Mail order trading


Selling goods through mail order works for charities in a number of ways.

It provides charity supporters with a different way to help the cause – by ordering goods they might have bought anyway from a commercial supplier, by buying charity specific items like Christmas cards that spread the message as well, or by purchasing goods sourced by the charity from their own projects or initiatives. Often a donation will also be given on top of the cost of the purchase.

Some charities run their catalogue trading themselves, sourcing and buying the goods and promoting their catalogue amongst supporters and potential new supporters.

However, this is risky and can be unprofitable, so many use third party agencies to carry out some or all of the tasks involved. That is why some of the charity catalogues you see will feature many of the same items, plus a small range that are unique, and is also the reason why many charities work together at Christmas time, producing joint catalogues and supporting charity Christmas card shops.

Catalogue trading is an important income stream for some charities, but, as with all retail, the profit made on the goods sold is often not great.

Producing and promoting a catalogue is a major cost. Most trading makes money for charities but the amounts raised often differ widely from one year to the next. Some charities are now using the Internet for their trading operations as it is more cost-effective for them than the mail.

  • If you have a complaint about an item you have seen advertised in a charity trading catalogue or about the service you have received, you should first contact the charity concerned.
  • If you want to take a complaint about the content of a trading catalogue further you should contact the Advertising Standards Authority.
  • Complaints about misleading claims on products or packaging should be reported to your local trading standards department.