Send donations to Shelter shops for free
Drop off your pre-loved items at any Collect+ drop-off point.
As part of HSBC UK's partnership with Shelter, they're proudly sponsoring the sort and send service. Post your preloved items to Shelter shops from your nearest applicable drop-off point.
How to send your donations to Shelter
1. Find your nearest Collect+ drop-off point
There are thousands of conveniently located drop-off points across the country. Most of them are in local convenience stores, so you won’t need to go to a post office.
2. Pack up your donations
Each parcel can weigh up to 10kg and measure up to 60cm by 50cm by 50cm.
3. Generate a Freepost label
You can either show the label barcode to a member of staff at the drop-off point or print the label off at home. Please add Gift Aid at this point if you’re a UK taxpayer. There’s no cost for you and we can claim an extra 25p for every £1 raised through sales of your donated items.
4. Take your package to a drop-off point
Hand over your package and show your collection barcode. That’s it!
Once we receive your items, we'll sort and sell them online or in our high street shops.
What can I donate to Shelter?
We would love to accept any of your preloved goods in excellent condition.
We're especially in need of:
- Any clothing and footwear in a resalable condition
- Premium quality branded or designer clothes and shoes new or preloved
- Items of handmade clothing in good resalable condition
- Any genre of books
- Jewellery either modern or vintage
- Accessories including bags sunglasses belts and hats
- Vinyl and laserdisc in working condition
We can't accept:
- CDs
- DVDs
- Used bedding and blankets
- Underwear without its new tags
- Swimwear without new tags and hygiene strip
- Used towels or damaged items
All clothing donations must be in excellent condition so they can be resold in our charity shops and online. This enables us to raise vital funds for those who need help from Shelter.
For any furniture donations, we have many Shelter furniture shops that offer a free collection service. Use our house clearance service to find more information and how to submit a furniture collection form.
Sort and Send FAQs
Why are you asking for 'designer' or 'high-quality' clothing?
The better or more desirable the item, the more money we can raise to support our work fighting the causes of homelessness. Then, the more people we can help!
Why can’t you give my items directly to people suffering from homelessness, or living on the streets?
We can help the greatest number of people in the long run by tackling the underlying causes of homelessness, and driving long-term change. We raise money by reselling items to fund our work, and at the same time our customers can buy a great item at a bargain price.
What size can my package be?
The maximum size we can accept is 60 x 50 x 50 centimetres, and no more than 10 kilograms in weight. The drop-off points will reject your parcel if it is bigger than this, so please split your parcel into smaller ones if necessary and print off additional labels.
Can I send more than one parcel?
Yes! Just download the number of labels you need. Each parcel needs a unique label.
Do the labels expire after a certain amount of time?
You can use your postage labels for up to 28 days after generating them.
Can I post from anywhere in the UK, including Scotland and Wales?
Yes. This is a UK-wide scheme. There are nearly 8,000 Collect+ drop-off points across the country, and these are being added to all the time.
Do you have a collection service? I have some furniture to donate
We have a furniture collection service that operates from our furniture stores only. Please see our shop finder for more details.
I've got a lot of items to donate and my parcel is bigger than the maximum
Our maximum size for parcels is 60 x 50 x 50 centimetres, and under 10 kilograms in weight.
If your parcel is bigger than that, please split your donation into smaller packages and print off multiple labels. It won't cost you anything.
Unfortunately, oversize parcels won't reach us and will be rejected at the point of drop-off.
Can I drop off my Sort and Send parcel in my local Shelter shop?
No. If you use the sort and send label, parcels need to be dropped off at a Collect+ drop off point. Find your nearest Collect+ drop off point here.
However, you are welcome to drop off other donations as normal at your local Shelter shop. Find your nearest Shelter shop here.
Is there anything you can't accept?
Yes, please don’t send us:
- broken, dirty or damaged items
- CDs or DVDs
- bedlinen, duvets, pillows
- knives of any sort
- opened cosmetics, toiletries
- adult or explicit material
This is not an exhaustive list. Please only donate items that are in good condition for resale.
Sort and Send is sponsored by HSBC UK
HSBC UK is sponsoring our sort and send service to facilitate this easy way to donate by post.
Shelter and HSBC UK are working in partnership to help people and families across the UK build financial resilience – support that can help make a difference when the unexpected happens.