Stoopid Goodwill! (A Rant)

[Daria]

There is this one guy that shops at the store where I work that comes in and buys records. Now the lady that is in charge of the records has a pretty good eye for valuable records ($10 or so or more), and puts those in the case, throws away any scratched up/ratty records, and the rest she puts on the floor. This guy though comes in periodically to buy records, but when he really buys is on record sale days. He comes in the day before the sale near closing time and goes through all the records. He then lumps all the records he wants in one section so that when we open at 10am he walks right in, grabs his records, and pays. Since he owns a music store he counts as a dealer so we have to (we don't volunteer, he demands) no tax. No tax on 50 cent records. When that day they are 75% off, making them 13 cents. Nobody in the store likes him but hey, he buys a lot of records.

Bottom line - don't be like this guy. Especially at a thrift store. The employees will remember you and despise you.

So why not just move his records around after closing? Or mix in some real/funny crap in with his "Pile"?

>.>

[pseudonym]

I buy mostly books, magazines, PC games, and records from thrifts; they're still dirt cheap compared to games/electronics and I can usually find something good when I look around.

Regarding records, most of the ones they put into those showcases are $10-20 from any recognizable group from the last 40 years - mostly the sleeves are trashed and the records look like it an ice skate was used on it, basically in other words, unplayable and largely useless.

I found some Jazz and Psych records a few week ago in good shape that weren't in the showcase. I was pretty happy when I bought them plus 10 or so others for $1 each.

That being said, I've seen a lot of "weirdos" in thrift shops looking for records. People that talk to themselves, and unfriendly ones that as soon as you get close to their pile of records will try to cover them or move them to the other side.

[Porksta]

So why not just move his records around after closing? Or mix in some real/funny crap in with his "Pile"?

>.>

We do it sometimes, but it isn't really worth the hassle. I just think it is funny that a guy does all of this for 13 cent records. He always hassles the record lady, asking if anything new has come in and pretty much always asking if he can come back and look at the records we haven't put out. Probably the worst is when he grabs a pile of records, sits down at a table (which is for sale) and opens up his price guide and goes through the records one by one. Again, 50 cent records, usually less if it is a sale day.

[NayusDante]

If you're going to mix up the guy's record pile, just swap the actual records and leave the sleeves in order. I'm sure your store has a whole stack of Englebert Humperdink just begging for a new home. Every thrift I've been to sure does.

Records are a funny thing. I know my local Goodwill has one or two Elvis releases in the case, marked $15. All other records are $0.76, though I got a big bag of 45s for $5~ once.

What's funny is when I see common stuff like 70s rock bands that still get airplay stuck in the "priced as marked" bin, while the stuff I listen to is in the cheap boxes.

If you guys think it's annoying when you see CDs missing/stolen from cases, take up record collecting. You don't know disappointment until you find empty 12" single sleeves somewhere. There's a stack of Depeche Mode single sleeves that will sit there forever, and I'm still mad. How in the world does anyone steal 12" records? Wait, nevermind. I don't even want to know...

[GOLDEN KEYS]

prices at goodwill aren't set in stone for all locations so i don't think it's fair to bash the entire franchise because your local store raised the prices a buck or two. it just depends on who was working when the game was set out, just like the dude who used to work at goodwill said earlier in the thread...


$22.99 for a bare Genesis deck is insane.

i saw a bare genesis at a goodwill this past weekend for $2.99. over the past two months, i've picked up three atari 2600 systems from goodwill. the first two were $9.99 and then this past weekend i picked up another for $12.99. i immediately took that one to my local used book/game store and sold it for $25 in store credit (it blows my mind that anyone would pay $50 for an atari 2600 with no games or accessories). also, i recently picked up a complete sega saturn with a game for $9.99 at a goodwill half off day.

i visit 3-4 different goodwill stores a week and i'll admit that more often than not i don't find anything worthwhile... but then again, i'm not a morning person and the stores have usually been picked over by the time i roll out of bed and make the saturday rounds in the afternoon.

[GOLDEN KEYS]

over the past two months, i've picked up three atari 2600 systems from goodwill. the first two were $9.99 and then this past weekend i picked up another for $12.99.

oh yeah, one thing that did irritate me about the goodwill where i found the last 2600 is that they tried to sell each piece of the system individually. i found the bare system and my wife and i proceeded to track down each piece and shove it under the tape that was wrapped around the system holding the cord in place. after checking the power adapter rack, we found the atari power cord marked at $2. the controller was thrown on a heap of controllers in another section. we tore off all the stickers and didn't have to pay extra. ive seen other goodwills do that with console controllers but never with the power adapters.

[ryborg]

If the parts about haggling at thrift stores are about me, I won't haggle at thrifts but will haggle at yard sales, swap meet etc, sorry I didn't clarify that. I agree that it is wrong to try to bargain at thrift stores.

Yeah, haggling with thrift stores is pretty pathetic. HOWEVER, when I see stuff like this as I did today, it makes my brain hurt:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v176/vecede/other/Image000nes.jpg

Yeah, that's an NES Action Set complete in box (no foam) with hookups, Game Genie and 15 loose, ultra-common games for $150. At a thrift store. In a really poor neighborhood. That's had the same loose PS1 system with no power cord for $9 for four months now.

Not to mention the low-grade masking tape that's needlessly all over the box. Good luck getting that off without doing a lot of cosmetic damage.

[Sonicwolf]

A thrift store near my place was selling NES light guns for 15 dollars each. LOL

Pretty horrifying pricing issue if you ask me. Just like that above post. Either the people when on eBay and blindly wrote down a random price or just hoped that a 23 year old game system was really worth that much.

[Atarileaf]

I buy mostly books, magazines, PC games, and records from thrifts; they're still dirt cheap compared to games/electronics and I can usually find something good when I look around.

Regarding records, most of the ones they put into those showcases are $10-20 from any recognizable group from the last 40 years - mostly the sleeves are trashed and the records look like it an ice skate was used on it, basically in other words, unplayable and largely useless.

I found some Jazz and Psych records a few week ago in good shape that weren't in the showcase. I was pretty happy when I bought them plus 10 or so others for $1 each.

That being said, I've seen a lot of "weirdos" in thrift shops looking for records. People that talk to themselves, and unfriendly ones that as soon as you get close to their pile of records will try to cover them or move them to the other side.

Yea, what the hell is that?

[Atarileaf]

oh yeah, one thing that did irritate me about the goodwill where i found the last 2600 is that they tried to sell each piece of the system individually. i found the bare system and my wife and i proceeded to track down each piece and shove it under the tape that was wrapped around the system holding the cord in place. after checking the power adapter rack, we found the atari power cord marked at $2. the controller was thrown on a heap of controllers in another section. we tore off all the stickers and didn't have to pay extra. ive seen other goodwills do that with console controllers but never with the power adapters.

