There was a recent thread (last week or so) that asked about the morality of buying something valuable from a yard-sale for a cheap price…
My question is about buying stuff from a Goodwill Store then onselling it for a profit.
My gut reaction is that the Goodwill Store is getting their cut (as the goods are donated) and if I choose to buy it then sell it for an increased price on eBay or one of the community sites, it’s the same as a retailer buying from a wholesaler and charging a premium etc.
But I’m curious as to the Dope opinion as well.
What say?
I wouldn’t feel the slightest bit of guilt about ripping off the Goodwill. They want to sell their stuff and they put the price they wanted on it.
It’s dickish to buy up a whole bunch of the good stuff to resell because then you’re hogging up finite resources that poor people depend on. You can get higher quality stuff at the thrift store for less than cheap flimsy crap from Walmart.
Some local chapters of Goodwill Industries have their own eBay stores, so they do attempt to identify the particularly valuable items and maximize the return. So I think you’re safe in assuming that they believe they’re getting the best return by offering the remaiining goods in the retail stores.
Most stores like that have someone who knows antiques and collectibles on staff; often the owner or manager. If something gets past him, I consider it fair game. Same at antique shops.
Buying something for the asked price is not “ripping off Goodwill.” They don’t actually need to wring every last cent out of the donations to make their business model work and they actually make very little investment in the inventory. Buy the stuff and do whatever you want with it. If anything, you are helping drive up demand for the stuff they sell.
It’s easier for Goodwill to just sell donated stuff cheap (remember they pay effectively NOTHING for it) than it would be for them to take the time and money to appraise each item and keep it on the shelves until a buyer would pay what it’s “really” worth (which is largely just a matter of opinion.)
Perhaps it will ease your unnecessary guilt to remember that Goodwill paid zero for it. And for every other item in the store. That makes for a really healthy profit margin, no matter what they’re selling it for!