# old coat - donate even though zipper no worky?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-coat-donate-even-though-zipper-no-worky/611262
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [January 31, 2012, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-coat-donate-even-though-zipper-no-worky/611262 "2012-01-31T03:01:55Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2012, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-coat-donate-even-though-zipper-no-worky/611262/1 "2012-01-31T03:01:55Z")
I finally got around to replacing my nearly-decade old winter coat. I live in Texas and am naturally fastidious and careful so it’s not really worn, torn, or stained in any way. The only thing really wrong with it - other than the fact that I’ve had it for-fucking-ever and am tired of it - is the bad zipper. For the last couple of years I’ve had to either keep it unzipped, or step in and out of it … each time swearing that _this year_ I’ll finally replace it.
Got around to keeping my word. Now, what do I do with the old one? I have neither the time, sewing skills, or quite frankly inclination to replace the zipper myself. Am I an ass for donating it and making someone else do the chose, or am I a bigger ass if I {do something else with it\*} and thereby deprive some poor cold orphaned child a donation.
- If not donate it - what else could I do with it?
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### Author:  [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2012, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-coat-donate-even-though-zipper-no-worky/611262/2 "2012-01-31T03:05:29Z")
If you have some cash to spare, take it to a tailor (or dry cleaners that does alterations) and get the zipper replaced, then donate it.
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### Author:  [@sugar\_and\_spice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugar_and_spice)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2012, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-coat-donate-even-though-zipper-no-worky/611262/3 "2012-01-31T04:17:31Z")
Different organizations have different standards for what they accept, you can always ask if they want a coat with a broken zipper. FWIW I’m a regular shopper at a place that is for-profit and has about the same stock as Goodwill or Salvation Army, and I see a fair number of winter coats that have broken zippers but are in otherwise good condition. They’re priced for much less than the coats with working zippers, of course, but the store does put them on the rack so they must think someone will buy them. My WAG is that they get picked up by people who know how to fix zippers.
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### Author:  [@troubledwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troubledwater)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2012, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-coat-donate-even-though-zipper-no-worky/611262/4 "2012-01-31T05:09:18Z")
I’m not normally a fan of donating damaged goods, as it were. But in a rare (to us) example of sibling cooperation, my brother and I hit the jackpot on just such a deal. He scored an awesome jacket (very insulating and very lightweight) at the thrift store, which he desperately needed for a job (in Alaska), for just seven dollars. When he got it home he realized it was a bargain because the zipper was upside-down (or backwards? can’t remember now). I figured I couldn’t make it worse, and we were both pleasantly surprised when I successfully re-installed the zipper and he had exactly what he needed. So sure, go for it.
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### Author:  [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2012, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-coat-donate-even-though-zipper-no-worky/611262/5 "2012-01-31T05:11:48Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#):
>
> If you have some cash to spare, take it to a tailor (or dry cleaners that does alterations) and get the zipper replaced, then donate it.
This. The charity has no interest in or capacity to deal with damaged goods; either donate it in a useable condition or bin it.
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### Author:  [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2012, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-coat-donate-even-though-zipper-no-worky/611262/6 "2012-01-31T05:31:26Z")
It should be relatively simple to sew some big buttons or snaps on it. Or you can pay someone who does alterations to reinstall a working zipper. But if you don’t feel like the effort, you don’t \*have \*to donate it.
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### Author:  [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2012, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-coat-donate-even-though-zipper-no-worky/611262/7 "2012-01-31T06:29:24Z")
I had a jacket zipper replaced. I think it was $8 and my jacket was like new. I can’t imagine any reason a charity wouldn’t have someone working for them that couldn’t do it for the cost of the zipper. Anyplace that takes in used clothes needs a sewing machine and someone that knows how to use it.
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### Author:  [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2012, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-coat-donate-even-though-zipper-no-worky/611262/8 "2012-01-31T07:18:59Z")
> [@sugar\_and\_spice](#):
>
> Different organizations have different standards for what they accept, you can always ask if they want a coat with a broken zipper. FWIW I’m a regular shopper at a place that is for-profit and has about the same stock as Goodwill or Salvation Army, and I see a fair number of winter coats that have broken zippers but are in otherwise good condition. They’re priced for much less than the coats with working zippers, of course, but the store does put them on the rack so they must think someone will buy them. My WAG is that they get picked up by people who know how to fix zippers.
Even if the coat has a bad zipper, and someone who can’t sew wants to buy it…it’s cheaper to buy a thrift coat and pay someone to install a zipper, as opposed to buying a new coat. I’d certainly call and ask first.
I don’t know if Berry Good Buys takes coats with non-working zippers (Fort Worth, Berry Street, west of Hemphill and east of University), but that’s my favorite thrift shop.