Value Village does that all the time. Drives me nuts.

[JohnnyBlaze]

what if i wanted just a copy of super mario, but it was 4 bucks? terribad.

I'm sure everyone here will agree with me when I say that the price on Super Mario Bros has gone waaaay up in recent years because people used to buy a TON of the carts at 10 cents a piece and reuse the shells.

Now, that the retro gaming boom is in full effect, the demand is so great and there are fewer copies than before, so naturally the price raises.

BTW, it's not just Goodwill. My local thrift store is a part of a chain called Unique Thrift Stores. Our stuff used to be CHEAP! My friend once got boxed copies of Zelda, Dragon Power, Contra, Super C, Ninja Gaiden, and Tecmo Bowl for $20 all together! I used to get records there for a buck.

Now, they sell Madden 93 for FIVE BUCKS! Records are $10, and broken Genesis' are $30!

We can blame it on a different reason. Bums and crackheads. Yes, you heard right! BUMS AND CRACKHEADS! When the games were a dollar each, they used to come in and buy a few of them and trade in at the mom and pop store across the street for $6 cash. So, they'd walk in with about $10 worth of games from across the street and get $60. Then, they'd go back and do it again! So, the same games that were at the thrift for a buck are now $20 across the street!

Which is why we get LESS games there now and why when we do, they cost a bit.

I wished for a fucking thrift to come here and when it finally does, shit like THIS happens. It's enough to drive a person insane!

[BetaWolf47]

We can blame it on a different reason. Bums and crackheads. Yes, you heard right! BUMS AND CRACKHEADS! When the games were a dollar each, they used to come in and buy a few of them and trade in at the mom and pop store across the street for $6 cash. So, they'd walk in with about $10 worth of games from across the street and get $60. Then, they'd go back and do it again! So, the same games that were at the thrift for a buck are now $20 across the street!

Which is why we get LESS games there now and why when we do, they cost a bit.

I wished for a fucking thrift to come here and when it finally does, shit like THIS happens. It's enough to drive a person insane!
A different reason? Isn't that the same exact thing as flipping?

Still though, flippers aren't as bad as the scumbags who STEAL from thrift stores. Like my friend said, if CD games are priced $2 and under, how cheap do you have to be to just steal it? I've seen a copy of Metal Gear Solid in pristine shape with no discs in it. I wouldn't even be as angry if the thief had just bought the game and flipped it, because the Goodwill would've still gotten its money and the guy would've made off with more.

[sebastiankirchoff]

Records are a funny thing. I know my local Goodwill has one or two Elvis releases in the case, marked $15. All other records are $0.76, though I got a big bag of 45s for $5~ once.

At a Goodwill near me, they have some Christmas Elvis album for 20 bucks, while they have stacks and stacks of records for 50 cents each. I usually look through them for good stuff (which is rare, though I occasionally find good stuff) and if I am really lucky, I may come across a missplaced LaserDisc or two.

[jb143]

Here's a new one. One of the Goodwills near me started flipping the paper title sleeve over in disc game cases and writting what the disc inside really is in sharpie on the back. For example, there were plenty of PS2 RPG cases with stuff like "Dora the Explorer - GameCube" written on them.


Usually most cart based games are $4 around here regaurdless of what they are. Which is usually a pretty good deal for some and fair for most others. This one day though, they had quite a few good NES games and the prices were all over the place(most were between $8 and $20). There were several I wanted including Metroid but it was $15 for just the cart. I asked the manager (who happened to be at the register talking to the cashier at the time) why the prices were so different and she said, and I quote, "Cuz sumofem's harder ta' get dan udders". I left without any games and the next week(and ever sense) all cart games were back to $4. None of the ones from that day were there though. From hearing them talk I got the feeling that they were saving the games for themselfs.

I've had very few problems at Goodwill though and have found many great deals there and have added to my collection tremendously. Probally more issues with rude customers than the store itself.

[JohnnyBlaze]

A different reason? Isn't that the same exact thing as flipping?

Still though, flippers aren't as bad as the scumbags who STEAL from thrift stores. Like my friend said, if CD games are priced $2 and under, how cheap do you have to be to just steal it? I've seen a copy of Metal Gear Solid in pristine shape with no discs in it. I wouldn't even be as angry if the thief had just bought the game and flipped it, because the Goodwill would've still gotten its money and the guy would've made off with more.

It's what they're flipping for and the store trying to prevent them from doing so. They want to score their next hit and WE have to pay because of that.

[ryborg]

We can blame it on a different reason. Bums and crackheads. Yes, you heard right! BUMS AND CRACKHEADS! When the games were a dollar each, they used to come in and buy a few of them and trade in at the mom and pop store across the street for $6 cash. So, they'd walk in with about $10 worth of games from across the street and get $60.

Yeah man, fuck the homeless for not breaking any laws or begging and instead being enterprising! It's ridiculous that the homeless people don't even consider your needs as a collector first. What a world we live in...

[Gameguy]

Yeah, haggling with thrift stores is pretty pathetic. HOWEVER, when I see stuff like this as I did today, it makes my brain hurt:
Sometimes at Value Village if something doesn't sell in a week or two, they might be willing to reduce the price a bit lower. I don't really see asking for a lower price at a thrift store as being low, if something is still there after a week or two it had to be priced too high, if something is priced fair it will sell. Between thrift stores and people from classified ads/yard sales I'd rather give more money to a person who owned and took care of their stuff, rather than a business that treats it/you like crap. That's what I'd like for myself, if I had old games that I didn't use anymore I'd hope someone would pay me a fair amount for them, so I try to do the same for other people in the same situation.

Haggling in itself isn't a bad thing to do, it's the way someone does it that makes the difference. It also really depends on who the person is or what the business is like. I know someone mentioned game stores previously, but those can really vary. There's sleazy stores and quality ones, different business practices do make a difference. There was a game store near me(now closed up) that knowingly bought stolen games while I was browsing in it, obviously that's not a good store to give business to.

[thom_m]

I read all that stuff about flippers and couldn't stop thinking about a pun on NOFX's song The Quitter:

"You flip, you're shit, you're a flipper, and no one likes you!"

And, really, you guys should be glad you have Goodwills at all. There's nothing even similar around here, unfortunately...

[Porksta]

Man, I popped into work today since I have been on vacation and wanted to see what was up. On my video game shelf was four DS games including Pokemon Platinum and New Super Mario Bros. I opened them up and it looks like a community service worker stole em all. There goes $50 for charity. At least it means I can bring the cases home.

