FabSwingers.com > Forums > The Lounge > a modern morality tale....
a modern morality tale....
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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Watching Dickinson's Real Deal and a bloke has just cashed in to the tune of £160 on an early 19th century medal that he freely admits he bought last week from a charity stall for £1.
Thoughts please....fair play to him? Or should he share his profit with the charity? Or even when he spotted it, highlighted to the charity their hidden gem? For me it's option three but maybe I'm just an old-fashioned gal  |
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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"They pay their staff, this guy has done this maybe to pay towards a living.
I think its fair game"
Lol in my experience charity shops seem to be run by rheumy-eyed volunteers.
I suspect my take on it is a minority one. |
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"They pay their staff, this guy has done this maybe to pay towards a living.
I think its fair game
Lol in my experience charity shops seem to be run by rheumy-eyed volunteers.
I suspect my take on it is a minority one. "
Lol |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"The charity shop valued it at £1. They got a £1 and turned a profit. Everyone's happy. "
I agree. The fact that he knew it was worth more and so bought it with a view to cashing in is irrelevant.
Perhaps the charity shop should have made a few enquires themselves.
I really don't understand the view of those expecting those that do well to share their good fortune with those that can't be bothered to put in the effort.
He had done his homework, the charity hadn't.
Tough.
Good luck to him. |
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By *avebi48Man
over a year ago
Lordswood |
"The charity shop valued it at £1. They got a £1 and turned a profit. Everyone's happy.
I agree. The fact that he knew it was worth more and so bought it with a view to cashing in is irrelevant.
Perhaps the charity shop should have made a few enquires themselves.
I really don't understand the view of those expecting those that do well to share their good fortune with those that can't be bothered to put in the effort.
He had done his homework, the charity hadn't.
Tough.
Good luck to him."
tend to agree.
If it was at a boot sale would you go back and share your good fortune with the seller?
at the end of the day it was a valid sale and his good fortune. If he'd been wrong he'd be £1 down... |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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It's not often something get by in a charity shop these day's, they have a good sort out before anything goes in the shop anything of high value never sees the front of shop these days |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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If something is worth £1 in market X and £100 in market Y then money can be made taking stuff from market X to Y. If the charity wished to make that money it would employ experts to value their stuff. However, this ends up being too costly as most stuff in charity shops is worthless tat. So it's up to people like this guy to see its worth and pursue whether he can sell it in a different market. In the end... he's earning the money through all his extra effort imo  |
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He should keep the money.
The charity shop got it for nothing.
So if you think the man should give the money to charity then logically you believe that the charity shop should give the money to the original owner who donated it.
I think some thinking is clouded by a subjective morality. |
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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"The charity shop valued it at £1. They got a £1 and turned a profit. Everyone's happy.
I agree. The fact that he knew it was worth more and so bought it with a view to cashing in is irrelevant.
Perhaps the charity shop should have made a few enquires themselves.
I really don't understand the view of those expecting those that do well to share their good fortune with those that can't be bothered to put in the effort.
He had done his homework, the charity hadn't.
Tough.
Good luck to him.
tend to agree.
If it was at a boot sale would you go back and share your good fortune with the seller?
at the end of the day it was a valid sale and his good fortune. If he'd been wrong he'd be £1 down..."
I'm aware it's a valid sale etc etc....and had the seller been a private individual or business I would agree with the 'fair game'sentiment. For me though, it is that the original seller is a charity that changes the morality of the situation. Moral development is a curious thing and in these kind of situations I hear my mum or dad saying in my head 'c'mon man, give the money to the charity'. I'd just feel guilty if I cashed in so much! |
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By *avebi48Man
over a year ago
Lordswood |
"The charity shop valued it at £1. They got a £1 and turned a profit. Everyone's happy.
I agree. The fact that he knew it was worth more and so bought it with a view to cashing in is irrelevant.
Perhaps the charity shop should have made a few enquires themselves.
I really don't understand the view of those expecting those that do well to share their good fortune with those that can't be bothered to put in the effort.
He had done his homework, the charity hadn't.
Tough.
Good luck to him.
tend to agree.
If it was at a boot sale would you go back and share your good fortune with the seller?
at the end of the day it was a valid sale and his good fortune. If he'd been wrong he'd be £1 down...
I'm aware it's a valid sale etc etc....and had the seller been a private individual or business I would agree with the 'fair game'sentiment. For me though, it is that the original seller is a charity that changes the morality of the situation. Moral development is a curious thing and in these kind of situations I hear my mum or dad saying in my head 'c'mon man, give the money to the charity'. I'd just feel guilty if I cashed in so much! "
at the end of the day the thing was probably donated so the shop has made a profit, albeit small... |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Charity shops have volunteers in the shops but anyone higher up draws a wage from it, usually a good one too!
