Donation Guidelines
Please help us by only donating items we can safely and legally sell. Unfortunately, we incur costs to dispose of unsellable items.
Items that we legally cannot sell or can only sell under certain conditions
Please do not donate these items as unfortunately we will then have to dispose of them:
- Children's car seats.
- Children's outer coats (below 44cm chest) with drawstring hoods (or specific cord lengths).
- Children's nightwear unless clearly marked 'flame resistant material' and 'keep away from fire'.
- Crash helmets, cycle helmets, protective headgear or riding hats.
- Firearms, including realistic imitations.
- Fireworks.
- Furniture and furnishings that do not meet fire resistance standards (check for fire test label). Includes sofas, mattresses, pillows, etc.
- Heaters, gas or paraffin.
- Medicines or medication.
- Merchandise produced and branded by other charities (e.g., pin badges, T-shirts).
- Electric blankets.
- Spectacles with prescription lenses.
- Prams and pushchairs not conforming to BS 7409 or BS EN 1888:2003.
- Furniture with glass that isn't marked as toughened safety glass.
- Toys (including homemade) without the CE mark.
- Weapons, including knives that could be offensive weapons.
- Wines and spirits.
- Human foodstuffs that are unpackaged.
- Home recorded DVDs, videos, CDs, tapes with copyright material.
- Entertainment DVDs/videos without BBFC logo or R18 rating.
- Media (DVDs, tapes, disks) that may contain sensitive material.
- Counterfeit or fake goods.
Other items that must meet certain conditions
Please ensure items meet these conditions before donating:
- Bicycles must have relevant BS number and be roadworthy.
- Pierced earrings must be new and packaged.
- Toys must bear relevant CE mark or BS safety number and be inspected. Well-known genuine makes are often acceptable if packaging is missing.
- Fancy dress costumes must have a CE mark.
- Skates, Roller Blades, Cycles, Skateboards must carry the warning 'To be worn with protective equipment'.
- Computer Games must be in original packaging showing age classification.
- Candles only if new, unused, and contain a safety warning.
Home-made toys
All toys must comply with the Toy (Safety) Regulations 1995. Contact your local Trading Standards Office for guidance.
Items we cannot sell because we love animals
Please do not donate these items:
- Shells, coral, crabs, sea urchins, starfish, seahorses (or items made from them).
- Food products from farm animals not RSPCA Assured, free-range, or organic.
- Products depicting or trivialising activities the Society opposes (hunting, fighting, trapping, certain animal keeping practices).
- Traps or wildlife control products (e.g., glue traps).
- Clothing/accessories using unethical animal products: Real fur, Exotic skins (crocodile, snake, etc.), Ivory, Feathers/down (unless ethically sourced verification possible, usually not), Taxidermy, Angora.
- Products with significant negative environmental impact (e.g., pearl farming, shellac, palm oil - unless certified sustainable).
- Cosmetics/household products not Leaping Bunny certified.
- Animal accommodation not meeting RSPCA standards.
- Aversive training equipment (choke chains, prong/electric/spray collars, pet correctors).
- Elastic cat collars without quick-release buckle.
- Muesli-style food for rabbits/guinea pigs.
- Dog training materials promoting aversive/dominance theory (e.g., Cesar Millan).
- Pet fancy dress costumes.
- Muzzles other than Baskerville type.
- Jerky treats originating from China.
- Nesting materials for small animals that separate into thin strands (e.g., cotton wool).
- 'Reindeer food' with artificial/plastic contents.
- Sky lanterns (Chinese lanterns).
Cornwall Branch