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### Author:  [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2012, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-coat-donate-even-though-zipper-no-worky/611262/9 "2012-01-31T12:46:49Z")
My place of employment can replace zippers, but we will charge you significantly for it because doing so is a pain in the backside.
We offer a less expensive option of installing snaps instead of a new zipper, between 1/3 and 1/2 the cost.
The utility of the jacket will be vastly increased if you go with that option.
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### Author:  [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2012, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-coat-donate-even-though-zipper-no-worky/611262/10 "2012-01-31T12:50:10Z")
The church where I work will gladly take them without working zippers. They give away clothes every day and I see people taking them happily.
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### Author:  [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2012, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-coat-donate-even-though-zipper-no-worky/611262/11 "2012-01-31T14:06:44Z")
> [@Askance](#):
>
> This. The charity has no interest in or capacity to deal with damaged goods; either donate it in a useable condition or bin it.
Please don’t throw it away. Goodwill, at least, has a strong interest in that jacket, regardless of zipper condition. They’re not going to fix the zipper, but a jacket in otherwise good condition is going to sell. And even if it doesn’t, it’ll get recycled to a textile recycler - a far better fate than the landfill.
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2012, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-coat-donate-even-though-zipper-no-worky/611262/12 "2012-01-31T15:48:24Z")
> [@Munch](#):
>
> Please don’t throw it away. Goodwill, at least, has a strong interest in that jacket, regardless of zipper condition. They’re not going to fix the zipper, but a jacket in otherwise good condition is going to sell. And even if it doesn’t, it’ll get recycled to a textile recycler - a far better fate than the landfill.
This is true - and it can be quite lucrative for the charity - prices for bagged mixed textiles (including unwearable rags) are usually quite decent.
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### Author:  [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2012, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-coat-donate-even-though-zipper-no-worky/611262/13 "2012-01-31T16:26:14Z")
> [@Askance](#):
>
> This. The charity has no interest in or capacity to deal with damaged goods; either donate it in a useable condition or bin it.
To clarify, I started this thread to see if the _end buyer/recipient_ might have the “interest or capacity to deal” with a bum zipper. I know plenty of thrifty moms who might be able to do so and might need a new coat for their growing kid - that was the scenario I envisioned.
Hadn’t even thought about textile recyclers - thanks for bringing up that point.
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### Author:  [@highrollinwooded](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/highrollinwooded)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2012, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-coat-donate-even-though-zipper-no-worky/611262/14 "2012-01-31T16:26:41Z")
Nothing pisses me off more than buying something at a thrift shop, getting it home, and realizing that the zipper is broke, item is stained, etc…If it’s non functional,THROW IT OUT!!!
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### Author:  [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2012, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-coat-donate-even-though-zipper-no-worky/611262/15 "2012-01-31T18:09:24Z")
> [@highrollinwooded](#):
>
> If it’s non functional,THROW IT OUT!!!
As mentioned before, PLEASE do not throw it out.
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### Author:  [@thelabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelabdude)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2012, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-coat-donate-even-though-zipper-no-worky/611262/16 "2012-01-31T19:25:38Z")
Yes some donations get sold as rags. Some stuff gets shipped overseas to third world countries that have nothing. You might ask when you donate. To a certain extent, thrift shops have high trash bills.
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### Author:  [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2012, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-coat-donate-even-though-zipper-no-worky/611262/17 "2012-01-31T19:45:49Z")
> [@thelabdude](#):
>
> To a certain extent, thrift shops have high trash bills.
Our local Goodwill network has extremely low trash bills, since they recycle a vast portion of their waste.
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### Author:  [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2012, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-coat-donate-even-though-zipper-no-worky/611262/18 "2012-01-31T20:16:52Z")
Just pin a note to the tag that identifies the problem, and then donate it. That way no one is going to walk away wiht something they can’t use.
When I was young and poor I regularly bought dresses and such without buttons and sewed new ones on. Ona cold day, if you ahve to decide whether to go out in that coat, or without a coat, you’d choose to wear it, right? so even if they can’t fix it, a person with no coat is better off having it than not. . .
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### Author:  [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2012, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-coat-donate-even-though-zipper-no-worky/611262/19 "2012-01-31T21:22:12Z")
> [@TruCelt](#):
>
> Just pin a note to the tag that identifies the problem, and then donate it. That way no one is going to walk away wiht something they can’t use.
Yep, this is what I would say. I once dyed a little girl’s dress to cover a stain. It turned out beautifully, but if you’ve ever home-dyed something you know it can never be trusted again to wash with other colors. When she outgrew it, I pinned a note on it and donated it.
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### Author:  [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2012, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-coat-donate-even-though-zipper-no-worky/611262/20 "2012-01-31T23:20:07Z")
A lot of the time pople don’t even use zippers. I’d donate it.
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