Recently there was some conversation in one of our Facebook groups about people who resell their stockpile items online. I was slightly surprised to see the opinion of a few members state that reselling items that were purchased with coupons was “unethical”. I disagree with that statement for many reasons. I started How to Shop for Free® for two reasons. Reason one was, I needed a place to write every deal I found and how I was getting it so I could stop repeating myself to friends and family. Reason two was, is and always will be, to help people.
It is easy for others that are not struggling to decide what the limit should be for others. I strongly believe that if you have the power to help yourself (legally) then by all means do so. The question of ethics should be in how they are obtaining the product that they are selling and the selling price of the items. If you are obtaining your items with the appropriate coupons and selling the items at a fair value then who are we to judge. Every business in America buys items from someone somewhere and resells them, its basic supply and demand. The problem for most is that they feel the items that were obtained free or near free should be given away. It sounds reasonable but you may not be looking at the flip side. There are always two sides and if you take the time to look at the other side you may be able to see things a bit differently.
Over the years I have met many people that are struggling, really struggling. I have watched grown men cry on well more than one occasion. It’s heartbreaking to see so many people in need of help that want to help themselves, they want to provide for their family and they do not want to take what they feel is a handout from the government. Couponing has taken these people from a point of despair to be able to provide not only for themselves but feel confident they will not go hungry. Some have also managed to avoid taking what they financially qualify for in government assistance because they no longer need it. To me this is empowering on so many levels. If these same people want to be proactive and resell what they have worked for so they can pay a bill and survive then who are we to judge them?
If you do decide to resell items please keep the following in mind;
- Be sure you are following the rules on the coupon
- Order items in bulk vs. shelf clearing
- Do not price gouge
- Pay it forward. If you have a customer that is clearly struggling, help them out.
What are your thoughts? Please leave me a comment; I would love to hear your friendly opinion on this subject.
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