My Controversial blog post about why I think eBay re-sellers buying from Charity Shops is a bit scummy!

Jon

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Lol, it must be a Geordie thing... charity muggers... the goons they pay to harass you on the street.
Yeah Leeds is Riddled with them and not just in the main city center but you get them on the streets in the outer suburbs now as well hanging around outside your local Morrisons

Part of me does feel slightly sorry for them (like 2%) because they are clearly all uni students who've been hoodwinked by an advert on gumtree or something offering 'uncapped sales potential and an awesome social experience' or some other rubbish!
 

BreeziOG

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Yeah Leeds is Riddled with them and not just in the main city center but you get them on the streets in the outer suburbs now as well hanging around outside your local Morrisons

Part of me does feel slightly sorry for them (like 2%) because they are clearly all uni students who've been hoodwinked by an advert on gumtree or something offering 'uncapped sales potential and an awesome social experience' or some other rubbish!

I know what you mean, it’s like running a gauntlet trying to get up the main shopping streets round here.

I wouldn’t feel bad for them, the likes of Shelter pay upwards of £9 an hour for it...
 

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I get what you're saying about the larger chains but I can't see 'North Leeds Charity Shop for the hard of hearing' having a massive budget since ya know, it's only open 3 days a week as that's the only time Doris will volunteer to open the shop etc.

Someone made a good point on the blog post

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We forget how many people with not a lot of money use these shops to buy things from!

I didn't say they all had massive budgets. But I also covered that round my way, charity shops were used for the people you mention in your last sentence. The price they are now, there is no way they could still buy from them.

For people who are unhappy with resellers making a profit from charity shops....

Do you

a) Attempt to sell any item you are donating before you donate and pass on all the sale proceeds to the charity?
b) tell charity shops to charge more for items you are donating?
c) volunteer in charity shops so you can help set the pricing?
d) know the company structure & salary details of the people 'running' the charity?

At what point do you have an interest/stop having an interest in the items you are donating?

As an example, I tend to put my old clothes in the massive donation bins on the street. Most evenings you can find people 'dumpster diving' them, pulling out loads of clothes and leaving the ones they dont want on the wet/dirty streets where they get picked up and binned.

There aren't charity shops near me that take anything so its the donation bins or the rubbish bin and I want to at least feel I'm helping.
 
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Jon

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I didn't say they all had massive budgets. But I also covered that round my way, charity shops were used for the people you mention in your last sentence. The price they are now, there is no way they could still buy from them.

For people who are unhappy with resellers making a profit from charity shops....

Do you

a) Attempt to sell any item you are donating before you donate and pass on all the sale proceeds to the charity?
b) tell charity shops to charge more for items you are donating?
c) volunteer in charity shops so you can help set the pricing?
d) know the company structure & salary details of the people 'running' the charity?

At what point do you have an interest/stop having an interest in the items you are donating?

As an example, I tend to put my old clothes in the massive donation bins on the street. Most evenings you can find people 'dumpster diving' them, pulling out loads of clothes and leaving the ones they dont want on the wet/dirty streets where they get picked up and binned.

There aren't charity shops near me that take anything so its the donation bins or the rubbish bin and I want to at least feel I'm helping.

a) Attempt to sell any item you are donating before you donate and pass on all the sale proceeds to the charity?
Nope, not at all. My mindset is I want to give it to a charity to help 'them' - whoever 'them' may be

b) tell charity shops to charge more for items you are donating?
lord no!

c) volunteer in charity shops so you can help set the pricing?
Nope

d) know the company structure & salary details of the people 'running' the charity?
I personally don't, however, the other half will generally want to donate to charities that represent illnesses or conditions that have affected our family so company structure / salary etc doesn't really come into it
 

Jon

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Just want to also say it's great we can have conversations like this on here with people having different points of view.

I've been in many a Facebook group where as soon as people disagree with each other instead of letting the conversation flow it gets classed as 'trolling' and the thread gets DELETED as god forbid people have different viewpoints lol

Top community on here!
 

The Reverend

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Just want to also say it's great we can have conversations like this on here with people having different points of view.

I've been in many a Facebook group where as soon as people disagree with each other instead of letting the conversation flow it gets classed as 'trolling' and the thread gets DELETED as god forbid people have different viewpoints lol

Top community on here!
giphy.gif
 

Andrew

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I think the merits of the online arms trade could be a good subject for the next blog!
 
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disneygirl

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I brought my sons coat from a charity shop. He wore it for two winters as as was a good brand and still in good condition I just sold it this winter on ebay.
I think once a person buys a n item its theirs to do what they wish with. The charity shop is in the same position than if someone kept the item.

I don't like people selling on free items, as these items could really help someone struggling and can't even afford to buy from a charity shop. If someone gets free kids clothes that they desperately need, etc it could mean they can pay their gas bill or have more money to feed the kids.
 

