Family fall out over a coffee table!

[PoppyBean]

I purchased a solid oak coffee table from my SIL about 4 years ago. She said she was getting rid, I said I loved it and asked how much she wanted for it, she wanted £30 so I paid and took my table.

I've just moved house and now have a toddler, my new lounge is an L shape and the coffee table doesn't really work anywhere in the room so I decided to sell it. I didn't really want to sell it as I still love it but it just doesn't fit. I done some research to see what's it's worth and what similar items are selling for and I sold it for £150.

SIL is fuming, says I've taken advantage and asked if i intend to share the profit. I said I paid the price you wanted you could of sold it yourself. I hadn't bought it to sell for profit and I'd be keeping it if it fit in my room but it doesn't.

Now my brother has text saying I've really upset her and she's shocked and disappointed at my greed.

SIL gifted me some baby items when my child was born. As they were gifted I asked what she wanted to do with them when I'd finished with them, she asked for some things back and said she wasn't bothered about the rest. I gave them away.

I think there's a huge difference between something you've been given as a gift, even if second hand and something you paid for so I don't feel like I have done anything wrong here.

Who is being unreasonable? Should I share the profit?

Technically you're in the right, but it does seem grabby to keep all the money. I'd split it minus the £30 you paid originally.

yabu. I would have gone half with sil. She gave you it cheap because you are family then you made a profit on her kind gesture

You bought it from her for £30, fair and square. If you’d bought it from a stranger on eBay then sold it for a profit, would you be expected to share then too?

Why did you tell her how much you got for the table? Tbh, I think I would split the money with her. It really isn't worth the family fall out.

Of course legally yanbu but she sold it cheap as you are family and I would be pissed off in her position
You should have either kept it very quiet or offered to share the profit imo

You are in the wrong. She gave you massibe discount for family and you should split profit. Unless your relationship is worth less than £60 to you!

@JhsLs

You bought it from her for £30, fair and square. If you’d bought it from a stranger on eBay then sold it for a profit, would you be expected to share then too?

Exactly this. Anything else is bonkers, as is your SIL for kicking up stink. How does she know what you got for it?

She might have a point if you'd sold it for loads more just after you bought it from her, but 4 years later?! She's being ridiculous.

@DimidDavilby

You are in the wrong. She gave you massibe discount for family and you should split profit. Unless your relationship is worth less than £60 to you!

You're making a massive assumption there. You've no idea whether SIL gave a family discount. Even if she did, she was happy to take £30 at the time. Sounds as though she regrets selling it for £30. If hadn't know the person selling it for more, what would she have done?

I agree with previous posters. I wouldn't charge family the same prices that I would for a stranger, but would be peeved if they then went on to sell for a profit.
Technically it was yours to do with as you wish, but my morals would have meant that I would have split any profit with her at the very least.

If she hadn't known

Lol, bought it four years ago and now she wants the money? How could you think like that?

She's BU. But my goodness, all this grief over a coffee table she offered to you for thirty quid four years ago.

Why would you even tell her?? She's bound to get upset as she sold it for £30 to you. However I don't think you need to share the profits with her, she's being very grabby expecting you to share the profit with her. She could've sold it on to whoever she wanted and for however much. It's her loss. She's just annoyed that she didn't realise it's worth anywhere in the region

Apologies - I missed the part where this was 4 years ago. That kind of changes things...
I wouldn't have told anyone how much I'd got for it though - that was asking for trouble.

Why on earth fid you tell her?
I think I’d be miffed if I was her.

It was 4 years ago she sold it to you she's needs to get over it and move on but it also depends on if you want a relationship with her in the future

You bought it, it’s yours to do with what you want

Technically you're in the right but if I were your SIL I'd be well annoyed. I think you should split the profit with her.

I’d split it with her. When someone says, “I like that, how much do you want for it?” and they’re family, you usually either say nothing or, if you’re going to be out of pocket, name a token amount. She was nice to sell you solid oak for £30, really.

It was 4yrs ago ffs youve hardly sold on a priceless family heirloom its an oak table. You paid what she wanted at the time so is the problem that you've made some £ from an item she still sees as hers by the sound of it?

How did she know you got £150 for it?

Yes, morally you should split it with her - surely family relationships are worth more than a few quid.

She’s being ridiculous. But you shouldn’t have told her how much you got for it.

I gave some furniture to a friend when he got divorced and needed to put a place together quickly. He sold it when his girlfriend moved in a couple of years later and brought her stuff with her and he offered me half of what he got for each item and I said absolutely not. I’d given it to him, it was his!

I’d be impressed if you were my SIL and you’d turned such a profit on something you’d had for 4 years! I certainly wouldn’t be annoyed or demanding half.

The only way I would be annoyed is if we’d both acknowledged at the time it worth a lot more than I was giving it you for, but I was doing you a favour and effectively letting you have it on the cheap. Then you went and sold it for profit.

But seeing as that doesn’t seem to have happened here then I don’t personally think you’ve done anything wrong.

I would maybe for the sake of relations give them half minus the 30£. You are not out of pocket at all and she bought the original piece which must have been fairly expensive.

You didn't buy it because she had it for sale though, you said you loved it and so she asked for a token towards it because you're family. I can see why she thinks you're being greedy, I think it's probably good form to tell her you no longer need it to give her the choice to sell it or you. Technically you didn't do anything wrong though.

I really want to see a picture of this third hand coffee table that sold for £150!