Money Moral Dilemma: Should I return the money I found in a chair I bought?

sunbeam007

Give it back. They may need it more than you do.

NowVillager

(Not sure that's the OP! Think it's an MSE person making sure the Q's posted anonymously. 😀)

If you've asked the Q, you seem unsure that keeping it would be right. If you still have details contact the previous owner, and if not put it in a charity box or give it to the next homeless person you see.

MalMonroe

I'd have to contact the buyer and tell them. They may say 'keep it' or they may say 'thank you very much' and be very grateful for the return of what is a seemingly small amount.

Some friends of mine once bought a large Readers Digest Do It Yourself book at a car boot sale when they were on holiday and inside they found £500. They didn't know the sellers or where they lived or indeed, anything about them so they kept the money but felt obliged to give most of it away to several different charities.

I just think that if you know where unexpected sums of money came from, it's the honest thing to do to return it. Because it isn't yours. 

Broadsword66

Depends on who it was bought from, under what circumstances, and how much money was involved.

If I’d bought it from or via a business (a shop or auction) and it was just a few quid behind a cushion I’d have no qualms about keeping the money. Caveat venditor! 

However, if I’d bought it from a little old lady and it was serious folding cash, I’d probably contact the seller, offer up the money and bask in the glow of doing a good deed.
No clear answer, just a sliding scale of “lucky find” versus “guilty conscience”. 

Samphirem

I'd stick the money in an envelope and pop it through their letter box with a note since they are local. 

Winterqueen

If I was the seller I wouldn’t expect it to be returned. If you feel uneasy about it pop it in a charity box.

Paje

100 % keep the money. You can't be sure that the seller hadn't had the chair long and it was from a previous owner.

anotheruser

No.
For less than £20, it'll be barely worth the effort.

shzl400

Bloomin" 'eck, you lot, call yourselves moneysavers?

OP bought the chair from a stranger, the chair and everything in it are theirs. No MMD about it! 

She put in the effort to dig the cash out. You could view it as added value by dint of her labour, same as if she had upcycled it.

jrio

knightstyle said:

This reminds me of a friend who bought a washing machine from someone, shortly after buying it stopped working and he took the back off and found bundles of cash, nearly £1500 in total, he went back to the seller to find the police had raided the house and all the residents had fled.
Some money was used to buy a TV and some went to the Guide pack to pay for a trip to the potteries.

First time I've heard of a case of literal money laundering.