[Atarileaf]

At a Goodwill near me, they have some Christmas Elvis album for 20 bucks, while they have stacks and stacks of records for 50 cents each. I usually look through them for good stuff (which is rare, though I occasionally find good stuff) and if I am really lucky, I may come across a missplaced LaserDisc or two.

I love looking through Cd's in the hopes of coming across TG-16 games. Just happened this past week that I picked up Military madness and Battle Royale because they were put in with the CD's.

[Blur2040]

blankblankblankblankblankblankblank

[Steve W]

I love looking through Cd's in the hopes of coming across TG-16 games. Just happened this past week that I picked up Military madness and Battle Royale because they were put in with the CD's.
I've only found Turbo games like that in three instances. The first time I got 6 games I didn't have, and the second and third time the cases were empty since the games had been stolen. :angry:

[darkslime]

I've only found Turbo games like that in three instances. The first time I got 6 games I didn't have, and the second and third time the cases were empty since the games had been stolen. :angry:don't forget ps1 games, those get stuffed in the cds too.

[ryborg]

don't forget ps1 games, those get stuffed in the cds too.

Dreamcast too. Half of my DC collection is from the $.99 CD pile.

[Jimmy Yakapucci]

Dreamcast too. Half of my DC collection is from the $.99 CD pile.

I wish my Goodwill had a $.99 CD pile. Here they are all $3.33 for some unknown reason. At least they usually price the CD based games at $2.

JY

[DigitalSpace]

I wish my Goodwill had a $.99 CD pile. Here they are all $3.33 for some unknown reason.

JY

Around here, they're $3.99 at some stores and $4.99 at the others. They do mark them down if they're disc only or missing liner notes (one GW marks disc-only CDs at 99 cents).

[Atarileaf]

don't forget ps1 games, those get stuffed in the cds too.

Yea, got a nice Castlevania SOTN for $2.99 this way. :D

[ryborg]

I wish my Goodwill had a $.99 CD pile. Here they are all $3.33 for some unknown reason. At least they usually price the CD based games at $2.

JY

Actually, I wasn't specifically referring to GW, but to a local independent thrift chain. There are three in my immediate area, and all are great and (usually) fairly priced. The GWs in my area are just awful in terms of selection, although their prices are cheap ($1.49 for all disc-based media, $.25 for books, etc). Who'd have thought that the ghetto of one of the poorest cities in the country wouldn't donate good stuff?

[DigitalSpace]

So I'm at Goodwill yesterday, and I see a complete copy of Daytona USA for the Saturn for $3.99. On the front of the case, there's a small piece of masking tape that read "50¢"

It's amusing that nobody bothered to remove that before putting the game out. It also made me wonder if it was part of some unsold yard/garage/whatever sale stuff that ended up being donated to Goodwill, or if (most likely) someone had purchased it at a yard/garage sale and never removed the tag before it ended up at GW.

[GOLDEN KEYS]

Classy. It's not "extra" when that's what they want to charge for it. Would you change the price if they had them all bundled together for the total price of all of the individual items?

so according to your moronic logic (i'm guessing we can thank your 7th grade education for that), should goodwill start charging for everything that comes in by the piece?

hell, let's just give them 3 dollars for a vhs case and 5 dollars for the tape itself. when it comes to cd's, let's give them 2 bucks for the sleeve, 2 bucks for the disc and 2 bucks for the case. maybe we should pay them even more because it will almost be like a fun little game, hunting down each piece scattered throughout the store!

[Cornelius]

so according to your moronic logic (i'm guessing we can thank your 7th grade education for that), should goodwill start charging for everything that comes in by the piece?

hell, let's just give them 3 dollars for a vhs case and 5 dollars for the tape itself. when it comes to cd's, let's give them 2 bucks for the sleeve, 2 bucks for the disc and 2 bucks for the case. maybe we should pay them even more because it will almost be like a fun little game, hunting down each piece scattered throughout the store!
Dude, Blur is right. You stole from Goodwill. Petty theft, and really damn petty at that. One of my regular thrifts always has ac adapters hanging together in one section, separate from the systems or whatever. Standard procedure. But even if it weren't standard, even if it was only because they didn't know better, you still stole those items. By your logic, the douches that steal CDs/PS1 games out of cases have every right, because I'm sure by their logic they don't need the case/liner notes, so why should they have to pay for them? Or maybe "I bought my PS1 here, so any PS1 game I find should be free for me".

Clearly you've justified your theft, so I realize this is no use, but you of all people have no basis to call someone else 'moronic'.

[Jimmy Yakapucci]

My Goodwill will sometime separate items and label them individually. The one that really irritated me was a home theater system. They had each of the 5 speakers with their own price and the DVD player with its own price. By the time you added it up, it was almost as expensive as if you had bought it new at Wal-Mart.

JY

[mobiusclimber]

My Goodwill will sometime separate items and label them individually. The one that really irritated me was a home theater system. They had each of the 5 speakers with their own price and the DVD player with its own price. By the time you added it up, it was almost as expensive as if you had bought it new at Wal-Mart.

JY

Not only that, but half the time someone buys ONE PIECE that you need! It's not just expensive of them to separate all the parts out, it's also stupid. If there's a bare console and no cords to be found anywhere, who'd buy the console?

The local Seattle Goodwill sells on Ebay and Amazon, and you can look them up if you don't believe (they're SeattleGoodwill on Ebay!). Almost anything good at them gets thrown up online. They tend to bundle a bunch of disparate games together and, instead of just taking one pic and listing all the games, will take a billion pics of every game and let that be the entire listing. So they waste money doing all this, and those games are never out on the floor for people shopping to purchase.

See, a thrift store, in my eyes, doesn't just have a responsibility to its charity. They have a responsibility to the community. When they price gouge, when they sell online, they're hurting the community. Growing up as a kid, my Christmases were made up almost exclusively with stuff from thrift stores. Now places like Goodwill think they're a regular old STORE and not a THRIFT store. The word CHEAP is practically in the title! (Look up the word "thrift" if you aren't following me.)

I've heard lots of talk about people "flipping" games but, cry as you might over it, it's a fact of life. Some do it to help make ends meet, others so that they can build their collection (because they wouldn't be able to do so on their salary). Still some others do it purely out of "greed," wanting more money. SO WHAT? These people ARE part of the community, and the thrift stores have as much responsibility to them as to anyone else in the community.

I'm not saying that any thrift store needs to have bargain basement prices. But I find it flat out disgusting that the local Seattle Goodwill sells any decent game on Ebay, then games that they KNOW won't sell on Ebay for the insane amounts they want are what gets put out on the floor. $80 for a CIB Genesis? OH FUCK YEAH! $4 apiece for the most common, poor condition cart only games? SURE, WHY NOT? If this was simple ignorance, that would be one thing. But we've already established that they KNOW the prices on this stuff since they SELL ON EBAY. The only reason those things AREN'T on Ebay is because they know no one would buy them at those prices!

