Re-selling for more than retail... - Page 7

[bluey]

Originally Posted by Holli

Oh, I bet I can guess who it was! I was thinking to myself all week I bet she was gonna do that! That is just awesome!

Holli

I have a hunch as to who that might be too..

[JohnnysGirl]

Yes, yes she is awesome. Love that mdc mama!

I bought some baby buntings off ebay last summer for my new babe to be warm all winter.... then I just sold them at the flea market for more than I paid for them off ebay! I priced them high because I actually hoped they wouldn't sell--they were just so cute I thought they would attract attention to my baby-clothes-table.

I also sold a hyena item over retail to a friend in a private deal and I know we were both happy, so I guess sometimes supply and demand work out without any drama!

[babygirl24]

Originally Posted by natesmommy126

No one is doing anyone a favor, but as a WAHM I am trying to promote cloth diapering, both for the children and the environment (and many other reasons as well), and if the prices of cloth skyrocket, then we are just going to drive the general public even more towards sposies. That's not a good thing, IMO. I would love to see all children in cloth, even though I know that's not possible in today's society. I also won't/can't afford to work for free. There has to be a balance between it all.

I think that if a hyena diaper price skyrockets it does'nt mean that all diaper prices will. I also think that it's not the sellers fault if an item actually sells for the asking price. A seller can ask all they want, but a buyer has to be willing to pay the price or it would'nt matter. I just don't think it's the sellers fault an item is worth what it is worth and how is it not being nice to sell it for what it is worth??

[hunnybumm]

Originally Posted by kellieblue

Because the seller does not control how high it goes on ebay. Sure, they could set a BIN, and many do. But once a bid is placed, the BIN disappears and the final price of the item is out of the seller's hands. Even if a seller doesn't do a BIN, it is still different than setting a price on the TP. The seller isnt "letting" it go above retail, the bidders are. Very different, IMO.

Actually just because there is a few bids doesn't make the BIN dissapear at least not on a couple auctions I bid on. Once the bid got close to the BIN then someone would probably use the BIN realizing that it was going to at least go that high. I just don't see the ethical difference between the TP and eBay, especially if it is something very very desired (elbee) and it is odvious it will go above retail. I am not saying this is wrong (I stated that in my first post) I just dont see the big difference, the momma is still making over retail. Especially if it is an item that is odviously going to go over retail.

Originally Posted by lindsayloo2020

Well...This statement kinda bugs me. Ever been in a pinch? I personally havent had to sell diapers to make money but...what if you had plenty of money 3 months ago and now u dont...Now u cant sell an item on ebay to get the money back? It just sounds silly to me! You can be rich one month...and poor the next....I dont think there is anything wrong with buying something you can afford just to sell it later if you find ur in a pinch. Sometimes u gotta think about feeding your family or pleasing MDC b/c they dont think I should sell this item....PERSONALLY, Id feed my family, thank you!

I didn't mean it wasn't ok to sell diapers when you are in a financial bind I ment rationalizing that it is ok to sell OVER retail because you "need" the money doesn't make it ok if under normaly circumstances you wouldn't find it to be ok. There were times when I was going to school and had an hour and a half commute and we started pawning stuff for $5 to pay for gass, so I understand. But that doesn't justify doing something you normally wouldn't do. Robbing someone because you need the money for food or to pay bills odviously isn't ok. I don't think selling over retail is stealing, I just couldn't think of a better example.

Originally Posted by KayleeZoo

Just to clarify, I wasn't condoning putting your family in financial jeopardy to buy diapers- I've never done it and never will. I have never had to sell diapers to pay bills or buy food- but I can understand how someone might, like Lindsay pointed out, have money to spend one month and then get in a tight spot a few months down the road. If selling highly sought after cloth diapers will bring in cash flow that your family needs, who wouldn't do that? I needed $200 last Christmas to buy a friend's little girl a bird so I sold a bunch of Fireflies. That was the only thing I had that I could liquidate and not take things away from our family, at that time. I don't think selling to make $$ as long as you're not intentionally taking advantage with a malicious intent unethical.

