Like nearly all charity shops, Scope offers your usual selection of second-hand clothes, books, CDs…read moreand knick knacks. Scope stands alone among Churchill Way's solicitors' offices, night clubs, and beauty therapy salons; you normally find clusters of charity shops in the Cathays/Roath sections of the city, or by the street leading to Cardiff Central Railway Station, so Scope is a welcomed good-conscious shopping retreat in the Queen Street area. It's worth mentioning that this particular location is one of most tidy charity shops around and a pleasure to browse through. The shop assistants are always lovely and up for a chat. As it's located right next door to my occasional hairdressers Toni & Guy, Scope is one of my favourite spots to spend a few minutes browsing before I get my locks chopped.

Psst... Pssssst... Would you like to know a secret?…read more This is one of the best charity shops in Cardiff. Which charity shop is the best in a given city is a pretty nebulous thing to try and gauge; given the nature of the business, their stock and the quality of the goods changes all the time. There are rarely any consistent staff members and there is no guarantee you'll ever get what you've been looking for. However, thanks to the location, this one is one of the better ones. It has the advantage of being where no one expects it to be, and because of this the people who already know about it, know about it and the people who don't are unlikely to amble in by accident. It actually has a rather regular customer base for its location; I've been in there a few times and seen the same people again and again, and I think this is due to consistency. Whereas the shops in Roath and Cathays are a constant bustle of activity, with people hunting out the best deals all the time, this Scope is a more relaxed affair, where you have more chance of actually getting something worth getting.

This is a great shop to have a rummage through, and you're likely to find something incredible…read moreevery time. Because this is vintage clothing, you often have to spend quite some time in this shop to find what you're looking for. This is sometime a bit frustrating when you've found something that you love, only to realise that they don't have it in your size. This isn't a high street store where they have everything neatly lined up and labelled; you have to really work at shopping in this store! And, of course, the staff have to be very helpful because of this. And they are. If they've spent 20 minutes searching with you for something, you feel terribly guilty if you then turn around and say you might give it a miss. The only issue with this place are the the high prices, as have been mentioned time and again by the frustrated shopper of Cardiff and the lovely other yelpers.

Probably Cardiff's best city centre retro / vintage store, Hobo's is a vibrant little shop that…read morecrams a lot into its tiny and rather cramped space. The shop mainly sells clothing and accessories spanning the decades since the 60s, although in the window display you'll also some odd gifts and novelties such as greetings cards, purses and even bathtime rubber ducks with bizarre designs - including one with a Rubik's cube theme. From second hand jeans, old leather jackets, and retro t-shirts to brightly patterned summer skirts and dresses, they have a really good clothing range and seem to update and add to their stock fairly frequently. You can also pick up retro style sunglasses, old belts, hats and other accessories. As is the case with most vintage stores, the prices aren't cheap - but for those of your who are students, Hobo's offers a helpful 10% discount.

One of the largest charity shops in town thanks to its expansive corner layout on the corner of…read moreCowbridge Road East and Clive Road in Canton. If you're on the hunt for that special item of clothing, you're better off going to smaller haunts down the road, as this Salvation Army's main draw is house wares and accessories. The shoe selection here is superior to its clothing offering, with each pair nearly as tidy as you'd expect in a high street store. I normally stop by if I've got a hankering for a one-of-a-kind accessory for my wardrobe, home, or listening pleasure - think hats and framed pictures, as well as other essentials like books and CDs (and cassettes if you're interested). You can even score a small piece of furniture if you're fortunate. It's a pleasure to browse this shop, as the ladies manning the till are cheerful and always up for a bit of friendly conversation.

Great for vintage furniture and decor, a small collection of vintage clothes too. Love itread more

If you read my reviews, you'll know, I'm something of a connoisseur of charity shops…read more So then, you'll also know, I'm really good at deciding on what a charity shop does best. This place is, in my opinion of course, the one for home wear, gift items and general bits and bobs. Clothes wise, it isn't very strong but for some reason it has a good range of old fashioned hats and bags, Vintage hunters take note.