If they all gave their time for free then id tend to agree with you.
Charity work should be just that, charity, free in other words.
The people working hard in the shops are being taken for mugs big time by their managers and seniors.
Even the tin rattlers and door knockers get a wage.
The whole system isnt right to be honest.
Good luck to the guy i say. If the manager did the job they are paid to do then they would have spotted it. |
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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"Charity shops have volunteers in the shops but anyone higher up draws a wage from it, usually a good one too!
If they all gave their time for free then id tend to agree with you.
Charity work should be just that, charity, free in other words.
The people working hard in the shops are being taken for mugs big time by their managers and seniors.
Even the tin rattlers and door knockers get a wage.
The whole system isnt right to be honest.
Good luck to the guy i say. If the manager did the job they are paid to do then they would have spotted it."
All that may be true. I couldn't do it though! |
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The charity shops that I've volunteered in have had people, often volunteers, who are experts in certain fields who check things that come in. In this case I expect a volunteer sorter missed pointing it out to the expert and that's how it slipped through. If it was me I'd happily put a fiver in their donations tin next time but that's about all I've had donations turned down before now so I tend to be a tiny bit cynical. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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I personally would feel a bit guilty like you OP. If I was making a living from buying and selling stuff on then maybe I'd feel differently, but I don't.
Others can do what they like, not saying the guy is wrong, just that I wouldn't. |
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"Good luck to him 
Just wouldn't sit easy with me as it's a charity that's lost out. "
How have they lost out? They only wanted a quid for it and got full asking price. If it wasn't done on TV they'd be none the wiser |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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I don't think he's doing anything wrong keeping the money but if it was me I'd want to give the charity half. After all they are the ones who missed its true value. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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I see the arguments about fair trade and if it were a car boot, fair enough but a charity's trying to raise revenues to assist needs.
Doesn't sit well for me :/ |
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"I see the arguments about fair trade and if it were a car boot, fair enough but a charity's trying to raise revenues to assist needs.
Doesn't sit well for me :/"
But they got what they asked.for it. They saw no further value in it over a pound. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"I see the arguments about fair trade and if it were a car boot, fair enough but a charity's trying to raise revenues to assist needs.
Doesn't sit well for me :/
But they got what they asked.for it. They saw no further value in it over a pound. "
Because they didn't know.
If you had an elderly relative who gave a painting to someone in return for a Victoria sponge cake, and the person swapping cake for painting knew it was a Picasso and didn't say anything, would that be ok?
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"I see the arguments about fair trade and if it were a car boot, fair enough but a charity's trying to raise revenues to assist needs.
Doesn't sit well for me :/
But they got what they asked.for it. They saw no further value in it over a pound.
Because they didn't know.
If you had an elderly relative who gave a painting to someone in return for a Victoria sponge cake, and the person swapping cake for painting knew it was a Picasso and didn't say anything, would that be ok?
"
Yes. My elderly relative only saw the value of that painting as a cake. It would be disappointing and a bit gutting but I don't think the relative should expect anything from the windfall. |
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It depends on the charity.
Before I make any charitable donations, I check the accounts and look at the wage bill and what the senior execs are earning.
I would probably thank fate for my good fortune and make a suitable donation to what I consider to be a worthy cause. |
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By *icketysplitsWoman
over a year ago
Way over Yonder, that's where I'm bound |
What about the person who donated it in the first place?
The shop made the sale. The buyer could have left if it sitting in a cupboard but he had it valued and monetised it. What has that got to do with the charity shop.
I have more problems with the people who "donate" landfill to charity shops who then have to deal with filthy stuff and manage the waste.
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"I see the arguments about fair trade and if it were a car boot, fair enough but a charity's trying to raise revenues to assist needs.
Doesn't sit well for me :/
But they got what they asked.for it. They saw no further value in it over a pound.
Because they didn't know.
If you had an elderly relative who gave a painting to someone in return for a Victoria sponge cake, and the person swapping cake for painting knew it was a Picasso and didn't say anything, would that be ok?
"
I don't think that's an equal comparison.
Charity is big business using big business tactics, the genteel facade presented by charity shops is not representative of the entire operation. In my opinion if they miss a valuable item they need to sharpen up.
Elderly people or vulnerable people of any age don't have the weight and expertise of a huge business organisation behind them. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"I see the arguments about fair trade and if it were a car boot, fair enough but a charity's trying to raise revenues to assist needs.
