Croatia on the route: Man uses GPS to track shoes he donated to charity in Germany
- by croatiaweek
- in News
(Illustration)
A German TikToker has uncovered a surprising truth about the final destination of clothing and shoes donated to charity, with Croatia featuring along the way.
In a viral video, the content creator explains that he placed a GPS tracker inside a pair of trainers before donating them to a Red Cross container in Munich.
His goal was to find out what really happens to clothing donated to charitable organisations.
To his surprise, the shoes travelled almost 800 kilometres in just five days, passing through Zagreb before ending up in a second-hand shop in Cazin, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“I could not believe it,” he said in the video. “After just five days, there was only one thing left to do.” He decided to follow the signal and find out for himself.
The TikToker flew to Croatia and then drove to Cazin, a small town around 15 kilometres from the Croatian border.
Upon entering the second-hand shop, he found the exact trainers he had donated, now on sale for 20 convertible marks (about 10 euros).
When he asked a shop employee where the clothes came from, she replied, “From Germany.” She went on to say that her boss, who lives in Germany but is originally from Bosnia, brings in the items.
The TikToker ended up buying back the trainers he had donated.
“I keep asking myself, how is it that I donated these to the Red Cross in Germany, and now they are here, 800 kilometres away, being resold, with no mention of the Red Cross?” he said.
He added that he had contacted the Red Cross for a comment but had yet to receive a response.
View this post on Instagram
The video has sparked conversations online about the transparency and handling of donated goods, raising questions about where charitable items actually end up — and whether donors are truly aware of the journey their donations take.
