I love to get my hands on a bargain as much as anyone, and I also try to shop sustainably wherever possible. That’s why I jumped at the chance to visit Amazon’s first-ever second-hand store, launched with UK children’s charity Barnardo's.
Located at The Brunswick Centre in Central London, the Second Chance Store stocks a wide variety of high-quality returned and refurbished products, ranging from home essentials to second-hand gifts.
The store, open until 12 December, is the latest in Amazon’s long-standing commitment to repairing and reselling pre-loved items, which you can also find online all year-round at Amazon Second Chance.
With savings of up to 50% off recommended retail prices, the Second Chance Store is the perfect place to tick off the last few items on your Christmas shopping list — or treat yourself to a great deal.
If you’re hoping to take a more sustainable approach to gift-giving this year, you can shop at the Second Chance Store with a good conscience, knowing your purchase is contributing towards the circular economy by giving second-hand items a new home.
Better still, each purchase will support a brilliant cause, as Amazon is donating all the products to the store with proceeds from each sale going to the children’s charity Barnardo’s.
As I entered the store, I immediately noticed the impressive range of Christmas deals on offer for sustainable shoppers. From beauty brands like Remington and kitchen essentials like Nutribullet, to a host of different toys and electronics, there’s something for every need and budget.
You’ll see the store split into sections based on product type, so it’s easy to find whatever you’re looking for.
But before I started my hunt for a second-hand deal, I stopped to chat with Kerry Bannerman, who works in Barnardo’s Gifts in Kind department.
Barnardo’s supports children, young people, parents, and carers across the UK. Amazon has been partnering with Barnardo’s since 2019, providing millions of donated products and launching the ground-breaking JOBS Project (Journey of Becoming Successful), which has supported 65 young people since 2021.
“The Amazon partnership is massive for Barnardo’s,” Kerry said. “We’ve been working together for almost five years now, and it’s amazing to know the first-ever Second Chance Store will help us give vital support to young people.”
As well as selling second-hand items, on the day I visited, I was able to speak to experts at the in-store Repairs Zone, who were visiting the store to hold free repairs workshops. These fun demonstrations, which included laptop and gaming console repairs, were courtesy of GXO ServiceTech, a long-standing repairs partner of Amazon. Their team refurbishes many of the items you can find in-store, as well as those sold all year-round online.
“Products returned to us are repaired, refurbished, and sold again,” said GXO engineer Paul Owens. “We’ve been working with Amazon for 18 years, and it’s great to be able to support their work with Barnardo’s.”
Afterwards, it was time for the main event: shopping.
With so many big brands — including Nintendo, Oral-B and Polaroid — available at unmissable prices, I was spoilt for choice. Eventually, I decided to buy an Apple AirTag for £25 — more than a 25% discount on its recommended retail price.
Not only was I thrilled to get a great deal on a product I’ve had my eye on, but there was the added feel-good factor of knowing I was shopping sustainably and supporting a fantastic charity.
If you can’t make it to the Second Chance Store in The Brunswick Centre before it closes, you don’t have to miss out on shopping sustainable gifts for less with Amazon. Amazon Second Chance is the evergreen online site to shop for the best second-hand content, recycle and trade in Amazon products to get money back, and find out more about repairs.