And then that CIB Genesis will go right into the trash because no one's willing to buy it at that price, or the half price that it eventually will go to being before being tossed into the garbage.

You can disrespect "flippers" all you like, but what's worse: a flipper, or someone who intentionally tries to price gouge the poor? Not only is Seattle Goodwill not serving the community, they're trying to rip them off! Knowingly.

Having said all that, the original topic was about price stickers. I've found the local Goodwills (there's one in Ballard that's a lot better than the "Seattle" Goodwill) have very easy to remove price stickers that don't leave any sticky residue or anything behind. Value Village, on the other hand, uses a huge sticker that is impossible to remove, and even puts that stick right over the label on cart games. I've asked them numerous times not to do that, but they continue to. Sometimes they'll bag cart only games, but not always. It also ruins jewel cases, dvd cases, etc.

[Blur2040]

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[GOLDEN KEYS]

Dude, Blur is right. You stole from Goodwill. Petty theft, and really damn petty at that. One of my regular thrifts always has ac adapters hanging together in one section, separate from the systems or whatever. Standard procedure. But even if it weren't standard, even if it was only because they didn't know better, you still stole those items. By your logic, the douches that steal CDs/PS1 games out of cases have every right, because I'm sure by their logic they don't need the case/liner notes, so why should they have to pay for them? Or maybe "I bought my PS1 here, so any PS1 game I find should be free for me".

Clearly you've justified your theft, so I realize this is no use, but you of all people have no basis to call someone else 'moronic'.


no, you are wrong. very wrong... and that is an absolutely horrible analogy.

cd's and ps1 games, when purchased new, come with the liner notes and cases. that is part of the product. really, you just proved my point. it's wrong to take away the cd from the case because that is part of the product and it needs to be sold like that. just like if i were to buy that atari or any game system new... it would come with a power supply and a controller and that is how it should be sold. if goodwill decided to charge extra for ps1 liner notes and jewel cases and separate them all over the store, would you be okay with that?

how many systems do you know of that don't come with a power supply or or controller? they receive the items as a set and should sell it as such.

when you bought your ps1 new, did it come with unlimited free ps1 games? what does stealing games have to do with me throwing in the basic items that the system requires to run properly? there was no point for you to make that remark about stealing ps1 games... it doesn't apply here. perhaps if i stole a bunch of atari games... but you're getting a little off track.

[GOLDEN KEYS]

Clearly you've justified your theft, so I realize this is no use, but you of all people have no basis to call someone else 'moronic'.

also, you might want to check those reading comprehension skills, i didn't call him moronic... i said his logic was moronic.

[Kyle15]

I have most of the same problems you guys have with thrift stores, so talking about those is sort of not needed by me at this point.

Anyway, I was in the local "Alabama Thrift Store" a couple of days ago. They just put out a complete in case vintage Beatles 13 LP set. It was the really old one in the dark blue box with a golden logo on it, the one released quite a few years ago.
Well, it had a big yellow piece of paper on it, and exactly as it appeared, here's what was written:

"VINTAGE BEATLES 13 LP SET! $229.99! AS SEEN ON EBAY FOR OVER $350!"

When I saw this my jaw dropped to the floor. What makes them think they can sell something for this much in a THRIFT store because it goes for that much on EBAY?!
If one wants to sell something for eBay prices, you sell on eBay. Simple as that.
Thrift stores aren't eBay.

I thought about saying something to the manager, but decided that it wasn't worth it.
If it doesn't sell, the manager will probably take it home and make the money for themself on eBay.

[Blur2040]

You know what, it's best that I say nothing further.

[ToddofDoom]

That is your opinion. They see otherwise. Some people could use a power supply separately, some people could use a controller separately. You've never seen a bundle in a store somewhere and wished that you could have one thing out of it? You've never had a console without a controller, power supply or AV cable?

Imagine, for a second that you weren't a collector. Imagine being a child and going to Goodwill with your poor grandmother and buying a video game system and getting all giddy. Then fifteen minutes getting home and realizing you don't have everything you need to play the system because the Goodwill split everything up.

Then imagine the possible frustration a six year old and elderly grandmother might face when they attempt to get the equipment they need. Especially if the system didn't have a manual.

This is why it is wrong for Goodwill to split up systems. I think that elderly grandmother and six year old is who Goodwill is trying to help out, not some super knowledgeable collector who knows what power supply, AV cables, and controllers they need.

I'm not sure if there is anything anyone could say to convince me that splitting everything up would be the right thing to do.

[ryborg]

That is your opinion. They see otherwise. Some people could use a power supply separately, some people could use a controller separately. You've never seen a bundle in a store somewhere and wished that you could have one thing out of it? You've never had a console without a controller, power supply or AV cable?

Seriously, though, forgetting opinions on what should come with a game system, do you really see nothing wrong with removing price tags and cramming things together so that you pay a lesser price? Really? You don't see how that could possibly be considered stealing? Just because you mentally group these items together, you think you're allowed to knock the price down? Anything for which you can come up with a logical reason to tape together gets a price cut?

As Cornelius said, you've justified your actions, so theres no convincing you, but if this continues on, I think you'll see that pretty much everyone would disagree with what you're doing.

As a sidenote, you said I use moronic logic and suggested that I had a seventh grade education. I don't think Cornelius was jumping to any conclusions by saying that you were calling me a moron.

Edit: If some mod or whatnot wants to excise this little discussion from this thread, it's fine by me. I know it's distracting and totally pointless. In fact, I don't even know why I replied here. I suppose I find it fascinating that someone's opinion can be so far off of mine when I feel that my opinion is pretty damn sound.

I know you just edited your post to remove it, but I was in mid-reply agreeing with you.

I didn't see GOLDEN KEYS' original post, because I don't read his posts, but it's not an opinion that removing price tags and making your own video game lots at a thrift store is stealing. If he was caught doing that on camera, he would have a hell of a time justifying that to the police.

Again, ripping off a thrift store is pretty pathetic.

[ryborg]

Imagine, for a second that you weren't a collector. Imagine being a child and going to Goodwill with your poor grandmother and buying a video game system and getting all giddy.

Oh please. It's caveat emptor at any thrift store.

[NayusDante]

I think that this is actually a good discussion, despite some obvious animosity developing as it goes on. Charities and non-profits are very odd things to begin with, so it's not surprising that we can argue about this kind of thing.

