Pricing charity shop donations, without guessing
A bag of donated games, DVDs and CDs is mostly worth pence, with the odd item worth far more. Pricesweep shows what CEX pays and charges for each one, so you can find the valuable few in minutes rather than looking each one up.
Barcode lookups are free and unlimited. No signup to try it.
Why CEX prices
CEX buys and sells second-hand games, films, music and tech on most high streets, and its prices are public. That makes it a fair guide to what second-hand media actually sells for, rather than what it cost new or what someone hopes it's worth. Every price Pricesweep shows comes from CEX, and nowhere else.
How to price a bag of donations
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Sort the bag
Pull out the games, DVDs, Blu-rays, CDs and books. Clothes and bric-a-brac aren't on CEX, so leave them for your usual pricing.
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Photograph them together
Lay the items out, fronts or spines up, and take one photo. Pricesweep identifies each item in the picture and looks it up.
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Scan anything it missed
For anything the photo didn't pick up, scan the barcode on the back. Barcode lookups are free and unlimited.
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Pull out the valuable few
Most items will come back at pence, which confirms your usual price. The few worth more deserve a higher price, a place in the window, or a second look from whoever does your online sales.
Reading the prices
| Figure | What it tells a shop |
|---|---|
| CEX sell price | What the same item costs second-hand on the high street. A sensible ceiling for your shelf price. |
| CEX cash | What CEX would pay for it. A high cash price means real demand; a few pence means it's common. |
| CEX voucher | CEX's store-credit offer, usually around 40% more than cash. Less useful to a shop, but shown for completeness. |
What you charge is your shop's call. Pricesweep doesn't set a price for you; it shows what the item is going for, so the decision is quick and consistent whoever is on the sorting table that day.
Two honest limits. Pricesweep only knows what CEX lists, so anything outside CEX's range comes back as "not on CEX" rather than a guess. And a barcode identifies a product, not its condition: a scratched disc or a phone with a tired battery is worth less than the price shown.
A lot of stock at once
If your shop logs donations in a spreadsheet, the bulk CEX price check takes the barcodes straight from the file and prices the lot at once. For a single item on the counter, the barcode scanner is quickest.
Questions
Why use CEX prices for charity shop stock?
CEX buys and sells second-hand games, films, music and tech on most high streets, and its prices are public. That makes it a fair, quick guide to what second-hand media is actually selling for, rather than what it cost new.
Which price should we put on the shelf?
That is your shop's call. The CEX sell price is what the same item costs second-hand on the high street, so it works as a ceiling. The cash price is what CEX would pay for it, so it tells you how much demand there is. If both are a few pence, your standard price is fine.
Does Pricesweep check other sites as well?
No. Every price comes from CEX. If CEX doesn't list an item, Pricesweep says "not on CEX" rather than guessing a number.
Does it work for clothes, books and bric-a-brac?
It works for what CEX trades in: games and consoles, DVDs and Blu-rays, CDs and vinyl, some books, and phones and other tech. Clothes, homeware and most bric-a-brac aren't on CEX, so they come back as not found.
Do volunteers need an account?
No signup is needed to try it. Barcode lookups are free and unlimited. A free account adds 10 photo scans a month, and paid plans cover shops that photograph a lot of stock.
Is there an app to install on the shop phone?
No. Pricesweep runs in the phone's web browser, so any volunteer can open it on their own phone. On iPhone you can add it to the home screen from the Share menu.
Try it on today's bag
Take one photo of the donated media and see which items are worth a second look.