It is not illegal but is immoral? - Page 15

this is my nic · ‎03-30-2010

I think the OP's friend is one smart cookie! Also, I don't think her business is a threat to the stores she buys from. They are selling things that may not have sold if not for her practices. No problem, IMO!

occasionalrain · ‎03-10-2010

@RainCityWoman Of course she reports, but it's her loss not gain and, assuming she and her husband do a joint tax return, it decreases their burden to the IRS. You can only claim a percentage of your income on donations to charity.

The businesses also take a write off on unsold or much reduced merchandise so her returns aren't a loss for them either.

She's providing access to merchandise some would not have otherwise. If others worked as hard as she seems to work, they would be in the money too.

hckynut · ‎03-10-2010

@Abrowneyegirl

I had friends(now former) that were similar, just not "well off". They had strange/legal ways of doing a lot of things. Some included wasting sales people time having them think they were buying a car/a house yada!

To me your friends "business" falls into the same category. I got tired of telling them what I thought of that behavior and decided to just end the friendship. People taking advantage of other people or businesses, be it for $$$ or their time, are not the type of people I choose for friends.

hckynut

hckynut(john)

lovesrecess · ‎03-14-2010

What she is doing is not illegal. Many people do this full-time as a source of income but most have lower overhead due to selling things from thrift shops and Goodwill, etc. I have a friend who specializes in designer jeans. She buys them at GW for less than $10 and sells them on eBay for up to $75 a pair. She also buys collectibles if she sees them and sells those as well. She has a very good eye for quality and she knows what brands are in demand. She makes good money. How do you think eBay started? I see nothing wrong with what your friend is doing other than not having good business sense to lower her overhead. Sounds like she is investing way to much in her inventory. Many of my teacher friends are Amazon booksellers during the summer to supplement their income during the summer. They buy their books at thrift stores and garage/estate sales and resell them. One of them specializes in children’s books and another sells only books about religion, politics, and social issues. The rest sell whatever they happen to find that they know are classics. She will be put on the “no return list” if she continually returns piles of clothing. Buying that much takes it off the racks and keeps other potential buyers from having access to it, so many stores will put their foot down if she does it too much.

suzykee · ‎04-04-2010

It certainly isn't illegal and not really immoral. BUT it shows her true heart. How sad! She sounds like she is bored & this is a way of entertaining herself since she isn't desperate for money. She needs to get her "south end of a north facing horse" out in the real world but with that kind of attitude it won't ever happen. Hope she never falls on hard times cause she"ll never make it.

RainCityWoman · ‎06-16-2015

@NYC Susan wrote:
@RainCityWoman wrote:
@viva923 wrote:
I may be in the minority here but this is a free country we can purchase what we want, when we want and do whatever we want to do with it. She returns items to the correct store I assume the items that have not been worn or sold and sent back. Sell it, throw it away, give it away. She can do whatever suits her desire.

It may not be the most ethical or best choice but she can do what she wants with any item she purchases.
Yep, it's a free country.My big question is does she pay income tax on the profit she has made on these items? Does she even report that as income? We do have laws in our country regarding that, but maybe they don't apply to rich people who cheat the system.

Why are you assuming she doesn''t pay income tax?

And "rich people who cheat the system"? Wow! That's really offensive. You don't know this woman at all. And, in addition, you're slamming an entire group of people.

If you noticed I said my "big question is." The OP said the woman was wealthy. I said "maybe" the laws don't apply to rich people. It's not as if we haven't seen examples of this in the news on a monthly basis. So sorry you are offended. However, you express YOUR opinion; I'll express mine.

lovesrecess · ‎03-14-2010

Went to a local thrift shop yesterday looking for a book...parked right next to a Tesla. You never really know,

RainCityWoman · ‎06-16-2015

@occasionalrain wrote:
@RainCityWoman Of course she reports, but it's her loss not gain and, assuming she and her husband do a joint tax return, it decreases their burden to the IRS. You can only claim a percentage of your income on donations to charity.
The businesses also take a write off on unsold or much reduced merchandise so her returns aren't a loss for them either.
She's providing access to merchandise some would not have otherwise. If others worked as hard as she seems to work, they would be in the money too.

So you're saying she makes no profit on this venture?

NYC Susan · ‎03-13-2010

@suzykee wrote:
It certainly isn't illegal and not really immoral. BUT it shows her true heart. How sad! She sounds like she is bored & this is a way of entertaining herself since she isn't desperate for money. She needs to get her "south end of a north facing horse" out in the real world but with that kind of attitude it won't ever happen. Hope she never falls on hard times cause she"ll never make it.

You have no idea if she'd "make it" if she fell on hard times, I know quite a few extremely wealthy people who came from nothing. Or had a lot, lost it all, and had to work their way back. They most certainly did "make it", through grit and determination and lots and lots of hard work. But in your opinion this particular woman would "never make it". Hard times very well may be in her past - or in her future, at which time she might manage just fine.

You don't know her, but apparently the fact that she's wealthy puts her in a category that allows you to jump to conclusions. That's unfair.

NYC Susan · ‎03-13-2010

@RainCityWoman wrote:
@NYC Susan wrote:
@RainCityWoman wrote:
@viva923 wrote:
I may be in the minority here but this is a free country we can purchase what we want, when we want and do whatever we want to do with it. She returns items to the correct store I assume the items that have not been worn or sold and sent back. Sell it, throw it away, give it away. She can do whatever suits her desire.

It may not be the most ethical or best choice but she can do what she wants with any item she purchases.
Yep, it's a free country.My big question is does she pay income tax on the profit she has made on these items? Does she even report that as income? We do have laws in our country regarding that, but maybe they don't apply to rich people who cheat the system.

Why are you assuming she doesn''t pay income tax?

And "rich people who cheat the system"? Wow! That's really offensive. You don't know this woman at all. And, in addition, you're slamming an entire group of people.
If you noticed I said my "big question is." The OP said the woman was wealthy. I said "maybe" the laws don't apply to rich people. It's not as if we haven't seen examples of this in the news on a monthly basis. So sorry you are offended. However, you express YOUR opinion; I'll express mine.

What you said was, "rich people who cheat the system". That implies that rich people - specifically this woman - cheat the system. Your post wasn't about tax laws. It was about maligning people who are wealthy.

Yes, I will express my opinion, and you are certainly free to express yours. That's why we're here. I found what you wrote offensive, and that's my opinion.