Look what I've got . . still can't quite believe it!

[Andrei]

So, go on then - how much?!

If you gonna play coy I will force you to listen to Diana Krall and that's no idler threat.

[Spectral Morn]

Hate to rain on your parade but the reality is you knew what this was, what it was worth in that condition, so essentially you have cheated a charity out of funds. Sorry to be blunt but that is what has occurred unless you paid them a fair price for it, if you did then fair enough. If not

Its a bit different to find something wrongly priced in a retail environment, say an antique shop where they should know what they are doing but didn't. Bargains like that are a delight to find but charity shops is a fine line to walk along.

I know I am not going to be popular saying that but that's what I think.


Regards Neil

[DaveK]

I'm inclined to agree with Neil but a get out clause would be if you paid them more than they were asking, more in line with the 'proper' price. I reckon, particularly these days, that the charity shops need the maximum support we can afford rather than the minimum we can get away with.
Just my opinion.
Dave.

[Tim]

Well they actually offered it to me for nothing as they couldn't test it without any leads and were going to throw it away because it was an electrical item, I made a donation but I see your point and its a fair one. I did know what it was, but didn't know its worth until today however, so I agree and will have to give this some further thought.

[PaulStewart]

Hate to rain on your parade but the reality is you knew what this was, what it was worth in that condition, so essentially you have cheated a charity out of funds. Sorry to be blunt but that is what has occurred unless you paid them a fair price for it, if you did then fair enough. If not

Its a bit different to find something wrongly priced in a retail environment, say an antique shop where they should know what they are doing but didn't. Bargains like that are a delight to find but charity shops is a fine line to walk along.

I know I am not going to be popular saying that but that's what I think.


Regards Neil

Frankly Neil I think that is an outrageous assertion, leaving aside the fact that charity shops and indeed charities are just businesses these days, if you pay what is asked that's the deal. Don't castigate Tim for taking advantage of good fortune, big charities are just corporations like any others, they just sell the chance to massage your conscience.

[walpurgis]

Frankly Neil I think that is an outrageous assertion, leaving aside the fact that charity shops and indeed charities are just businesses these days, if you pay what is asked that's the deal. Don't castigate Tim for taking advantage of good fortune, big charities are just corporations like any others, they just sell the chance to massage your conscience.

I'm inclined to agree. We all like a bargain anyway and I personally am not a fan of 'charities'. They always seem to have nice plush offices at their HQs and the directors all drive home in expensive cars.

[The Grand Wazoo]

.......so essentially you have cheated a charity out of funds.

Since you weren't party to the transaction and Tim's not telling what occurred, you're rather out on a limb there because you're assuming something happened that may, or may not have. If you pay someone the price that they are asking, then how does that constitute a fraudulent act? If Tim hadn't happened along, they would have put a price tag on it, and someone else would have bought it, would they not?

Charity shops are in business because of a mindset that they are only too happy to take advantage of: that the customers walk through the door hoping to find a bargain - that's how it works. Sometimes they make more than an item might be worth elsewhere and sometimes not. Sometimes things sell quickly because they are keenly priced and sometimes they sit on a shelf for years because no-one wants to pay the asking price. Contrary to common belief, the price that a particular article may sell for on Ebay is not 'what it is worth' when it's not on Ebay! There will be other Garrard 401's sat on shelves elsewhere at good prices, but 'we' haven't found them yet!



EDIT: Several posts occurred since starting to type mine, but I hold to the principle of what I say here.

[The Barbarian]

Enjoy it tim what ever you got it for..no buisness of anyones.

[Andrei]

If you gonna play coy I will force you to listen to Diana Krall and that's no idler threat.

I withdraw my implicit request. I withdraw my utterly unfounded and vile threat. I apologize to you, your children, your servants, your servant's bridge partners and all those who have read this thread. Let the record show that I do not wish to know how much you paid for it.

[Tim]

OK, lets put this into some perspective as I have thought about this and don't agree with your comments Neil. The deck was taken back to the main depot and couldn't be PAT tested as they had no way of checking it with its fitted round pin connectors. Had I not made any enquiries or spotted it in the van, it would have gone from the depot down to the tip. Over the phone they said I could just have it as they couldn't sell it, but if I wanted to, I could make a 'voluntary donation'. When I picked it up an amount was suggested and I doubled it and they were very happy. I also gave more than the asking price for a bunch of other stuff I picked up, telling them to keep the change.

I intend on going back to the local shop today and making a further 'anonymous donation' as there is some merit to what you say and I'm not totally heartless, so I think I have been fair and as Chris says, an items worth is what you are willing to pay for it, not what somebody thinks they can get on something like eBay. So its not as big a bargain as it was yesterday, but still a good price for something that is going to require a lot of further investment.

I'm happy to see it go to good use and brought back to life again, instead of potentially ending up as a pile of junk rotting on a landfill or broken up for scrap wood and metal. Additionally, what I have now donated in total is my business to be frank and I'm also a very regular contributor to charity shops as well as a purchaser, so save me the lectures on morality please.

Would anyone here really have done anything different?