an excellent choice in books, music and old classic DVDs.

Oxfam Bookshop - 47 Highate High Street, Highate, London, N6 5JX

Oxfam Books & Music - 22 Park Road, Crouch End, London, N8 8TD

Thrift Stores

Thrift Stores : Brixton & Clapham

Storefront of a TRAID (Textile Reuse and International Development) shop at night, featuring a brightly lit interior showcasing clothing items. The store entrance is flanked by two mannequins and decorative elements. Traffic lights are visible outside. — traid.org.uk/shop-at-traid/

They say South is the new East and East is the new North and so on, and South London offers up just as many eccentric oddities as its Eastern counterparts.

Most significant is thrift store TRAID Brixton, selling a variety of vintage fashion and high-street cast offs. Over in Clapham, charity shop Save the Children stocks a large selection of men and women’s pre-loved clothing, second hand fancy dress costumes and outlandish second hand party outfits.

TRAID Brixton - 2 Acre Lane, London, SW2 5S

Thrift Stores : Battersea & Streatham

Storefront display featuring two mannequins in casual outfits, one in a dress with a scarf, the other in a shirt and jeans. Various clothing items and accessories are arranged inside, with donation signs and a Be Great. DONATE message visible. — faracharity.org/shop/battersea/

If you are looking for high-end, pre-loved clothing or you simply just care about sustainable fashion, FARA in Battersea is the store for you. Thrift store ‘Fara’ is full of carefully curated second hand clothes donations and an extensive selection of pre-loved books, bric-a-brac and old school VHS’s all under one welcoming roof.

For a dedicated few hours of second hand shopping bliss, Streatham High Street is the ideal South London shopping destination for buying used clothes. Here you’ll stumble across Shelter, Trinity Hospice, Cancer Research, and plenty of other thrift store bargain hunters to compete with.

FARA Battersea - 254 Battersea Pk Rd - London - SW11 3BP

Thrift Stores: Central London

A close-up of multiple racks filled with colorful clothing items on hangers in a store. The perspective is from the middle, looking down the rows of clothes. The background shows a brightly lit space with partial visibility of signs and shelves. — time.com/5364170/thrift-store-history/

If you are willing to hop from bus to bus there are some great charity shops in central London. Cancer Research UK in Marylebone is awash with ludicrously good-value second hand designer clothes and is known as the mother of all London charity shops.

Tucked away on a side street near Oxford Circus, the Salvation Army charity shop is a true hidden thrift store gem just a few steps away from Regent Street and Oxford Street’s luxury thoroughfare.

Thrift Stores: Pimlico

Over in Pimlico is Retromania, perhaps more of an affordable vintage clothing boutique than a charity shop, and an immersive dressing up box of pre loved fashion finds.

Retromaina London - 6 Upper Tachbrook St, Pimlico, London SW1V 1SH

Thrift Stores: East London

Front view of a shop named Lama's Pyjamas, a charity shop for the London Buddhist Centre. The storefront features colorful signage with a small Buddha figure, glass windows, and a door displaying an Open sign. Adjacent building walls are visible. — youtube.com/watch?v=4r22JSgGQm0

East London’s trendy reputation and eccentrically dressed inhabitants mean that the charity shops in the area are littered with cool finds.

Vinyl enthusiasts should pay a trip to thrift store Oxfam in fashionable Dalston where stacks of £1 vinyls range from 80’s power ballads to today’s new releases.

Second hand books and quirky pre-loved clothes also fill the shelves and rails. If you are into your retro and nostalgic treasures, Past Caring, with its junk shop vibe and miss mash of pre-loved fashion items on Essex Road is a must visit.

Between Hackney Central and Bethnal Green you’ll find an assortment of charity shops on Well Street that are famed in the local community, including Scope and Hackney Paragon Trust, stuffed full with the valuable glad rags of Hackney’s coolest inhabitants.

Over in Bethnal Green, pop into Llama’s Pyjamas, the charity shop for the London Buddhist Centre. The kooky name gives you an indication of the sort of things you’ll discover in there, from bowler hats and stone Buddhas through to children’s toys.

Past Caring - 54 Essex Rd, London N1 8LR

Llama’s Pyjamas - 83 Roman Road London E2 0QN

Thrift Stores: West London

A thrift store interior featuring racks of clothing and a central display of various shoes, including high heels and sandals. A wall quote reads, This is your London and this is your shop. The store is well-lit and organized, with plants decorating the space. — octaviafoundation.org.uk/charity_shops

If you are looking for high end second hand clothes and pre-loved designer clothes the charity shops on Chelsea’s famous high street ‘King’s Road’ won’t disappoint. In West London you’ll find the streets are paved with gold and the riches of the Sloaney population on full display throughout the charity shops on Chelsea’s King’s Road.

Kensington High Street is also famed for its concentration of second hand stores, including an Aladdin’s Cave of treasures in the two Octavia Foundations and an Oxfam stacked to the rafters with books.

Putney High Street is another hub for second hand shopping. You’re spoilt for choice for thrift stores in West London with Trinity Hospice, Oxfam, Cancer Research and British Heart Foundation lining the street, ideal for an entire afternoon of second hand bargain hunting.