This is one of the best charity shops on the city! It's great! It's like a jumble sale, but with…read morethings you would actually want. On the summer days, like today, they put boxes and racks of stock outside the front of the shop; making it feel like a garage sale. I challenge anyone to walk past on a day like today and not be forced to stop and have a look at the piles of stuff. It's a large charity shop as far as they go, with a huge variety of bits & pieces, like cameras and electronic goods to clothes, furniture and books. I already found a great old cannon camera I'm thinking about going back for tomorrow. The staff I met were all very young and will help you look for things that you can't find on the shop floor. They will also go and check the mountains of donations in the back room for you as well.

This particular charity shop intrigued me on my first ever walk down Cotham Hill and still draws me…read moreinside no matter how many times I walk past determined not to go in...again! The shop has the most colourful display window I have ever seen and a mountain of cuddly toys at the front of the shop ensures that mothers will be dragged in by their children. Most charity shops have racks of clothes to browse but this charity shop makes the whole process so much easier. The shop is divided into colours -an orange rack, a green rack, a yellow rack etc. Shirts, trousers, skirts and dresses of the same colour are held together which is extremely useful, especially if looking for a particular colour for fancy dress or for a top to match your new shoes. I definitely recommend this brilliant rainbow shop!

Penarth is the obvious choice for charity shop bargain hunters because there are so many in a small…read moreconcentrated area. They each have their specialties and I pride myself on being able to sniff out just what each one is famed for. There isn't a huge selection of books unlike the almighty oxfam a few door up the road but there is a huge choice of clothes and retro kitsch bric a brack items.

Cancer Research is a clean and tidy charity shop in Penarth selling the usual ranges of books,…read morebric-a-brac and clothing. It's one of the more well-presented shops I've been to, boasting a wide selection of both new and second hand items. The front window features the newly-added Breast Cancer range, with pink dominating the display: toys, slippers, jewellery, bags, with all proceeds benefitting the afore-mentioned charity. There's not much in the way of bric-a-brac, but clothes horses will be more than pleased with the amount of garments on offer. Books, framed pictures and shoes also have equal billing here. Yikes, even the Christmas cards are out, which is a fast-approaching holiday I'm just not ready for yet. Sadly, there were no 12-inch records for sale, but there's plenty here to keep my bargain-hunting spirit lifted.

This is, by far, the best charity shop i've ever visited…read more Shua is a charity based in the Vale of Glamorgan that specializes in emergency cat rescue and re-homing. As a huge cat lover, I'd probably rate this place highly purely on that basis but it just so happens it's fantastic too. Inside is clean, open, bright and well organized, which gives it the feeling of a little boutique shop and not a cluttered old charity shop. There's a huge selection of books, clothing and bric a brac all of which are of high quality and in great condition. I could spend hours there, plus, the volunteers are just so lovely and friendly. If you lose a cat in the area, it's worth dropping in with a poster as they will put it up in the shop window.

I visited Shua and was extremely impressed. What a lovely,…read morewell stocked shop. Best cat charity shop around. Make sure you take plenty of cash. Sharon.

It's really good to see a Barnardo's shop on Albany Road, as there somehow seems to be less of them…read moreabout these days. It must also be a choice location for the charity, as it's situated in the right area in terms of demographics, and there's really not too much competition about either. I can only think of one other charity shop in the immediate vicinity; Scope, which will mean that the revenue that they are able to generate here should be above average. Barnardo's is the UK's leading children's charity. They do a phanominal amount of good where it is most needed. Currently they are assisting "over 132,000 children, young people and their families in urban and rural communities every year, enabling the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children to overcome issues such as poverty, abuse, homelessness, bereavement, discrimination and disability". Barnardo's ethos is simple and far reaching. They believe that everyone deserves a chance in life, and their key objective is to provide those, who would effectively fall through the net without some kind of support, with opportunities for self-betterment and inclusion. They state that "all children and young people have the right to be part of communities, groups and activities which improve their lives giving them a better start in life". Projects are based in both urban and rural communities, working alongside local people and groups to regenerate poor areas, reduce crime and create safer, healthier communities for children and their families.

Albany road is the scene for charity shops there everywhere, if you plan charity shopping it could…read moretake you the whole day to get through all of them but don't miss out Barnardo's or Ty Hafan both being childrens charities and having matching colour schemes. The shop has all the random items you'd expect and some items you wouldn't of imagined, needless to say clothing are a major part of the stock with other bits and bobs laying around. I always advise scouting for books as I'm a real booky kind of guy, so this place offers the chance to get a bargain and controbute to a cause, I very much believe in they're ethos.