How to Use Item Hunter & My Interests

Earlier this month, BuyCharity launched two new features for our customers; Item Hunter and My Interests. Both of these features are now freely available for registered customers to use, making it even easier to find what you want and support charities at the same time!

How to Use: Item Hunter

Item Hunter is a brand-new feature, only available on BuyCharity, which allows you to submit requests for specific items you'd like to buy. Looking for a vintage tea set, perhaps, or a certain size jacket? Simply submit an Item Hunter request and it will be sent out to all of the charity shops who sell on BuyCharity. They can then check their shelves and stock rooms for matching items which they may not have listed on BuyCharity – and to keep an eye out in future should such an item be donated.

To use Item Hunter, you must first register for a free account on BuyCharity. Once you've done so, you should see the option to fill out an Item Hunter request on your account Dashboard. Simple type in a name and a brief description, and attach an image if you wish, then send it off!

If one of our partner charities finds an item matching your request, they will list it on BuyCharity, and you will receive an email to let you know. For three days, only you will be able to see and purchase that item, giving you ample time to decide whether it is or isn't what you’re looking for. After three days, the product becomes visible to everybody else on BuyCharity.

How to Use: My Interests

My Interests is another new feature which is only available to registered customers on BuyCharity. Once you have created a free account, head to your Dashboard, and you should see a heading for My Interests. In this section, you can type in any keywords for products which you’re interested in; “teapot,” “necklace,” "wedding dress," etc.

Whenever a new product is listed on BuyCharity containing one of your keywords, you’ll receive an email notification to let you know! What keywords you choose is entirely up to you. Bear in mind that overly-long keywords might be too specific to get a match, however, while very simple keywords might get very frequent matches. You can alter or remove keywords from My Interests whenever you wish.