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Just adding my 2 cents (though it's been covered already): I personally don't see anything wrong with buying and reselling. It's when people go in and ask to be kept in mind for a certain niche item that bugs me hahaha. I think bypassing the charities themselves could be a grey area - like the fraudsters who put the collection bags through people's doors. Charities are also evolving and checking items online before pricing - I have overheard many a conversation around this in my frequent trips hehe
 
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Topaz

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My daughter worked in a charity shop for a while. The manager was very savvy and knew what things were worth. Anything worth money, he sold on Ebay, which bought in a lot more than the general stuff on sale in the shop.
If anyone had managed to find anything that they could sell for more than the shop could get on Ebay, then they were very clever.
It was the sheer amount of donated clothing and books that they didn't have room for, which got sold for pence as rags or paper that got me. It seemed such a waste of things that could be sold for a better profit, thus helping the charity more.
At the end of the day, the charity shops just want to sell stuff and really don't care what happens to it once its out of the door and the money is in the till.
I did make a little profit from a charity shop once though. I bought a jacket for £2.50 and found £5 in the pocket. Did I take the money back? Nope. Did I feel guilty? Well, maybe just a little. ;)
 

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My daughter worked in a charity shop for a while. The manager was very savvy and knew what things were worth. Anything worth money, he sold on Ebay, which bought in a lot more than the general stuff on sale in the shop.
If anyone had managed to find anything that they could sell for more than the shop could get on Ebay, then they were very clever.
It was the sheer amount of donated clothing and books that they didn't have room for, which got sold for pence as rags or paper that got me. It seemed such a waste of things that could be sold for a better profit, thus helping the charity more.
At the end of the day, the charity shops just want to sell stuff and really don't care what happens to it once its out of the door and the money is in the till.
I did make a little profit from a charity shop once though. I bought a jacket for £2.50 and found £5 in the pocket. Did I take the money back? Nope. Did I feel guilty? Well, maybe just a little. ;)

They should have spotted it when they laundered it (the jacket that is! I’m not suggesting they’re a front for laundering money!). So they had their chance
 

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Talking of finding money, I once found five £1 notes inside a book that I think the person had used as bookmarks.
And here is a little story that might have a moral. I was at a jumble sale and found a toy purse on a table. When I opened it up there was about £3.50 inside. I thought a child might have left it there while browsing so, I took it to the couple of ladies on the door and explained. Hopefully, it found its way to that child. At the same time my wife had found me a money belt knowing I was traveling abroad. It was in nice condition inside a plastic envelope. When we got home I looked inside and found £40 in the older style ten pound notes. I knew they would not reach to the owner (whomever he/she may be). They obviously had not been missed as they were well out of date. I took these to the bank who exchanged them for current ones. Not sure if someone was looking down on me that day
 
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Pezzer

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I can see why you think this for sure. Its a bit like gift aid though. Higher rate taxpayers get a rebate on their annual tax return for charitable donations including those made to charity shops. It's controversial as it costs the tax man but on the flip side, it encourages donations.

I think as long as the charity shop gets a reasonable sum for the product its ok. If I donate something valuable to a charity I really feel passionate about I will let them know what I have seen it go for online. Recently I donated a book which sells for £40 so made sure they were aware. Sure I could have sold it for maybe £20 quickly online, but there are times I feel helping a charity is also important.
 

The Reverend

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I can see why you think this for sure. Its a bit like gift aid though. Higher rate taxpayers get a rebate on their annual tax return for charitable donations including those made to charity shops. It's controversial as it costs the tax man but on the flip side, it encourages donations.

I think as long as the charity shop gets a reasonable sum for the product its ok. If I donate something valuable to a charity I really feel passionate about I will let them know what I have seen it go for online. Recently I donated a book which sells for £40 so made sure they were aware. Sure I could have sold it for maybe £20 quickly online, but there are times I feel helping a charity is also important.

Charity shops in the village I grew up in have a 'special' section locked away behind glass where you can see more expensive items - jewellery and 1st edition books. Its quite interesting as most they have good identification of age.

I will admit to buying MoS The Annual albums from charity shops for £1.50-£3 and then selling on eBay for £10+ that was a good little earner for a while. Now it take seconds to scan a barcode of a CD/DVD but I just can't be bothered.
 

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I think charities are well aware of ebay resellers and target products at them. As a charity we are afraid to sell designer handbags or watches without some proof of authenticity as we would be scared of loosing our ebay shop but we don't mind other people taking a risk. I also have mixed feelings over large versus small charities. The one I help at was started by a local man after his son died from cancer. I help in what was its first shop. However it has now grown quite large and has a multi-million pound turnover.

When I was book selling on Amazon I got a lot of my original stock from charity shops, some of which I sold for a P roffit. I now use the experience and knowledge I gained to benefit the charity. Our manager worked for a couple of years for an ebay shop so has a good idea what sells there.
 

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I think charities are well aware of ebay resellers and target products at them. As a charity we are afraid to sell designer handbags or watches without some proof of authenticity as we would be scared of loosing our ebay shop but we don't mind other people taking a risk. I also have mixed feelings over large versus small charities. The one I help at was started by a local man after his son died from cancer. I help in what was its first shop. However it has now grown quite large and has a multi-million pound turnover.

When I was book selling on Amazon I got a lot of my original stock from charity shops, some of which I sold for a P roffit. I now use the experience and knowledge I gained to benefit the charity. Our manager worked for a couple of years for an ebay shop so has a good idea what sells there.
That makes a lot of sense. Totally understand where you're coming from
 

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I work for a charity where bosses get 5 figure salaries and above and us who do donkey work, minimum wage, haha....charges clients a fortune, where as playing poor at the same time, there by getting a fortune from grants and donations.
Donations to charity shops are big business and people are reaping millions from them, one thing is for sure, most donations just buy bosses a comfortable life at the expense of charity causes.
 

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