The Trade Loft Enquire
The sorting floor at Bumpers Farm

Built on relationships.

We partner with charities, clearance contacts and suppliers to turn pre-loved and surplus clothing into consistent, well-managed value — sorted by hand and routed responsibly, every time.

The Trade Loft — est. 2025

Four things a trustee can hold us to

1

Same day, every time

Charity routes run Monday to Thursday. If a van is going to be late we ring the shop manager before opening, not after.

2

Paid per bag, no scales

One agreed rate per standard bag of clothing. Nothing is weighed in, so nothing is renegotiated at the back door.

3

Opened by our own team

Every bag is emptied and graded on the tables at Bumpers Farm. Nothing leaves the unit unseen or in the bag it arrived in.

4

Three routes, all named

Ask where last month's bags went and you get an answer by route. The three routes are set out below; there is no fourth.

Where the stock goes

The question every retail manager asks in the first meeting. Here it is before the meeting. Three destinations, and we'll tell you which one a given month's collection took.

Sorting and grading clothing by hand at the table
Stage 1

Collected

Bagged rag from charity shops, pallets of returns and end-of-line from retailers, and whole lots from house clearances — picked up on the agreed day and driven to Chippenham the same day.

Stage 2

Sorted and graded by hand

Bags are opened on the tables at Bumpers Farm. Each item is checked for wear, damage and label, and graded into one of three piles. This is the step that decides everything after it, and it's done by people, not a conveyor.

Stage 3

One of three destinations

Independent resellers

Best-grade pieces go to a vetted group of small resale businesses in the South West who buy from us on a repeat basis.

Trade buyers, by the lot

Wearable mid-grade stock is baled and sold in bulk to trade buyers we have dealt with before. Turnaround is inside a fortnight.

Textile recycling

Damaged, stained or unwearable items go to a licensed UK textile recycler for fibre recovery. Nothing goes to landfill from the unit.

The same bag is worth something different to each of you

Charity shops

Roughly a third of donated clothing never sells on a charity shop floor. Bagged and collected on a fixed day, that stock becomes a per-bag payment on a monthly statement instead of a stockroom problem — with no shop volunteer having to weigh, grade or argue.

Bagged donations in a charity shop back room
Palletised customer returns in a stockroom

Retailers and brands

Customer returns, end-of-season and overstock are written down to nil and sit in a mezzanine. We buy them as a lot, collect in a single visit with our own van, and the write-off comes back as a line of recovered value.

Clearance suppliers

House clearance firms and auction houses in Bath, Swindon and Chippenham need a buyer who takes the whole textile lot, not the best rail — and who is still answering the phone next quarter. We buy on repeat, not one-off.

Loading the van at a house clearance
Tell Us What You're Holding Call 01249 599087

The charity arrangement, in one sentence

We collect bagged clothing from your shops Monday to Thursday, pay an agreed rate per bag with nothing weighed, and send a statement of bags and routes each month.

That is the arrangement our existing charity routes run on. It is the same one we offer any charity retail team in Wiltshire, Somerset or south Gloucestershire.

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Bagged clothing ready for collection
What we collectBagged clothing, shoes and accessories that have come off the shop floor. Not bric-a-brac, books or furniture.
How it's paidPer standard bag, at a rate fixed in writing before the first collection. Paid monthly by bank transfer against a statement.
WhenMonday to Thursday, to a route your shop managers have in advance. Extra pick-ups by arrangement after a busy weekend.
Where it goesOne of the three routes above. Ask and we'll tell you by month.
PaperworkWaste carrier registration and public liability certificate supplied with the first invoice, or before, on request.

Retail and supplier stock

A price for the lot, agreed on photos and a count before we come. One visit with our own van. Paid on collection or on 14-day terms, whichever your finance team prefers.

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Customer returns

Opened, tried-on or tag-less garments that can't go back on the shelf at full price. Mixed sizes and seasons are fine.

End of season

Last season's lines after the sale has run its course. Taken by the pallet or the cage.

Clearance lots

Whole textile lots from house clearances and estate sales. We take everything, including what won't sell.

Standing supply

A monthly or fortnightly pick-up for businesses whose returns build up on a cycle, at a rate agreed for the year.

Tell us what you're holding.

How many bags or pallets, how often, and where. We reply within two working days with a rate, a collection day, and the name of someone who already works with us that you can ring.

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