Buying From Charity Shops To Sell On Ebay: Is It Fair?featured

Up until recently, I wasn’t too keen on the idea that some people buy things from charity shops to sell on Ebay for a profit. After all, one of my favourite things about charity shops is the idea that when an item is sold, it’s going on to a better place. I like to tell myself that virtually every donation is being bought by people who will use it and love it themselves. The way I saw it, if people keep snapping up things that they don’t actually want, purely to make a quick buck, there won’t me many treats left for genuine charity shop lovers on the hunt for something special. I never thought that these people were doing anything wrong, as such, because there’s no laws against making a profit from charity shop finds, but I did feel like such a tactic was taking a little magic away from these secondhand havens.

Since I started helping out at a charity shop, however, my opinion of this has changed. Over the last few weeks I’ve seen the challenges that charity shop volunteers face. With so many donations entering their doors each day, sorting through these items can be a long-winded task. It can leave them wondering where on the earth to put everything.

From what I’ve seen so far, it seems that people are far more likely to donate items than they are to actually buy them, leaving many charity shops with more items than they can get rid of. As a result, I’m grateful to anyone who walks through those doors and buys something, no matter what they intend to do with the item. Besides, not only are they paying the asking price and contributing to charity, they’re saving something that may otherwise remain unsold for a very long time.

Some people take it too far though, as I’ve heard numerous accounts of people bragging to charity shop staff about the amount they’re going to sell their latest purchase on for. I really don’t understand why these smug idiots feel the need to do it. There the volunteer is, helping to raise money for a worthy cause, and they have these downright rude bas…erm… I mean people…banging on about how they could have got more on Ebay. Cheers for rubbing it in, pal.

What do you think? Do you think it’s fair for people to buy donations with the intention of making a profit? Or do you think they’re snapping up the best items before others get the chance? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

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