It might be helpful if we all take a step back and evaluate just what exactly a thrift shop is. Now, before you formulate your definition, know that there's several definitions, because "thrift shop" has become a catchall term. A charity may operate a thrift shop in order to produce a profit on DONATED items, meaning their profit margin is 100% before operating costs, assuming the employees are volunteers. In that situation, they're not required to price anything by any kind of standard, so anything goes and you really can't complain. Stores like Goodwill are closer to businesses, whose purpose SEEMS to be providing low-priced merchandise, as evidenced by the new items for sale in many of them. However, Goodwill also has paid employees. For these reasons, they should in THEORY be pricing items at affordable, but fair prices. There are also second-hand stores, which are independently owned and are run for profit. These stores buy from estate sales, closeouts, and the like. These will usually price things closer to value.

If you want to define where it is and isn't right to flip, I'd have to say that a pure charity store would be the gold standard for being flip-friendly. Anything they get for the merchandise is profit, and it all helps the charity. Goodwill is somewhere in the middle. It's probably safe to say that there's nothing wrong with haggling at an independent for-profit store. Goodwill, again, seems to be in the middle. I would discourage haggling at charity stores, unless they're actually pricing something over its value, and you're offering fair value for it.

[ryborg]

A charity may operate a thrift shop in order to produce a profit on DONATED items, meaning their profit margin is 100% before operating costs, assuming the employees are volunteers.

I don't know how things are at thrifts across the country, but in my area, there are about a dozen thrifts I stop at, and ALL of them have paid employees, even the church-run thrifts. Yes, some of them have some volunteers (usually high school kids at Salvies), but a large majority of workers get paid. Min wage, but still, they are paid employees.


If you want to define where it is and isn't right to flip, ...

If a store sells items, it is okay to flip purchases from there. Easy as that.

[pseudonym]

Not only that, but half the time someone buys ONE PIECE that you need! It's not just expensive of them to separate all the parts out, it's also stupid. If there's a bare console and no cords to be found anywhere, who'd buy the console?

The local Seattle Goodwill sells on Ebay and Amazon, and you can look them up if you don't believe (they're SeattleGoodwill on Ebay!). Almost anything good at them gets thrown up online. They tend to bundle a bunch of disparate games together and, instead of just taking one pic and listing all the games, will take a billion pics of every game and let that be the entire listing. So they waste money doing all this, and those games are never out on the floor for people shopping to purchase.

See, a thrift store, in my eyes, doesn't just have a responsibility to its charity. They have a responsibility to the community. When they price gouge, when they sell online, they're hurting the community. Growing up as a kid, my Christmases were made up almost exclusively with stuff from thrift stores. Now places like Goodwill think they're a regular old STORE and not a THRIFT store. The word CHEAP is practically in the title! (Look up the word "thrift" if you aren't following me.)

I've heard lots of talk about people "flipping" games but, cry as you might over it, it's a fact of life. Some do it to help make ends meet, others so that they can build their collection (because they wouldn't be able to do so on their salary). Still some others do it purely out of "greed," wanting more money. SO WHAT? These people ARE part of the community, and the thrift stores have as much responsibility to them as to anyone else in the community.

I'm not saying that any thrift store needs to have bargain basement prices. But I find it flat out disgusting that the local Seattle Goodwill sells any decent game on Ebay, then games that they KNOW won't sell on Ebay for the insane amounts they want are what gets put out on the floor. $80 for a CIB Genesis? OH FUCK YEAH! $4 apiece for the most common, poor condition cart only games? SURE, WHY NOT? If this was simple ignorance, that would be one thing. But we've already established that they KNOW the prices on this stuff since they SELL ON EBAY. The only reason those things AREN'T on Ebay is because they know no one would buy them at those prices!

And then that CIB Genesis will go right into the trash because no one's willing to buy it at that price, or the half price that it eventually will go to being before being tossed into the garbage.

You can disrespect "flippers" all you like, but what's worse: a flipper, or someone who intentionally tries to price gouge the poor? Not only is Seattle Goodwill not serving the community, they're trying to rip them off! Knowingly.

Having said all that, the original topic was about price stickers. I've found the local Goodwills (there's one in Ballard that's a lot better than the "Seattle" Goodwill) have very easy to remove price stickers that don't leave any sticky residue or anything behind. Value Village, on the other hand, uses a huge sticker that is impossible to remove, and even puts that stick right over the label on cart games. I've asked them numerous times not to do that, but they continue to. Sometimes they'll bag cart only games, but not always. It also ruins jewel cases, dvd cases, etc.

-VV and Sal have been moving away from being thrift stores and move toward regular stores with cheap clothes/etc for awhile. They have commercials on TV and have billboard ads that leave that impression anyway.

-I'm not sure that it's gouging, it's more like they don't know what it's worth, they look on Ebay for a comparable one (usually BINs), and price it accordingly. I don't think they do any real research into it.

-VV price stickers are the worst. I cringe when I find something decent and it has a big sticker right across the front.

[Cornelius]

This is why it is wrong for Goodwill to split up systems.
I don't think anyone would be sad to see everything appropriately bundled together, I think that'd be great, but obviously it has to be done by the store. The customer does not get to put together a bundle and pay whatever they want for it.



Goodwill is somewhere in the middle.
Goodwill's stated purpose is to put people to work in the community. So, job experience and career development kind of stuff. Providing cheap goods to the poor doesn't enter into it the equation for Goodwill or any other thrift that I know of. Unique donates percentages of income to the Lupus Foundation (IIRC), but I think they are also a for profit thrift.

[SegaAges]

The way I see it, we gotta make money somehow.

If you are going to Goodwill to flip shit, do what you have to do. The only thing I ask is that you save something for me, hehehe. I have no problem with people snagging 2 or 3 games or whatever, as long as it is not a situation where there is an awesome deal and you don't buy everything.

It is the same situation with when Hollywood video has their 4.99 deal. People were swooping up 10+ copies of gta4 and left no copies. I don't know, it is my mindset, where I do a small amount of flipping, but I like to show others some love and keep a few copies around.

[ToddofDoom]

I don't think anyone would be sad to see everything appropriately bundled together, I think that'd be great, but obviously it has to be done by the store. The customer does not get to put together a bundle and pay whatever they want for it.

I agree. I was just trying to say "splitting everything up is wrong and stupid", not "splitting everything up is wrong and stupid, so you should steal it".

I think secondhand stores in general have been taking a downturn for the last eight or ten years. Probably because of the popularization of sites like eBay and an increase in the number of used game/book/music/whatever stores.

It seems nowadays you can usually get a better deal at pawn shops and flea markets.

[SegaAges]

I agree. I was just trying to say "splitting everything up is wrong and stupid", not "splitting everything up is wrong and stupid, so you should steal it".

I think secondhand stores in general have been taking a downturn for the last eight or ten years. Probably because of the popularization of sites like eBay and an increase in the number of used game/book/music/whatever stores.

It seems nowadays you can usually get a better deal at pawn shops and flea markets.