Doesn't sit well for me :/
But they got what they asked.for it. They saw no further value in it over a pound.
Because they didn't know.
If you had an elderly relative who gave a painting to someone in return for a Victoria sponge cake, and the person swapping cake for painting knew it was a Picasso and didn't say anything, would that be ok?
I don't think that's an equal comparison.
Charity is big business using big business tactics, the genteel facade presented by charity shops is not representative of the entire operation. In my opinion if they miss a valuable item they need to sharpen up.
Elderly people or vulnerable people of any age don't have the weight and expertise of a huge business organisation behind them."
Not all charity is big business or uses "big business" tactics (not that I particularly disagree with that anyway if it makes the best use of the funds donated, but that's by the by).
The OP mentioned buying it from a charity stall. To me that sounds like a jumble sale stall at a church fair or similar, not a glossy City branch of Oxfam. |
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"I see the arguments about fair trade and if it were a car boot, fair enough but a charity's trying to raise revenues to assist needs.
Doesn't sit well for me :/
But they got what they asked.for it. They saw no further value in it over a pound.
Because they didn't know.
If you had an elderly relative who gave a painting to someone in return for a Victoria sponge cake, and the person swapping cake for painting knew it was a Picasso and didn't say anything, would that be ok?
I don't think that's an equal comparison.
Charity is big business using big business tactics, the genteel facade presented by charity shops is not representative of the entire operation. In my opinion if they miss a valuable item they need to sharpen up.
Elderly people or vulnerable people of any age don't have the weight and expertise of a huge business organisation behind them.
Not all charity is big business or uses "big business" tactics (not that I particularly disagree with that anyway if it makes the best use of the funds donated, but that's by the by).
The OP mentioned buying it from a charity stall. To me that sounds like a jumble sale stall at a church fair or similar, not a glossy City branch of Oxfam. "
Well we shall never know where it came from now 
I think this is an interesting discussion though. |
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I've bought quite a few clothes from charity shops some of which are worth five six or many more times what I paid I'm thinking in particular of a brand new leather jacket that was £5, selling things for less than they might fetch elsewhere is what charity shops do isn't it or does that only apply to clothes? |
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Would you consider me morally wrong to have only paid a fiver for my brand new leather jacket then? It saved me about a hundred and fifty quid which I was then able to spend on something else, should I have assumed that the volunteer who priced it wasn't aware of its value? |
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Think a lot of charity shops have got expensive and out pricing them selves how can they have an half price sale any thing they sell must be 100% profit they get it donated. And most things of value gets checked before it goes on sale |
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"Would you consider me morally wrong to have only paid a fiver for my brand new leather jacket then? It saved me about a hundred and fifty quid which I was then able to spend on something else, should I have assumed that the volunteer who priced it wasn't aware of its value?"
I think the issue with the op was that the person saw the item, knew it's value, paid what the shop was asking then sold it. As you have not sold your leather jacket I think your morals are still in tact  |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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The charity shop probably had it donated so they made a large profit (percentage wise) from the sale. The charity shop would probably never have been able to shift it for its true selling price anyway. |
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"The charity shop probably had it donated so they made a large profit (percentage wise) from the sale. The charity shop would probably never have been able to shift it for its true selling price anyway."
They could have sent it to auction. I don't think anyone thinks they'd have popped it in the window display down Croydon high Street  |
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"Would you consider me morally wrong to have only paid a fiver for my brand new leather jacket then? It saved me about a hundred and fifty quid which I was then able to spend on something else, should I have assumed that the volunteer who priced it wasn't aware of its value?
I think the issue with the op was that the person saw the item, knew it's value, paid what the shop was asking then sold it. As you have not sold your leather jacket I think your morals are still in tact "
I knew how much the jacket was worth too and although I didn't sell it I profited indirectly by being able to spend that money on something else. Are the objections to this transaction because it wasn't clothes or because the man made a financial gain rather than practical one? Because let's face many purchases made from charity shops are at below face value. Is it a question of degree? |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"
Well we shall never know where it came from now
I think this is an interesting discussion though."
Blimey yes, was there a cull overnight or something?  Seem to be lots of UNLOS threads this morning. |
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"
Well we shall never know where it came from now
I think this is an interesting discussion though.
Blimey yes, was there a cull overnight or something? Seem to be lots of UNLOS threads this morning."
I don't know if it's the case here obviously but lots of people post thinking there will be nothing but agreement or even praise for what they've said and when lively discussion ensues take it personally and scarper. |
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he may choose not to! his choice
