Should I give her the money or not?

[Blueberry010]

So about 10 years ago my Aunt gave me a solid wood sideboard. I offered to buy it from her at the time but she didn't want anything and just wanted it gone. I was very grateful but now I no longer use or have need for it and so I have asked if she would like it back. She doesn't.

Its still a really good piece of furniture and so I put it up for sale for a small price £45. Somehow she found out and is now saying if I sell it, she wants the money. I'm confused by this as I've offered it back, so she could have it and sell it but she doesn't want it at hers or to sell it herself. So what she really wants is for me to keep storing it, try to find a buyer and then after the inconvenience of that hand the money over to her. Something about this has annoyed me. Am I wrong to feel annoyed and should I give her the money if I do sell it.

Give her half and say your half is for the work you put in. It's a bit mean of her and I'd reflect that in the money I gave, but I would give half, as it was hers. But yes really cheeky!

I would split it 50:50 as well, or suggest you donate it to a charity you both support.

She’s an absolute CF. If she’d given you a gift for Christmas or a birthday which years later you sold, would she think she was entitled to the money?

I'd just go back to her and say if she would like the cash then you will drop it round and she can sell it herself.

If you go to the trouble of selling it I wouldn't be giving her the cash.

All this crap from her for the sake of £45!. She is really a CF.

It's not hers to sell and she has not owned this for a decade so she should not see any money from the proceeds.

Tell her you had no offers, so you're giving it away unless she would like it.

She doesn't get a penny, it's yours to do with as you wish.

She’s a cheeky fucker. You offered it back to her and she didn’t want it. Like a previous poster says I would drop it round to her and say if she wants the money she can sell it herself.

It's yours. She doesn't want it, she gave it to you 10 years ago, didn't want the money then. Isn't interested in it now, just ignore her re the sideboard.

When it sells, send her an invoice:

Funds from sale of x item: £45
Less selling fees: -£45

Balance due: £0

If she kicks off, say it took 3 hours at £15/hr to take photos, list it, message back enquiries, organise collection, waiting in etc etc (or adapt to your actual hourly rate if you work for more than this). Your time has a value, and she wants all of the cash while doing zero of the legwork.

Money really does funny things to folk. Just say no. Either you have the unit back and sell yourself or its a gift to me to do as I like . Which is it.

I think it's unreasonable of her to ask for the money, but if I had been given something for free I would give it away rather than selling it (in fact, we just refused payment from a friend for a sideboard because DP was given it). So maybe she's just upset that you are selling rather than giving it to someone.

Who is blabbing all of this information to her?

Often selling things for a small amount rather than just giving them away tends to reduce time wasters. Why should OP waste her time dealing with a higher proportion of no-shows if this (small) selling price filters them out? She's not exactly laughing all the way to the bank.

There's nothing to say that the person getting it for free wouldn't sell it on anyway. Would the aunt chase them for 'her' money?

@Sparklfairy true - I think I'm lucky to live in an area where it's pretty easy to give things away via local networks. I was just thinking about why the aunt might be offended.

I'd probably be annoyed if I was the aunt, but at myself rather than OP! Like damn, I could have got £45 for it? I had no idea! But demanding the money because you were too lazy to list it yourself and it was easier to just palm it off without having to go to the tip or a charity shop is really out of order.

Very annoying. I'd just tell her I gave it to the British Heart Foundation (whether I sold it or not).

This is exactly what my MIL (who was very well off) would have done. We had exactly this situation with an old banger of a car which had once been hers, more than 15 years earlier, then passed on to her youngest son who hammered the hell out of it, then he passed it to my husband who later passed it on to me. It was very unreliable and falling apart with rust and Id sourced a replacement. A friend offered to buy it £30 for scrap. MiL was suddenly on the phone telling me i had to sell it to a dealer, get more money and give the proceeds to her "because it's mine really". It would have cost a small fortune to insure two cars at once so I suggested I transfer it back to her name and leave it parked outside her house. Strangely enough she didn't like that either!

This

Agree if she wants money she sells it cheeky cow!

She can have it back and try selling it herself. It’s out of your house. If you bought it off her for £10 and now selling it for £20 would she want another £10.

money is weird so just say nobody bought it to save drama and pocket the cash.

Pass all enquiries over to her and a time and date when the uyer can collect t it from yours. She'll need to be there to meet them.

You had the use of it for years for free when you did want it. Give her the money, it’s not much.

tell her you’re struggling to sell it and she can have it back to sell herself. Otherwise you will give to British heart foundation.

then sell if you want (privately ffs!! Gumtree or something) and then keep the cash as sellers fee £45 is nothing

She wants the money...after 10 years?? That's ridiculous! I'd deliver it to her doorstep and tell her to sell it herself. Absolute CF!

I would sell it, give her the money and feel morally superior to her.