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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

is it morally ok to sell stuff that you got for free of Marketplace ?

52 replies

LidiaM · 27/02/2020 11:41

I wonder what people think about making money by getting stuff for free of gumtree or Marketplace then selling them instead for money ?
am I wrong to think its wrong ?
lets put that right - Im not talking about the stuff you get from family or friends, just strangers that give free stuff on websites because of their lack of selling or they cant be bother to or maybe because they dont care about a tenner or 2.

OP posts:

Alwaysthesun · 27/02/2020 13:36

Morally absolutely awful. People give things away as they want the items to go to someone in need who doesn't have the money to buy the items for themselves.

OddBoots · 27/02/2020 13:37

Legally it is probably fine, morally it doesn't seem right unless you make it plain to the person giving it to you and you pay the right taxes on your profit or all the profit goes to charity as it would with a charity shop.

GrumpyHoonMain · 27/02/2020 13:40

Some charities give furniture / clothes etc for free to people on certain benefits. If this is the case then you are being very unreasonable and should return everything to the charity so it can be regifted.

Notso · 27/02/2020 13:40

I'd be prepared for people not to like it. There's always bickering on local FB selling groups about this kind of thing.

When we were a bit skint I used to buy stuff in the TK Maxx sale section (back when it was good) and sell on Ebay as 'unwanted gift' if it didn't sell within two weeks I'd just take back for a refund.
I once had an angry message from a buyer as they'd seen the price label, but I couldn't really understand why when they'd obviously been happy to buy at that price before knowing it was cheaper.

nokidshere · 27/02/2020 13:44

. People give things away as they want the items to go to someone in need who doesn't have the money to buy the items for themselves.

I don't, I give things away because I want them gone out of my house and I don't need the money enough to be bothered with selling.

Obviously it would be nice if you could give them to people in need but anyone can tell you any sob story without you ever knowing if it's true or not.

Notso · 27/02/2020 13:46

People give things away as they want the items to go to someone in need who doesn't have the money to buy the items for themselves.

Not always, often it's a cheap way to get rid of something if you don't have a van. Our sofa company would have charged £40 to take our old knackered sofas away if we could have hired a van to skip them.
Instead they were taken for free by someone on Facebook.

HillAreas · 27/02/2020 13:46

One mans muck is another mans treasure.
YABU.

Notso · 27/02/2020 13:47

Or we could have hired a van. Not if

PeterPanGoesWrong · 27/02/2020 13:53

I don’t get why you would have an option sue. When we had building work done, almost everything we put outside was taken by people.
A neighbour took a mirror, a neighbour took a light fitting, a scrap man took the old radiator, a coat stand and m6 old ironing board, and some random took an old microwave.

It was stuff I didn’t want, they did me a favour taking it away. I didn’t resent the scrapman taking all the metal and making money from it. Why should I?
It’s either give it away or throw it away. F you want to make the money, then get up at 4am, go to a field in the middle of nowhere and pitch your car boot stall to earn a few quid or don’t. . But don’t judge people who are willing to.

PeterPanGoesWrong · 27/02/2020 13:54

An issue, not an option sue! Waves fist at autocorrect.

Nearlyalmost50 · 27/02/2020 13:54

I don't mind at all if people do what they want with the type of stuff I give away for free on Freecycle. It's hardly high quality or very valuable- it's older, cheap stuff I can't be bothered to take to the tip. Or excess stuff I don't need.

I am not an enterprising person, and I admire those who are!

ZarkingBell · 27/02/2020 14:12

I often give away stuff for free because it's the easiest way, and I just want it gone.

I don't care what they do with it later on. At the baby stage I did say to someone if they sold a big item just to give me half the cash but they CBA to flog it either!

keepingbees · 27/02/2020 14:17

I wouldn't, but I guess it's only morally wrong if the person getting rid has specifically put that they don't want it sold on they want it to go to someone in need. Or if there were other people wanting it who genuinely needed it.

safariboot · 27/02/2020 14:27

The rules on Freecycle are that if you plan to resell an item you must tell the giver this before you take the item. This transparency lets the giver make the decision themselves and that I think is the right thing to do. (Some groups don't allow taking for resale at all.)

To pretend you need something for yourself when actually you're planning on using freely donated items for your personal profit is immoral. It's shameless freeloading and if everyone does it we'll get a tragedy of the commons.

If on the other hand you got something, made good use of it, and only later made the decision to sell it, I'd say that's OK.

safariboot · 27/02/2020 14:30

In short: It's not wrong to get free stuff and make money from it. It is wrong to lie about what you're doing, and that includes lying by omission.

InFiveMins · 27/02/2020 14:37

YANBU. If I were to receive something for free I would pass it on for free.

TheTrollFairy · 27/02/2020 14:44

I give stuff away for free cuz I can’t be arsed to either take it to the charity shop/local skip/arsed to sell it.
If someone wants the hassle of selling it then they are welcome to the money

soberfabulous · 27/02/2020 14:53

My dad does this. He's amazing at DIY and art and upcycles all sorts of things and then sells them.

He doesn't make millions (far from it) and breathes life into so many things. Just recently an old desk made beautiful for a little girl which was joyous.

He's had some abuse on Facebook over it and it makes my blood boil.

faracrossthepond · 27/02/2020 15:04

@soberfabulous The people on facebook are obviously jealous of your dad's talent and genius ...............

twoheaped · 27/02/2020 15:09

If I give something away for free, the recipient can do whatever they like with it. If they make money off it, good luck to them.
People on FB seem to get pretty ansty about it though, naming and shaming people who have done it.

SilverySurfer · 27/02/2020 15:09

People give things away as they want the items to go to someone in need who doesn't have the money to buy the items for themselves.

I don't. If I give stuff away it's because I want something out of my home and as I'm disabled and have no car, I can't take it to the rubbish tip. I don't give the item a second thought, nor the reason why the recipient wanted it.

I don't see anything wrong with it OP.

Dieu · 27/02/2020 15:10

Morally not ok.

TiptopJ · 27/02/2020 15:17

I've given stuff away for free on market place simply because I know it's a saturated market and I cant be bothered waiting weeks or months for something to sell for a fiver. I just want it gone.

With regards to stuff given by friends I think it depends. Not all friends are in the same financial boat. a friend might feel okay donating something because they dont care about getting money for it but want it to go to a good home. Once its used by that person they might actually really need the £10 or £20 they get for it so that wouldnt bother me if they sold it on

Gifting a friend something and they immediately sell it on though, I wouldnt end a friendship over it but wouldnt gift them something again

TiptopJ · 27/02/2020 15:20

Actually I should add that I did sell on a baby item a friend had given me once after I'd finished with it but I messaged friend offering it back and asked if she didn't want it would she mind me selling it. She was fine with it.

Hingeandbracket · 27/02/2020 15:24

Morally 100% OK - OP which poll answer is which?

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