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Trying to re-sell kindness?
(thelemmy.club)
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this post was submitted on 17 Jun 2026
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I always struggle with this during garage sales. Most of the time, I don't even want money for my stuff. I just want it to go to someone who needs it.
But if you put a FREE sign on anything, people will just scoop it up, throw it in a truck already loaded with other free stuff, and take it to the flea market to sell.
It shouldn't bother me, since the people selling stuff at the flea market usually are pretty poor themselves and probably need to make money. But it just irks me that instead of a mom getting free clothes for her kids, that mom would instead have to buy them at a markup instead.
It irked me the year my neighbors girlfriend got free bikes from the tommy toy fund for her two kids, pregnant with her third. She tried to sell the bikes on FB market place, and the nighbors roommate called her out on it. Idk if she sold them or not but it did upset me when it was happening, to take from your kids like that.
Years later I realized, theyre just poor. She didnt finish High School, came from poverty and sometimes you do not so moral shit to pay your bills. The boyfriend worked at walmart, similar background as his girl, and they probably were trying their best. I cant be mad their parents didnt instill the importance of education, this young couple were just trying to get by. If she wasnt desperate, she would have kept the bikes for her children Id bet.
A very different person, a person of poverty for their whole life said to me once, "you gotta take what you can get". While they used it as a way to excuse non ethical ways of living, which I didnt agree with, the years have shown me how folks can take this and run with the line of thinking. "Poverty Brain" I call it. Its more sad than infuriating now.
Our society is not built for everyone, and if thats not the human goal, I dont understand why we're here.
When I was homless a friend gave me a really nice, large heavy blanket that came from her well off mothers house. It was the nicest blanket I ever owned. It got stolen from a laundry mat. I was SO upset, but even then, just hoped, that person needed the blanket more than I did.
there is a solution for that - vibe checks! if that person in front of you seems kind and like they actually need what you're selling - give it to them for free. but if they're just looking for deals to resell, keep the prices
This is the kind of means-testing governments do for benefits, right? Or is it more like social profiling? You can sell what you want, but when you start to put rules in place it gets icky quite fast.
i'm not recommending this method to governments though, am i?
i recommend it for people who do garage sales once every few years who feel bad charging people for what they don't need