Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Aibu to make money from a charity shop purchase?

479 replies

Partnerprobs · 27/08/2021 11:29

Recently went to a charity shop and found a couple of items for sale that I liked and were in very good condition. A handbag and a book. Both were in a locked cabinet. I bought them for £25 in total and have sold them on eBay for £75 and £34 pounds, so I’ve made about £84 (less eBay fees which I haven’t seen yet)

My best friend was really shocked and said it’s like stealing and I should donate the money to the charity - this has surprised and unnerved me as I thought it was fine (as they were in the cabinet so had been picked as higher end items, and also they were more expensive than normal items)

I thought it was a lucky break and was looking forward to treating myself.

Aibu?

OP posts:
Confusedandshaken · 27/08/2021 12:14

I don't think there is anything wrong with this. The charity had the option to sell online too and chose not to do it.

Piffle11 · 27/08/2021 12:21

I regularly donate to a local charity shop which represents a charity very close to my heart. I dropped off some things last week, and I was chatting to the lady who said they were absolutely inundated with things at the moment. They often price things quite low in order to get them sold as quickly as possible, as they always have more things coming in. If they actually took the time to check the value and price accordingly, chances are their turnover would be a lot slower and they will be turning new donations away. Keep turning donations away and people will soon stop bothering with your shop and go somewhere else. The thing about shopping in charity shops is that people are hoping to get a bargain: £75 for a second hand handbag is probably not going to be seen as a bargain, unless it is a designer name. If they can quickly get £10 per item for seven quality items, it’s probably better than waiting for weeks to sell one item for £70.

Yummymummy2020 · 27/08/2021 12:21

People do this all the time, especially with antiques and that!

Piffle11 · 27/08/2021 12:22

Sorry - didn’t actually tell you what I thought … YANBU.

aaaaah · 27/08/2021 12:23

It's fine they've made some money.

User7458 · 27/08/2021 12:24

Nothing wrong with that OP, shop sold the stuff and you went to the bother of putting them on eBay, they could have done that, in fact some charities do

GreenFingersWouldBeHandy · 27/08/2021 12:24

Um. Depends what your conscience is telling you...

Doomscrolling · 27/08/2021 12:24

@pumpkintree - I was correcting myself - no need to be a bitch about it. Sheesh.

BalladOfBarryAndFreda · 27/08/2021 12:24

YANBU.

You made a donation when you bought the items from the charity shop.

SquirryTheSquirrel · 27/08/2021 12:27

But nobody goes into a charity shop (or any shop) and offers to pay more than the asking price!

I've seen that happen twice in charity shops - once with a tea set and once with a vase that had been apparently undervalued.

But I don't think OP has done anything wrong.

BatshitCrazyWoman · 27/08/2021 12:27

@listsandbudgets

As long as you don't make a business of it.

I went to a charity shop earlier in the week and was blocked from the rails by a couple who were grabbing stuff off in any size.. they were only interested in the labels they actually discussed it.. White Stuff yes, Tu no, Jaegear yes, primark, primark, primark no, Hobbs yes etc. etc.
Several things in my size I'd have liked at least a look at swooped on and they made it so people couldn't get past.

Shop manager said they were obviously ebaying them and came in 4 to 5 times but there was nothing she could do as long as they paid.

Loads of people do have eBay reselling businesses. I'd not do it, but it's not uncommon.
ManifestDestinee · 27/08/2021 12:28

@BalladOfBarryAndFreda

YANBU.

You made a donation when you bought the items from the charity shop.

No she bought the items. That is not a donation.
godmum56 · 27/08/2021 12:29

@Tryingtryingandtrying

I don't mean sell it online, just that they have undervalued it and the online price is the evidence
No its not, things sell for stupid prices on ebay. The charity shop doesn't want stuff hanging around, they want throughput which they got. Aditionally, many charity shops have their own ebay selling id, nothing to stop them auctioning if they want to. OP enjoy your windfall
TractorAndHeadphones · 27/08/2021 12:30

@Lockheart (can’t quote) not quite true. Supermarkets put a limit on the number of goods bought per customer.
In any case though from the charities POV it’s only bad if the mass buyers drive away other customers… otherwise not their concern as to who buys what as long as it’s bought.

vivainsomnia · 27/08/2021 12:31

If you bought it for yourself and then decided you didn't need it, it didn't suit or whatever and decided to resale, no issues at all. I do have an issue with people who make it a quest to find things from charity shop to resale and make a profit on. Sadly, it's addictive and I know some people who do this as a hobby. They are very proud of themselves. I find it nothing to be proud of.

Tohaveandtohold · 27/08/2021 12:31

I know someone who does this as her job. She sources things from different charity shops and auction houses, gets a bargain and then sells it on.
I can’t see anything wrong in it.
She paid what they asked for it, she didn’t steal it. She then had the time go through valuing it and getting a buyer. What’s to say that the buyer won’t even get more money for it.

HalzTangz · 27/08/2021 12:31

My view is once you buy or have been given something it's up to you what you do with them.
However I also don't think you bought the items because you liked them (you would have kept them if that was the case), you bought them because you knew they would sell for more.
I respect people more when they admit they bought purely to sell on at profit, over those that say oh I bought because they were nice

BaringasMare · 27/08/2021 12:32

It’s totally fine. It’s not like you made a hundred grand and aren’t giving them a penny. You made a modest profit on items you paid a reasonable price for. Don’t give it another thought.

Lockheart · 27/08/2021 12:33

[quote TractorAndHeadphones]@Lockheart (can’t quote) not quite true. Supermarkets put a limit on the number of goods bought per customer.
In any case though from the charities POV it’s only bad if the mass buyers drive away other customers… otherwise not their concern as to who buys what as long as it’s bought.[/quote]
I'm not totally sure what you're referring to, but if it's my most recent post on the thread then your last sentence is all that's relevant.

PP was complaining about others getting there before her and taking all the labelled / designer items. There's still nothing wrong with that if they pay the price asked. It's like going to the sales in other shops - people who get there first tend to get first pick of items.

Chickychickydodah · 27/08/2021 12:34

Enjoy the money . Ignore the do Gooders .

HeronLanyon · 27/08/2021 12:35

YANBU they were yours to do what you wanted.
If this were me I’d almost certainly give a donation (maybe a third of the profit?) to the charity. I wouldn’t feel completed to this however. Would just kind of feel right.

HeronLanyon · 27/08/2021 12:36

Compelled not ‘completed’.

Buttybach · 27/08/2021 12:36

Have you ever watched the crazy lamp lady on YouTube? She makes a business of it!
I collect vintage Pyrex and even though most people know the vintage stuff is valuable, UK Pyrex has JAJ as the stamp as it was made in a UK factory. Many shops will put this out for a quid.
I have a pink daisy one that I got for £1 and it's worth £130.

I do feel crap that I ripped off a charity but if they don't price things correctly then it's nice to have a bargain.
I originally started collecting Pyrex with the intention of selling it on but then got addicted to collecting them!

ManifestDestinee · 27/08/2021 12:36

However I also don't think you bought the items because you liked them (you would have kept them if that was the case)

That's clearly nonsense though. I bought a set of wine glasses the other day in a charity shop because I liked them. I intend to keep them and use them. However if I found out tomorrow someone else would give me 5 times what I paid for them, I would sell them and buy some other wine glasses and keep the tidy profit.

iamtheoneandonlyyy · 27/08/2021 12:38

If you buy something it's yours to do what you want with.