It all depends on which thrifts you go to. Goodwill, it is getting more and more rare for me to find something decent. There is a chain of thrifts in Omaha (could be other places, I do not know) called Thrift World, and I was impressed by their random shit. That is the place where I got a shit ton of CD-I games for .99 a piece including Hotel Mario (even if it is a shitty game, the game and jewel for .99 is a good deal).

I try to avoid Goodwill, but there are other thrifts out there that have good shit, you just have to be lucky enough to have one near you, and also go alot. I mean alot. That is something that every person that thrifts can tell you. If you go even as little as once a week, you may get lucky here and there, but chances are that you will not find what you are looking for. Now if you go 2 or 3 times a week, you just have a better chance. Like I said, as long as you avoid bigger chains like goodwill, there are still good deals to be had.

[Blur2040]

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[GOLDEN KEYS]

edit to keep things on topic...

anyway, grabbing the adapter probably wasn't the greatest thing to do. i never argued that and i'll agree that wasn't the best way to go about it. i felt it was just plain annoying to split the system up the way they did. what really got to me is that there is another goodwill two miles away that sells atari 2600's (when they get them in) for $9.99 with all cords and controllers, while this place was selling just the system for $12.99.

i think some others on this thread made some good points about why systems should be kept and sold altogether so i won't bother reiterating any of that.

[ToddofDoom]

I'm going to steal part of your scenario here. Imagine you aren't a collector and don't really know anything about game consoles...but you work in a thrift store. You are aware that video game systems come with things, but unlike a collector you don't see any compelling reason to keep this stuff together. You don't know much about it, so you think that an AC adapter is an AC adapter, so it goes with those...and a controller is a controller so controllers go together in the big controller bin.

So, like I said, I'm not arguing with you on this one here, but I don't think it's entirely unreasonable that thrift stores split things up. I'm sure collectors of other things could just as easily complain about the practices of thrift stores (OMG, WHY DO THEY STACK THE LPS!!! THEY'LL WARP!). In a perfect world, these places will be staffed by experts who do things the right way.

Alas, short of all of us getting jobs there, we can't do anything about thrift stores, but complain (be it here, or to the manager, I suppose). The point I was making, though, is that regardless of what you think of the store's practices regarding bundling it's not right to change their prices.

PS. Ryborg, no worries regarding the quoting of my deleted post. I stand by the sentiments expressed in it...I just sort of know it's the kind of thing where theres no point in arguing...but I made that post initially because I felt so right that I felt like I could prove it to him.



It's the type of thing I would bring to the store employee's attention instead of taking the law into my own hands.

I honestly have a hard time imagining anyone who knows what an AC adaptor is not knowing that you need it to play the game. I could imagine your scenario if they came in in two different bags from the same person or were in a bag that was being handled by two different people, but it's pretty tough for me. Maybe if it was in a big bag with a bunch of other electronics then I suppose it could be fesible.

I could be much more forgiving when it comes to handheld power cords too, if the person thought they knew about Gameboys. ("That there flippy Gameboy don't need no power cords! Ya put batteries in'h it, ya galoot!")

I suppose mixing up the items on accident would be forgivable. Doing it on purpose would bring down the wraith of Thor's mighty hammer.

[coreys429]

I currently volunteer at two different thrift stores in my town. One supports the womens' shelter and the other supports hospice. I started at one a year ago when I noticed FF7 for sale for $3. I did buy it and flip it. Though I offered them if they needed help for pricing games, and electronics of that sort. Well I am the tester for electronics like computers and stereos, I price things accordingly so people are still able to afford it. VHS for me should be about $1 to $2 at the most. Though they are still wanting to price Disney ones up more because they are "rare" as they say. I reprice them when they aren't that rare. $5 for something you can get on dvd cheaper. I price the DVDs at $3.99 and record a buck unless its worth a lot, even then I price them to where people can afford it.

I hated the times when they price things off ebay by using live listings. They tried to pull that one on me a few times, I told them anyone could put a value on something its the final value is the key. Also in that note they wanted to sell on ebay. So I showed them how to get the accounts and everything set up. Then they wanted me to do it. I told them I get final say on what would be placed on there. So they took a small uncluttered room into ebay central. Everything from out of date books to big stereo amps was in that room. Half the stuff I said no just because I knew it was going to talk a lot of time to place up on ebay, and not get enough money for. I wasn't going to spend 30mins for an item to sell for $5 only.

Anyways I just had a rant for a little, I just like making things affordable to others. If they flip it, at least the thrift store got something out of it instead of sitting and collecting dust.

[ryborg]

I price things accordingly so people are still able to afford it. VHS for me should be about $1 to $2 at the most. Though they are still wanting to price Disney ones up more because they are "rare" as they say. I reprice them when they aren't that rare. $5 for something you can get on dvd cheaper. I price the DVDs at $3.99 and record a buck...

...I just like making things affordable to others...

I hate to break it to you, but unless you live in a nice neighborhood, those prices are terrible.

VHS tapes are unbelievably worthless and anything more than a buck is a joke. Yeah, some Disney VHS are rare, but 99.8% of the ones in thrift stores are not. The truly valuable ones hit the thrifts maybe once or twice a year. My stores try pricing them higher too, and they sit there for months at a time, priced $1.98 instead of $.79.

DVDs for $4? Unless it's a new release or something sought-after like a Criterion Collection edition, that's highway robbery. Records for a buck is crazy too. I know not every place can be the Salvies Junk Store where records are 12/$1, but everywhere I go, they're $.25-.50 at the most, except for clearly more valuable stuff.

Like I said, if you're actually selling this stuff at your prices, great, but it would laughed at in most places I've seen.

[Jehusephat]

I hate to break it to you, but unless you live in a nice neighborhood, those prices are terrible.

VHS tapes are unbelievably worthless and anything more than a buck is a joke. Yeah, some Disney VHS are rare, but 99.8% of the ones in thrift stores are not. The truly valuable ones hit the thrifts maybe once or twice a year. My stores try pricing them higher too, and they sit there for months at a time, priced $1.98 instead of $.79.

DVDs for $4? Unless it's a new release or something sought-after like a Criterion Collection edition, that's highway robbery. Records for a buck is crazy too. I know not every place can be the Salvies Junk Store where records are 12/$1, but everywhere I go, they're $.25-.50 at the most, except for clearly more valuable stuff.

Like I said, if you're actually selling this stuff at your prices, great, but it would laughed at in most places I've seen.

Do you live in Nigeria or something? I don't think those prices are that bad for something if it's something you actually want. If I saw a copy of... say... The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra for $2 on VHS, I would buy it in a heartbeat, because I love that movie. Any price sounds ridiculous to someone who doesn't want what's for sale. As for DVDs, I get most of mine for $3 each at pawn shops, and I think that's a steal. $4 is still a great deal, for a movie that I actually like or am interested in. It's only $1 above renting a new release at the video store, and I don't cry when I have to pay that much just to see it once.

