Giving gifts to someone who sells them on EBay

[Anonymous]

How would you feel if you gave someone gifts and they sold them on EBay?

[Anonymous]

Not happy unless they need the money or I give crappy gifts. Maybe you could give them a gift card (which, I guess, they could still sell) or cash.

[Anonymous]

I would think that giving that person gifts is absolutely pointless. S/he sees gifts as dollar signs.

[Anonymous]

Not that big a deal - though I admit I've done this myself. I appreciate the sentiment in gifts, but if I don't see myself using something, I've sold it on Ebay. It has more to do with not being a cluttered and a packrat, than not appreciating the generosity.

[Anonymous]

Give gift cards in future

[Anonymous]

I would probably think I had done a really bad job of picking something out for them.

Or, if I was pretty confident about what I got them, I would guess that maybe they got a duplicate.

Overall, though, I would think it was a little rude. At least wait a year or two!

[Anonymous]

What are you supposed to do with gifts that you don't like or don't need? Is giving it to the Salvation Army better? How is selling it on eBay different than exchanging it?

[Anonymous]

There were a few weddings gifts we sold that Goodwill wouldn't take as donations. It was one of those two or the garbage. We got some very odd random stuff....

[Anonymous]

I return the item to the store when friends have been thoughtful enough to hand me the receipt, or re-gift/donate. Can't be bothered to sell unwanted gifts on eBay - have sold so much of my own stuff there already!


BUT as PP said, I always appreciate the thought and the person who gives me something.

[Anonymous]

It's their business. They r no under obligation to keep it if they don't want or need it.

[Anonymous]

It's their gift to do what they want. After I've given it I don't think much about what happens to it.

[Anonymous]

There's a good chance they need the money - the only time I sold stuff on ebay, I was super broke. So I would feel empathy for them.

OR, they are just super duper tacky.

[Anonymous]

Well, first I'd stop and ask myself whether maybe the person got two of the same item, one from me and one from somewhere else. That might be the most charitable way to look at this.

The other possibility could be that the person is having financial issues and that is behind the sale. You can't always know whether a friend is in financial straits; some people hide it very well, so assuming that "She doesn't need the money from this sale" could be wrong.

If I truly knew the person was financially fine and just an eBay addict or shopping nut, period, I would stop giving gifts of things and give a gift card to a restaurant the person likes, or would donate to a charity in the person's name, or possibly give a gift such as tickets to an event I was certain he or she would attend (and not sell).

[Anonymous]

I would try harder the next time to give them something they really wanted. If it happened again, I would probably give a gift card or cash.

[Anonymous]

Did they use it before selling it? Like someone gave me a bunch of Janie & Jack stuff for Christmas. Will she be offended if I put it on ebay after my kid outgrows it?