Again I didn't mean that just because someone had plenty one month then nothing the next that they shouldn't spend their money the way they want. But to make money (over retail) by selling something for more than you bought it for just because you are in need isn't a very good justification in my book. Sell it for what you bought it for is more ethical. We just don't agree on this specific point of ethics.

Originally Posted by Pokey

The auction closed with the final price over retail and she SENT US THE PROFITS! We are still floored.

Thanks again mama...you know who you are.

Now that is an awesome momma!

[binxsmom]

Originally Posted by hunnybumm

And the point that someone made saying she thought it was ok if the momma really "needed" the money for something like bills or food. I don't agree that because the momma needs the money it is ok. She shouldn't have put her self in the possition to have such an expensive item if she couldn't afford it. I don't think the need of money is really an attribute as to whether it is ok or not.

This is JMO.

events do happen that are out of our control. people loose jobs, become temporarily or permanantly disabled, children become ill. lives can be drastically changed overnight. if i needed quick money for an emergency, i'd certainly consider tossing a kiwi on ebay and getting as much for it as possible.

[Aherne]

*my 2 cents*

If you sit there stocking and buy just for kicks, then toss it on ebay/tp and sell for more money... shame on you (but it is still none of my bee's wax!)

If you use the item, and the bidding goes higher than you expected... whoo hoo!!

The idea of "it should be okay because the mama is in desperate need of cash" I have mixed feelings about this. Personally, we all need money for different reasons. I might need it to buy groceries, and the next person might need it for the 20% off Hanna sale, or her glass unicorn collection... who is to say that her cause is more worthy than the next? Should we then go in and ask to see the persons grocery list to decide if those purchases are worthy? who cares!!! Maybe the mama is in need of cash because of some other stupid purchase and now needs grocery money. again, who cares! We are all stewards of our finances and what we spend our money on is our business and is not for someone else to judge if it is worthy or if we are being smart with it.

It reeks of when I was in high school and we had to have fabric for the sewing class. I didnt have job, and didnt have baby sitting money. The teacher had a # of gift certificates from the local fabric store (a donation) for the kids who's parents couldnt afford to buy them the fabric. I fell under that category. But then the teacher asked me...

do your parents smoke?
yes
then they can afford to buy you fabric.

and so I didnt get a gift certificate and had to use a second hand bedsheet from the scrap box (she had besheets for that purpose)

[BBMom]

Originally Posted by Lucysmama

Yeah, like I said....it may be good capitalism, but it sure isn't very nice.

Being nice has nothing to do with it...how many times have people bought diapers, etc and LOST money? That bites when you're the one losing the money.

Our diapering days ended 1 1/2 years ago, and buying and selling diapers for a profit or a loss was not such an issue. You might lose on one deal, but make up for it on another. If you bought diapers for dirt cheap (because you got lucky) and sold them for more...then more power to you. And I KNOW I've lined more than one person's pocket! But it also comes down to supply and demand...if I could not get my hands on a diaper that I really wanted and the opportunity came up to buy one...above retail...well that's my choice to pay that for one...and the person selling has the right to ask what ever she could get. I have NEVER been upset at someone for asking more than what they paid. Cloth diapers are just such a "funny" business...one day a diaper may be popular and the next it's not.

I guess it ticks me off when people start to pressure others to "pass on the savings" or whatever...especially when it comes to diapers, you get what they are going for...it's the nature of the CD business. Nice or not, fair or not...one doesn't have to buy them...but don't get on someone for asking what they can. She can ask above retail...and she can make a profit if someone is willing to pay the price. It's not about trying to stiff a friend (which seems to be the message here).

[TOmomma]

Originally Posted by Aherne

*my 2 cents*

If you sit there stocking and buy just for kicks, then toss it on ebay/tp and sell for more money... shame on you (but it is still none of my bee's wax!)

If you use the item, and the bidding goes higher than you expected... whoo hoo!!