[pseudonym]

I hate to break it to you, but unless you live in a nice neighborhood, those prices are terrible.

VHS tapes are unbelievably worthless and anything more than a buck is a joke. Yeah, some Disney VHS are rare, but 99.8% of the ones in thrift stores are not. The truly valuable ones hit the thrifts maybe once or twice a year. My stores try pricing them higher too, and they sit there for months at a time, priced $1.98 instead of $.79.

DVDs for $4? Unless it's a new release or something sought-after like a Criterion Collection edition, that's highway robbery. Records for a buck is crazy too. I know not every place can be the Salvies Junk Store where records are 12/$1, but everywhere I go, they're $.25-.50 at the most, except for clearly more valuable stuff.

Like I said, if you're actually selling this stuff at your prices, great, but it would laughed at in most places I've seen.

I doubt $4 for a DVD, $2 for a VHS tape, and $1 for a LP are going to break the bank of anyone who shops in a thrift store. Those are pretty reasonable price to me.

[ryborg]

Of course you'd pay more for a movie you like. How often does that really happen though? We're talking about garbage people donate, not legitimately good stuff. For every movie you actually want to buy, there are 500 copies of Armageddon, Home Alone, Stop or My Mom Will Shoot, Rita Moreno Ultra Aerobics, Dorf on Golf, the 1992 Sports Illustrated Year in Sports video, those awful N64 promo videos, etc etc etc...

I *never* see new release DVDs, although there's not a Value Village or whatever other major chain thrift you guys always talk about anywhere near me. All that's around my area are those crappy dollar store DVDs with two mis-matched public domain '50s-'70s movies on them. I think I've bought maybe 8-10 DVDs in thrift stores total, and I go to several different ones several times a week.

Hell, there's a Salvies I go to in the middle of NYC that doesn't charge that much.

[coreys429]

In response to the last four comments. The thrift store that I do work at, we go through tapes like theres no tomorrow. Usually I am putting out at least 20 every few days. The records sell well because the only place you can get records in town is either garage sales or online. Not a lot of people want to drive to Portland or Seattle for a real record store. Every Wednesday I restock the audio cassette section because every Wednesday there has been a little old lady that comes in and buys a few dollars worth, and then I usually get a few gentlemen that buy like $5 at a time. If its a boxed set of something I usually price it a little higher because I know it will sell. Though if its a cheap quality dvd I put $.99 on it. And anything bootleg gets thrown into the free section or I just take it because they can't sell it.The prices are controlled by me I know what is the going rate for a lot of the stuff. Most the time these prices are lower then the 2 pawn shops, 4 thrift stores around this one. The prices I don't like seeing for stuff when I am not there to price is like VCR's for $20 or old computer software that has no value to anyone gets priced really high.

I only control this section too, I am not the one that prices the antiques or clothes, or anything else. I am also the muscle behind the store...lol at 22 I can pick up more stuff then most of the older ladies that work there. :)

[DigitalSpace]

I checked out a Value Village yesterday, and spotted a cart-only Pac-Man in the display case. The price? $6.99. Seriously? Especially when there's a row of 2600 commons (including another Pac-Man) next to the CDs with $4.99 price tags that are still collecting dust even though they were half off? FAIL.

On the plus side, CDs are $1.99 and DVDs are $3.99 unless otherwise marked.

[NayusDante]

And anything bootleg gets thrown into the free section or I just take it because they can't sell it.

This should be universal. I'm tired of seeing bootleg CDs sitting around, especially when people printed nice cover and case inserts for them, so you have to open it up to know it's a bootleg. My local Salvation Army store put a sign on the door saying something to the effect of "some items might have legal implications, but we really can't do anything, since we're a charity." Does that allow them to sell bootleg CDs? I don't know, but it makes me smile every time I open the door and read it. At least they acknowledge it.

I've long considered volunteering at my church's thrift shop, but they seem to price things just about right, so I don't think I'd feel right pricing anything differently. Stuff is always a good deal, but rarely does anything seem TOO low. I got a big stack of records (all new-wave and post-punk 80s stuff) for $0.25 each, but that was odd because they're normally $1, and they've had a ton of crappy ones marked that for years. I got my retrogaming TV for $17, which isn't dirt cheap, but absolutely fair for a CRT with multiple inputs. Games vary in price, so Genesis sports games are $1 and GameCube/PS2/Xbox sports games are $6 or so. Other games are random, usually $2-3 when they get stuff, but there's a GameGear Sonic that's been there forever with a $6 tag.

[coreys429]

I checked out a Value Village yesterday, and spotted a cart-only Pac-Man in the display case. The price? $6.99. Seriously? Especially when there's a row of 2600 commons (including another Pac-Man) next to the CDs with $4.99 price tags that are still collecting dust even though they were half off? FAIL.

On the plus side, CDs are $1.99 and DVDs are $3.99 unless otherwise marked.


This should be universal. I'm tired of seeing bootleg CDs sitting around, especially when people printed nice cover and case inserts for them, so you have to open it up to know it's a bootleg. My local Salvation Army store put a sign on the door saying something to the effect of "some items might have legal implications, but we really can't do anything, since we're a charity." Does that allow them to sell bootleg CDs? I don't know, but it makes me smile every time I open the door and read it. At least they acknowledge it.



Digital Space: Yeah I hit that Value Village the other day when I was in town, when I saw that Pac Man I basically walked out. Not worth my time with $8 Atari carts.

Dante: Here is another one to add to the bootleg stuff. VHS tapes. Now I know if it's a blank one fine I'll price it at .50 or so. Though the thing that bugs me about them is if they have something recorded on there, I have to usually watch it to make sure it doesn't have anything bad on it before I throw it in the free bin. I have found porn before and I know I'll find it again donated to the shop. Same thing with DVDs, as well most the time I just take it because a bootleg dvd isnt worth anything of my time there. Bootleg cassettes make it on the shelf some how because no one is checking the cases.

I've seen other places do this too, I ask them how are they selling this. They kinda get a bit mad when I tell them these are bootlegs and not suppose to sell them.

[cyberfluxor]

I have a question for those that make a living on reselling to eBay:

Do you file taxes against that income?

Seriously, if it's enough to where it makes a good contibution to your standard of living and pays for your expenses are you filing it or calling eBay's skimming off the top your business/sales tax?


