Why Do I Sell My Overstock In Yard Sales And On Ebay
Instead of Donating Them?
An Interesting Discussion on the Different Couponer's Philosophies.
From time to time, you will run across different ideas and perspectives on various couponing issues. Is it ok to take a peelie off an instore item if you are not going to buy that item on that trip, but know for a fact you WILL buy it at that store on a future trip? What about ordering bulk coupons online to get more of the deal items? And, is it ok to hook up multiple printers at home so you can print more than your allotted coupons off of sites? These are all interesting dilemmas.
Now, a new friend and fellow blogger has posted an interesting discussion about whether or not couponers should sell their overstock. We have very different perspectives on this issue. What do you all think?
Follow the discussion HERE if you like or want to weigh in. You can also weigh in on this post.
Here is the preliminary:
"We thought we heard everything when we heard about “extreme” couponing; then we heard and read about selling your stockpile at garage sales?
First thing that comes to mind is why do you possess a stockpile (even further out is people insure their stockpile)?
Second question is why would you sell a stockpile…you stocked it because you needed it right?
Final question is why would you want to be a retailer selling to your friends, neighbors, others in need? Why not share your knowledge, your experience, your coupons, your stockpile?
The idea of selling a stockpile of things you apparently needed (remember you bought it) is kinda weird. If you didn’t need it why buy it?
This extremism-is-ism is going a bit overboard when the local garage sale becomes your local retail outlet for toothpaste (because every hoarder has a stockpile of toothpaste for generations at this point).
Modern Families approach? Donate, donate, donate, help a neighbor, help a friend who lost their job, help a family who is struggling. Last thing we want to do is sell something we did not need to our Modern Family"
*Post copy/pasted from reference link above.
My Response:
I think you heard this from me at Walgreens? I am not ashamed to say I sell my overstock on Ebay and in yard sales. So, if you don’t mind? An opposing POV….
I have a single income family with three small children. To put them all in daycare/preschool is about $18,000 annually, plus expenses. I would put them in preschool and go back to work just to fund that, essentially. Therefore, I have to figure out something else to do so that we live a little bit more comfortably, stay off any sort of assistance, stay debt free (yep, debt free), and have a little cushion.
What do I do? I coupon and deal seek. I try to get my friends and family to do the same. The reality is that most people will not put the time and effort into it.
I have ONE closet that I put my stock into. When that closet gets full, I give away and sell the extra. If I am at the store, and I know my closet is full of Pantene, but I am working deals and find one that makes more Pantene FREE or a moneymaker, I am going to grab it while I am there. I know I can hold a yard sale and make $1 by taking three more seconds in my trip to grab the Pantene off the shelf while I am there. I never work extreme deals or clean a store out of items.
I don’t poach my friends to get them to buy my extra Gillette Razors. I do gift my 82yr old neighbor with a bunch of odd necessities every month.. dish soap, lotion, toothpaste, etc. She LOVES this.
But I will totally hold a yard sale to sell items I buy for resale purposes (another side business I have), and I will throw my drugstore extras in there too. My neighbors and strangers from the community love when I do this. They show up and get a $10 razor for $2. Pantene for $1. They ask why and how I have this stuff (usually about 10-15 items like this per sale) and I tell them about couponing. I am honest. I use it as a learning experience for them. Most of the time, they tell me they are glad I take the time to do it to bring the savings to them bc they will not take the time and effort to do it for themselves.
So, why not donate the items instead? Bc we are a single income family and this is how I provide my kids with fun trips to the Zoo in New Orleans, or the museum in Mobile, etc.
I am not in a place where I can afford to donate much. I do donate a few times a year, don’t get me wrong. bUT, while we are debt free, we do not indulge in extras such as cable (even though we would all love it!) because we are trying to build a small cushion for the what ifs… car problems, plumbing problems, illness, whatever. And if my option is to give away my extras I spent hours to work the deals on, OR to take my kids for cupcakes.. or the very rare once a year movie theater trip… well.. I am going to do give my kids the experiences.
I don’t order extra coupons to do extreme couponing. I am not saying I wont ever order coupons to get some great deals. But currently, I do not.
I understand why you might be confused about a difference in philosophy of why buy in the first place.
BUT, if I can buy $10 eye drops we dont need and get PAID $2.88 in rebate overage to own them.. and then I can put them in a yard sale or on ebay to make another $1 on it and then take my kid out for one on one time and a FREE Happy Meal, why wouldn’t I do that?
It really is no different than taking the time to make Deluxe Hair Bows and sell them at a festival or fair or whatever. Instead of that, I take the extra moments while I am already in the store, coupons in hand, to grab an extra item or two that I can put into my yard sale that funds the next family outing.
I just offer a different perspective."
So, what do you guys think? It is a very interesting discussion.
Thanks, Modern Family blog at that70schick.com! It is a very interesting debate. There are many subtle implications and such within.
Guys, if you haven't already, go check them out! They follow some stores and deals that I don't and have another idea about how to organize your coupons and POAs. Give it a looksie and see for yourself what you think.
And, weigh in on this discussion! I want to know what you, the readers, think!
*as for me, I will still sell my extra/unneeded freebies at yard sales and on Ebay. Aside from experiences for my kids, this also allows me to pay for other items that don't necessarily have coupons. Like milk.
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