Money Moral Dilemma: I resold a dress I bought in a charity shop - should I my profits with them?

ripongrammargirl

Let’s be honest here. You are really asking strangers to justify if it’s ok to keep the profit made.
Only you can answer that and I’m guessing that as you are asking strangers for their opinion then you feel you should give back to the charity but you want us to say, no keep the cash!
Not really a dilemma is it? A real dilemma is something like which credit card do I pay this month as we live on disability or is it better to pay gas or water bill as we can only afford one…. Etc. 
Your choice and only you can decide which moral option is best for you. 

[Deleted User]

You weren't being charitable when you bought the dresses, you didn't do it to support the charity, you bought them because you liked them and thought they were a bargain, and that's why you'd go back again.  And that's fine, but having sold one of them for double what you paid it would be a generous gesture to donate, say a third of what you made, you'd still make £20 profit on an outlay of only £30.  You don't have to, of course, but you could actually support the charity who helped you make £20, and sold you two dresses you do like, at a bargain price.

Andrea9876

You already helped the charity  when you bought the dress they got for free. Some charity shops take returns. You might have done that and they would have had to refund you.

Cinde

Well, as far as I'm concerned,  you've already donated to the charity by purchasing the dress from them. I say, the profit's yours. Enjoy!

noideapleasehelp

How lovely that you have thought about this, and have taken time-out to post this to MoneySavingExpert as a moral dilemma.  It says a lot about you as a person and how you recognise that you've made a profit that the charity hasn't benefitted from which has set you thinking is it the right thing to do?  And, you've suggested should you a) give the profit money back to the charity or b) keep shopping their to ensure you give them your support.

I hope someone else from a charity will give their perspective on things particularly regarding gift aid.

I would suggest to you that if you are financially secure and have no worries at all about your financial future (few of us fit into that bracket), then just make a donation to the charity, and make sure you sign the form for gift aid so that the charity can benefit from the govt scheme I think is still in place where someone who pays tax, enables charities to get the extra tax benefit for the good(s) from the government.

Charities are a bit like car-boot sales, sellers can't get market value for items, so they have to reduce the prices substantially just so that they can sell them and get some money in.  Charities can't know what that price will be, they all now seem to do research to get an idea, but at the end of the day, they have benefitted from a kind person who has given them the items and they have managed to sell them and you buying from them, has benefitted the charity.  

You made a profit on a dress you re-sold on over the internet or whatever means you did this.  The fact you decided to re-sell, rather than put the dress in skip is to be applauded.  Yes, you could have given it back to the charity because you didn't want it, but then you would be out of pocket.  You did the leg-work and admininstration to get the dress on the site you got the profit from, and you benefitted from by more than you thought on this occasion.  Tomorrow, you might put another dress-up, you've decided isn't right for you, and you'll not get so much money, and may even make a loss and just decide that you are more interested in the item being passed on rather than going to a skip and contribute to the massive amount that we all put into landfill that we still don't understand the impact of doing this for future generations.

I wonder if your post wasn't just about ... I got more money than I expected, but more about, if I do this and we all do this going forward, and accidentally benefit, should we keep doing it and the answer is most definitely "YES".  If you and other's like you manage to recycle anything and stops it going into landfill, and yes, you make a profit, at the end of the day, surely, it's better that someone out there who likes what you have and wants it, buys it and makes use of it.

I've just had to clear my lovely Mum's flat of all her possessions over decades because she's gone into a care home and I need to pay her care home fees.  Although beautiful things none of the auctioneers, or even many charities would take her things.  So I did something I'd never done and did a car-boot sale for items that 10 years ago would go to auction for hundreds of pounds.  I sold these items for mostly £1 to £3.  

A bit like charities, although Mum's things were worth so much more, I just wanted to make sure they went to a person who loved them, and if they didn't love them, knew more than me to get them a profit and sell them on to others who would love them.  Yes, of course, it's hard when you sell an 18th century plate that was a prized possession your Mum owned that should have been worth more ... and perhaps that plate might turn-up on Antiques Roadshow as being worth loads of money, but at the end of the day, when people like me give things to charity or sell in a car-boot, we are sort of aware that perhaps they are worth more. 

The most important thing is, you sold an item that was wanted by someone who is now enjoying it.  It didn't go to landfill, it didn't get into the material recycle pool.  Someone is wearing that item and loving it!

You made a profit, you didn't intend to make a profit, that was a bi-product of you making sure that item is still in circulation and has not gone to landfill.

Keep the money, and keep supporting the charity shop, as you may get other items that you'll love for awhile and then sell on and keeping that going benefit not only the charity but also the planet.

Oh, but if you are one of those lukcy people who turn-up on the Antiques Road show saying "I paid £!" and get a valuation of £3,000 plus -- then sorry, at that point, yes, you need to keep a bit for yourself but then donate a nice sum to the charity that you bought that from.

All the best to you, you've raised an interesting dilemma, which isn't just about money but about so much more

Gosportmum

It's bothering you, hence you are asking the question. Donate the charity half your profit and add gift aid too. Win, win all round.

KarenMcC

Is it just because it’s a charity shop or would you be sending a payment to M&S if you got a sale item that you resold for more?

Things are only worth what someone is prepared to pay for it. The charity shop sold the dress at a price they felt was reasonable for it and that they were happy to get in exchange for it.

You resold it and someone wanted it that little bit more than to let someone else have it for £30.

That extra money is yours to do with as you please. If you feel the charity shop could have got more for the dress if they’d displayed it for more then give them the difference, or don’t.

If you feel charitable and aren’t minding the pennies, offload any guilt and give them it anyway, or don’t.

There’s no real dilemma unless it’s leaving you without. In which case charity begins at home, no point you donating yourself out of a dinner some night.

ducatidemon100

Ignoring the fact the "Moral Dilemma" may be a MSE staff production, if you are not in any hardship (you spent £90 on 3 dresses) then if I were in your position, I would gift some more to the charity, or you could choose another charity close to your heart. But I seem to be in a minority here. If you bought it in a sale from, say, Next, that's different.
I did once barter in a charity shop - the item was at a fairly high price (I would guess the staff found one sold somewhere online at the price) but it had been in their window for over a month. I think I paid £100.

04Felix15

Do what you feel inside to do ! 

Chasidah123

You put the effort in to both advertise and sell your item. You, therefore, deserve the reward. The charity shop sold the item at a high price- it wasn't exactly in the £1 sale rail! You seem to have a caring nature and feel the need to give something back. Instead of a cash donation from your profit, why not donate some unwanted items to the charity shop. They'll make money, you'll feel satisfied, someone else will bag a bargain. A win all round!