There is this one guy that shops at the store where I work that comes in and buys records. Now the lady that is in charge of the records has a pretty good eye for valuable records ($10 or so or more), and puts those in the case, throws away any scratched up/ratty records, and the rest she puts on the floor. This guy though comes in periodically to buy records, but when he really buys is on record sale days. He comes in the day before the sale near closing time and goes through all the records. He then lumps all the records he wants in one section so that when we open at 10am he walks right in, grabs his records, and pays. Since he owns a music store he counts as a dealer so we have to (we don't volunteer, he demands) no tax. No tax on 50 cent records. When that day they are 75% off, making them 13 cents. Nobody in the store likes him but hey, he buys a lot of records.

Bottom line - don't be like this guy. Especially at a thrift store. The employees will remember you and despise you.
Thats a bit sad, but understanding. I've seen plenty of game store owners shopping at pawn shops and thrifts looking for bargins. I have shopped at their stores and that's how I know who they are, so when I see their faces at other stores I know to quickly file through anything on the shelves they may be after and snap up before me.

But as a side note, a local music store had a sale of $10 for how many ever 45's you could fix into these comic book sized boxes. It was a good deal and picked up a good sample of music that I'd never heard before and may never have if I didn't get that deal.

[mobiusclimber]

It's thoroughly against the law and considered tax evasion to not include your Ebay/Amazon/yard sale earnings on your tax return.

Like how I stated the obvious and side-stepped answering the question? :D

[NayusDante]

According to the IRS, ANY income from eBay selling is taxable. You're responsible for reporting it.

I don't see a problem selling recordable VHS tapes, since they're still somewhat useful. Even mass-produced bootlegs shouldn't be that bad to sell for dirt cheap, because they're certainly a curiosity.

I can certainly say that most shops do NOT go through cassettes, or records or CDs for that matter. There's always plenty of empty cassette cases, wrong tapes in cases, etc. Just the other day I came home from a vinyl dig at the resale thrift to find that the case for Soft Cell's "Nonstop Ecstatic Dancing" contained Taco's "After Eight." At least it's something cool, not some crappy Reader's Digest compilation or awful 90s rap like I usually find.

[jb143]

It's thoroughly against the law and considered tax evasion to not include your Ebay/Amazon/yard sale earnings on your tax return.

Like how I stated the obvious and side-stepped answering the question? :D

You're also also required by law to include any bribes, poker winnings, and the fair market value of stolen goods as well. I think your only supposed to include yard sale money if you make a profit since it's considered personal items and not really an investment. If your selling anything on eBay and you make a profit, your supposed to report your gains whether your doing it for a living or just here and there. I bet it's mostly power sellers and those who have a physical store who do it though.

[mobiusclimber]

How can you not check your vinyl before purchasing it? Half the records I see in thrifts are scratched to shit. LOL

And I've gotten porn with my games before, tho not from a thrift, but from a church rummage sale, of all places! Got disc only Final Fantasy VII for the PC and it had a porno PC movie slipped in the back of it.

Also, as far as the IRS is concerned, you DO need to report yard sale earnings regardless. You even need to report bartering if you come out of the barter ahead (I'll do your taxes if you paint my house type things). Yes, seriously, I've been told this at HR Block.

[darkslime]

Not currently, but in 2011 paypal will be required to report all payments to the IRS, so I should probably start before that.

[Game Freak]

How can you not check your vinyl before purchasing it? Half the records I see in thrifts are scratched to shit. LOL

haha, yeah i usually check my records before i buy, but one thrift tapes the cases to Cds shut. I'm almost like WTF, cause the CDs are right on the pay counter >_> and they have a whole bunch of little trinkets at the entrance to the store.

not going to that seller much/ever again, after discovering they didn't sell video games (period)

[darkslime]

haha, yeah i usually check my records before i buy, but one thrift tapes the cases to Cds shut. I'm almost like WTF, cause the CDs are right on the pay counter >_> and they have a whole bunch of little trinkets at the entrance to the store.

not going to that seller much/ever again, after discovering they didn't sell video games (period)When things are taped, I will open the tape and look at it, because most CDs are either scratched to shit or have no CD in the case.

[ryborg]

I have a question for those that make a living on reselling to eBay:

Do you file taxes against that income?

Ebay purges their public records every 90 days, they don't issue tax form 1099s and they don't report sales to the IRS. In other words, unless you're a HUGE seller, you are going to be fine not paying taxes unless new laws go into effect and ebay becomes more tax-friendly (not likely).

I have never heard of any private seller being audited due to non-reported ebay sales. Has anyone else? Not just anecdotal evidence, an actual news story or blog link.

In Canada, though, it's a different story, as they appear to be going after Powersellers (http://www.slaw.ca/2009/08/26/canada-revenue-agency-to-audit-canadian-ebay-powersellers/).


Not currently, but in 2011 paypal will be required to report all payments to the IRS, so I should probably start before that.

Yeah, I heard about that. We'll see how far that goes and how well that works. From the looks of things, I've already noticed several loopholes in their plan.

[YoshiM]

Just a side note on taxes: I think you're also required to pay state taxes on items purchased outside of your home state. At least that's how it works in my area.

[jwlowry]

I would be happy to just SEE something gaming related at the thrift stores in my area...maybe then I would be in a position to complain about pricing. I have gotten some sick deals at thrifts over the years but haven't found anything worthwhile in months.

[jb143]

Just a side note on taxes: I think you're also required to pay state taxes on items purchased outside of your home state. At least that's how it works in my area.

I think it depends on the state and on who your buying something from, if they have a business lisense for example(we're still talking about eBay ere right?). In general that's correct though. Buy a car in a state with no sales tax and you'll have to pay it to your own state. I don't know if that applies to general eBay merchandise though.

As far as an eBay seller collecting sales tax though, that depends on the state, and I think that most states your only "supposed" to collect sales tax from anything sold to somone within your own state. It probally also depends on if the seller has a buisness or resellers lisence as well though.

[mobiusclimber]

I don't sell on FeePay anymore anyway, I sell on Amazon. The money goes directly to my bank account.

[DigitalSpace]

At one of the Goodwills I went to tonight, I spotted a new copy of Quantum of Solace (PS2) in the store's display case. The game has a $7.48 Target clearance price tag on it. Below that, I see a Goodwill price tag. The price? $12.99.

http://i33.tinypic.com/2zz27ip.jpg

[SamuraiSmurfette]

If I saw a copy of... say... The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra for $2 on VHS, I would buy it in a heartbeat, because I love that movie. Any price sounds ridiculous to someone who doesn't want what's for sale. As for DVDs, I get most of mine for $3 each at pawn shops, and I think that's a steal. $4 is still a great deal, for a movie that I actually like or am interested in. It's only $1 above renting a new release at the video store, and I don't cry when I have to pay that much just to see it once.

I might just be a test-tube-tipping lab jockey who's looked at too many shiny rocks for far too long but something tells me you know more about this than you're letting on. Oh well.