The idea of "it should be okay because the mama is in desperate need of cash" I have mixed feelings about this. Personally, we all need money for different reasons. I might need it to buy groceries, and the next person might need it for the 20% off Hanna sale, or her glass unicorn collection... who is to say that her cause is more worthy than the next? Should we then go in and ask to see the persons grocery list to decide if those purchases are worthy? who cares!!! Maybe the mama is in need of cash because of some other stupid purchase and now needs grocery money. again, who cares! We are all stewards of our finances and what we spend our money on is our business and is not for someone else to judge if it is worthy or if we are being smart with it.

It reeks of when I was in high school and we had to have fabric for the sewing class. I didnt have job, and didnt have baby sitting money. The teacher had a # of gift certificates from the local fabric store (a donation) for the kids who's parents couldnt afford to buy them the fabric. I fell under that category. But then the teacher asked me...

do your parents smoke?
yes
then they can afford to buy you fabric.

and so I didnt get a gift certificate and had to use a second hand bedsheet from the scrap box (she had besheets for that purpose)

I swear you are the most eloquent person here (even if we don't hear from you enough ). And big 2 2 for the whole home ec incident. Teachers who do that should be ashamed.

[mum2tori]

Originally Posted by Aherne

It reeks of when I was in high school and we had to have fabric for the sewing class. I didnt have job, and didnt have baby sitting money. The teacher had a # of gift certificates from the local fabric store (a donation) for the kids who's parents couldnt afford to buy them the fabric. I fell under that category. But then the teacher asked me...

do your parents smoke?
yes
then they can afford to buy you fabric.

and so I didnt get a gift certificate and had to use a second hand bedsheet from the scrap box (she had besheets for that purpose)

Oh that was just WRONG!!!! What a self-rightious (fill in the blank)!! To punish a child for the choices of the parents?!?! It would have been different if she'd asked if You smoked. That just ticks me off. I wonder if that was a prerequisite for being a home-ec teacher... self-rightiousness... I had one too.

I've been reading this thread but haven't really had the time to sit down and type out my thoughts on the whole issue. I have , and several times.

I agree, it is a supply and demand issue. But seeing people purposely pricing stuff extremely higher than the original price... I think is tacky. There is a difference between marking something up to cover the shipping or to the 'current' price i.e. say you bought something from a WAHM at $10 and she now sells it for $15 and its still new... I can see pricing it accordingly. But to just sell something at $40 when it's currently price would be $15 is just tacky IMO. If the price goes that high on an auction that's one thing, the buyers are driving the price up.

I think eBay and the TP are two totally different animals. We've seen some of the threads here that have 'discussed' some of the pricing that sellers have put on eBay items too let us not forget.

The BIN doesn't disappear on an auction that has a Reserve price. Once the reserve is met... the BIN will disappear. If there is no reserve on the item, the BIN will disappear at the first bid.

Yes, we've probably all had sudden 'money crunches' (which could be bills or just needing spending $$ who cares which) but I don't think it justifies turning around and pricing something at some obscenely high price. It reminds me of other boards that are notorious for the FS lists that have the excessive 'sob stories' attached to them to try to sell the items. Especially the ones that post weekly. Sad, sad. But that's a whole other story.

I agree, there are several WAHMs that have been hurt by the sob story from someone wanting an item. They are begged and sometimes bullied into making an item or items for a customer and then BAM the items immediately end up on eBay or TP for sell at a much higher price.

[Pinoikoi]

I posted a fuzbaby wio on the tp once for $35.... I got a couple of pms saying I was charging too much, I responded with a like item I found on a resale website that was asking $85... they said, well, she always sells too high anyway, you can't go off that... I think the item was close to $100 new, so I don't see how EITHER price was too high. I would never have considered selling it for more than the new price, simply because, well, my son PEED on it, but on the other hand, when I adopted Angelo, I would have paid a lot for someone's newborn stash had that been available then and had I had the money, probably well over retail, just because my NEED was so great.

I am not sure where I am going with this exactly, except that generally, I think overpricing is unethical, and if I DID use ebay (which I don't) I would have a "buy it now" option for the price I paid plus shipping as the high end. No one would bid higher than that, right?