What is the Handbag Amnesty?

What is the Handbag Amnesty?

... it is a great opportunity to set your unused handbags free to be loved by someone else & at the same time you'll be making room for great new beauties! Plus you'll be doing a really nice thing to help Rainbows

Do you love handbags?

Are there neglected treasures sitting unused in your cupboard - making you feel ever so slightly gulity?

We ask ladies to donate handbags (& purses) in good condition, ones they think somebody else will want to buy. These bags are then sold at various events with 100% of what is paid going directly to Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People.

How to donate a bag

How to buy a bag

Want to organise your own Handbag Amnesty for Rainbows?

.....Find out more about Rainbows

If you have a handbag (or purse) in good condition, one you think somebody else will want to buy, we'd love to have it. Donated bags are then sold at various events with 100% of what is paid going directly to Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People.

How to donate a bag

Drop at the Hospice (Lark Rise, Loughborough LE11 2HS) PLEASE make sure you mark your donation "For The Handbag Amnesty"

Take your bag along to one of the Handbag Amnesty events. Click here for details.

Or, if it isn't convenient to get to the Hospice or an event, please contact Yvonne on 01530 224579 ....... info@handbagamnesty.co.uk

PLEASE NOTE - If you want your handbag to be part of the Amnesty please don't take them to the Rainbows Shops as they are currently unable to pass them on.

Want to buy a gorgeous bag?

Donated bags are sold at various events around the region with 100% of what is paid going directly to Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People.

Details of Handbag Amnesty events

Contact Yvonne on 01530 224579 ......info@handbagamnesty.co.uk

OR could you hold your own Handbag Amnesty event for Rainbows? It's really simple & great fun! Click for details

At Home - At Work - At a Venue or Hall

The format is so simple & really flexible

individuals - groups - church organisations - mum's groups - clubs WIs - ladies' circles - golf clubs - companies big or small.....

What you need to do once you decide to go ahead

• Firstly, THANK YOU from all at Rainbows - we appreciate your support
• Secondly please contact us with the date of your event so we can put it in the diary & make sure there are lots of lovely bags available for you. We can also have a chat to work out the best way for you to get the bags.
• You tell us what sort of price range you think your friends will appreciate. Let us know how many bags you'd like - or roughly how many people will be there & we'll work it out.
• We can help with a template for invitations, poster & flyer
• If you feel your event would work best just taking in donated bags & not selling that works too
• We can add the details to the 'Events' list on this website to help publicise your Handbag Amnesty

Basically whatever help or support you feel you need just ask

Handbags + friends + a glass of wine - does it get much better?

Rainbows Handbag Amnesty works just as well as a coffee morning too

In the workplace how about a sale over lunchtime?

contact Yvonne

...01530 224579 ....... info@handbagamnesty.co.uk

If there isn't an event near you

please contact Yvonne

...01530 224579 ....... info@handbagamnesty.co.uk

Osgathorpe village LE12 9SY INFO

St Andrew's Church Hall Dragwell, Kegworth DE74 2EL

St Bartholomew's Church Hall Hinckley Road, Kirby Muxloe LE3 3PE

Stafford Orchard, Station Road, Quorn

Gardeners Lunch for Rainbows with talks by Chelsea Silver Medalists and demonstrations.

Stalls including Rainbows produce and Handbag Amnesty displays.

For tickets please call Caroline Rossin 01522 789578 or Joan Sinclair 01636 702526

Q. Do I have to keep complicated sales records?

 

A. Nothing is complicated about Rainbows Handbag Amnesty, honestly!

Each bag has a small 'luggage' label. On that you'll see there is a code & a price. Sometimes there is also brief additional info such as if it is leather, a well respected brand etc.

As you sell a bag all you have to do is REMOVE THAT LABEL & KEEP IT SAFE.

Those labels are the sales record for your event.

At the end if you add up the prices on those labels it should tally exactly with cash taken less your original float money.

Those labels are also essential for our records. PLEASE SEND THEM ALL TO US AFTER YOUR EVENT as we need them in order to update the master stock list.

 

Q. Does someone have to donate a bag to be able to buy a bag?

A. Not at all! It is always lovely to get bags to add to the stock but funds are raised for Rainbows by selling the bags so all purchases are good news.

 

Q. Will I have to price up bags?

 

A. No! All the bags we supply for your event are already priced up.

 

Q. But what about pricing bags donated at my event?

 

A. The simplest thing is collect together any donations in a separate box or bag, slip in a note saying DONATIONS & just send those back to us with any unsold stock etc.

We'll then get them labelled up & all ready to go to the next event.

New donations ensure the Rainbows Handbag Amnesty stock is always changing!

 

Q. What if someone really wants to buy a newly donated bag?

 

 

A. If you feel confident setting a price then it would be a shame to miss the sale or disappoint a prospective customer!

You could always ask the kind donor roughly how much the bag cost originally & then if you feel confident to judge the condition & age of the bag set a price accordingly.

All we'd ask is you make a note of a brief description of the bag & the price you've sold it for & include that with the other sales tickets you return to us.

 

Q. Any equipment or supplies that I'll need at the event?

 

 

A. Nothing complicated.....

A sign, which we can supply, explaining Rainbows Handbag Amnesty so everyone understands these are all donated bags & 100% goes to Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People.

Cash box or similar

Float - all bags & purses are priced up in full £s so you'll need mainly £1 coins. A few £5 & £10 notes are useful too.

Scissors (to cut the 'luggage' labels off)

Pen & paper

Some carrier bags can be useful.

Q. What if someone wants to pay by cheque?

 

A. Please ask them to make it out to Rainbows Children's Hospice.

 

Q. If a buyer tells me to 'keep the change as a donation to Rainbows' what do I do?

 

A. Simply alter the label for that bag to show the actual price paid.

For example if the price is £8 & the buyer gives £10 just put a line through '£8' on the label & mark it as £10.

That ensures when you add up all the prices on the labels at the end of the event sales will tally with money taken.

 

Q. How are the prices decided?

 

A. The likely original price of each bag, its condition, 'desirability', whether it is leather, if it has any signs of wear etc. are all taken into consideration.

If a bag is 'right on trend' or if it is really unusual - if it is a genuine designer label - all these factors help determine a fair price to charge for it. Sometimes it takes quite a bit of research!

Even if you don't recognise the manufacturer you can usually be pretty sure a bag is a 'good one' by the quality of the trimmings such as zips & clasps.

 

Q. What is the price range?

 

A. Currently we have some bags priced at just £1 & the most expensive is £50.

 

Q. Have all the bags been used?

 

A. Perhaps surprisingly, no! Some are brand new & sometimes still have their original labels still attached - like the designer bag priced at £50!

Usually the explanation is they were bought to go with an outfit & then the lady wore a different one. Sometimes they have been gifts which weren't the recipient's taste. Or maybe just bought on a whim & then remained unused.

Many of the bags donated have only been used once or twice.

 

Q. If we've already had a Handbag Amnesty, or someone else has organised one locally, can we do another one?

 

A. ABSOLUTELY!

Obviously it makes sense to pick the date carefully & we'll be able to advise on that.

But even if another local club or group has held a Rainbows Handbag Amnesty recently if you feel you'll have a different selection of ladies attending your event there is no cross over anyway.

We also hope you'll all enjoy the Handbag Amnesty & want to make it a regular event each year - or more often if you like!

With new donations arriving all the while by the time you are ready for another event there'll be great new ones in stock to tempt you all.

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