I get tons of questions all the time about is it ok to sell your stockpile? The answer is NO, for a few different reasons. I am sure if you sell your sister a bottle of shampoo for $.50 because she doesn’t want to go to the store, you are not committing the crime of the century. But, there are a lot of reasons why you should not be selling itmes online, at garage sales and reselling to friends. Honestly, that was my example, I would just give my sister a bottle 🙂
Here are a few:
- You don’t have a resale license or charging tax (I am assuming)
- Coupons state “not for resale” – That is pretty clear
Check out what the coupon information center has to say about it:
Reselling Stockpiles. Coupons are intended to give individual consumers a good deal, not provide a method for people to set up unauthorized grocery stores or flea markets in their garages, basements or backyards. Such sales usually violate the terms and conditions of the coupons themselves and may be in violation of local health codes. As a consumer, do you really want to buy a product that has been stored in a stranger’s basement for weeks, months or even years?
Still thinking about it? Check out what happened when a couple in cahoots with a Walmart cashier was caught selling items out of their home… Oh, and committing coupon fraud and basically stealing from Walmart to sell items from their “black market store” the police call it.
“This is the result of a months-long investigation with our department working hand-in-hand with Wal-Mart security, who did an excellent job on this case,” Johnston said.
The ring worked with a cashier and used coupon fraud and deceptive price switching to bilk the W. Michigan Avenue store out of thousands of dollars. Detectives believe the merchandise, mostly personal care and hygiene products, was then sold on the black market. How much was sold before detectives busted the operation is not yet known, said Detective Sgt. Chris Boulter.
The unsold products, confiscated during two search warrants conducted Monday, now occupy most of a fire truck bay at the Blackman-Leoni Township Public Safety Station on Parnall Road. There are thousands of dollars in vitamins, razors and toothbrushes. Shampoo, shaving cream and deodorant are lined up in rows.
Read the rest of the story HERE.
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I have seen on youtube a lady makes a living by having a garage sale selling her stockpile. This ruins it for the rest of us couponers that need to stockup for ourselves. I use coupons to give food to food banks and when I have stuff about to expire I call my friends to see who needs it or I can understand couponing for other people and making them pay u the money u spent on it but not reselling it..
I have seen one woman who sells her stockpile at local county fairs! She buys hundreds of items; to the point that it is RIDICULOUS! She furthermore teaches this practice to her (YOUNG) daughter. I’m waiting for someone to turn her in to the local police/cps agency.
Its not illegal in most places — so if she has found a hustle that feeds her family then leave her alone and stop being jealous
Nothing cps can do it’s not illegal
You said you need to stock up but then in the next sentence you said you give it to food banks. You are confused. Which one are you doing? And another thing, if someone if struggling to take care of their family and they use coupons buy stuff cheap and sell it, thats good.
Tia it is possible to stock up and then donate as well. I have had many items I have stocked up on but then have to donate as I have TOO many and want them to go to someone who will use them before they expire.
HELPING and DONATING are the key words — she is not reselling her stuff, so as I see it, she is nowhere near being confused — learn to read the complete post and think about whats said before you respond — its called reading comprehension
The local police will turn a blind eye to this. There are people in Minnesota that go onto the garage sale sites and advertise their sales. Nothing is ever done. Unethical.
it is not unethical or wrong — its called a hustle — if it is illegal then it would be selling STOLEN good, and they are not stolen. The good are actually purchased thru a legal exchange of ownership at the register.
I coupon, I never get more than four of an item and I do occasionally sell the items, however I mark on the bottle or box what I paid for it and sell it for that amount . No profit and really just to help people out who don’t coupon mainly because they can’t afford the time and papers ( I know that seems silly) I was giving items away but I added it up over the course of a few months and came to like $150 bucks. Word of mouth goes quick and because people think everyone who coupons gets things “free” I did have people take advantage. Definitely my fault . I feel as long as I’m not making a profit for occasional sales and am definitely not clearing shelves than its ok. Again anything I have sold has been for whatever I paid for the item. I love helping people but also can’t afford to give away between $100 and $200 a month just because I coupon, but hate to turn down someone I know is worse off than me. I religiously buy 8 papers every week and clip them myself and spend hours doing research…. Should I stop?
This is what I’m doing as well. I have several friends and family members that are either struggling financially, single parents or simply do not have time to catch deals. I’m always big on helping, so I too do not make much of any profit on some of the extra items that I may give away or sell.
Yes. But one get one free. So you got it for free and now you are selling it. Why would you get it if you didn’t need it? To resell it that’s why. Quit acting like you are all saints people. Its illegal and unethical!!!
Shelly you need help dear — it is NOT illegal to sell something we own. The ownership became MINE when i was at the register and completed a completely legal purchase. Ownership of those said items remains solely mine to do with as I see fit — meaning selling it if thats what I want to do .. do not get jealous because you do not have what it takes to do something legal 😉 and as far as unethical?? what is unethical about it? You gonna tell me next that I can not resale my car or home , even if it was gifted to me? BS
I don’t believe selling your stockpile is wrong. I love going to garage sales and finding new, unopened items you would normally find at the grocery store for an extremely discounted price. It’s a deal for me because I am a poor college student trying to save money. Plus, when I was building a stockpile, I had so much stuff, I didn’t know what to do with it. I don’t have a family to support, so I sold some of the stuff. I didn’t make much money off of it, but it was something. I see nothing wrong with it. I worked hard to collect the coupons and find the deals, so why not sell to people who don’t have the time to coupon, but still want that discounted price?
I think it’s wrong and if you have so much extra how about buying a little less so the shelves aren’t cleared out for other couponers with family who may actually use/need the items. It says you can’t resale on most coupons, why break the rules? Whenever I have too much I just give it away to my friends and family or donate to food banks . I started couponing as a non-working college student too to save money, so I totally understand. I just don’t understand buying way more than you need and not leaving any for others.
It says you cannot resale the coupons. It does not say you cannot resale the products purchased with coupons. The reason the people in the article were arrested was because of fraud. Buying items with coupons and then selling the items is not fraud. Though I do not agree with it and I believe if you are going to get such a huge stockpile then you should maybe donate the stuff. Still nothing wrong with the selling of your personal property.
I was thinking the same thing it says you cannot resell the cpns nothing about your stockpile
It actually means do not sell the item bought with a coupon
Yes it is fraud and it literally means on the coupon when it says not for resale it means the item.bought with the coupon not the literal coupon piece of paper.
Try this: I don’t believe driving 55 MPH in a school zone with a 15 MPH speed limit sign posted is wrong. I had to get to a place on the other side and was running late. If I was late to the place, I could have gotten my pay docked.
Justification doesn’t make it legal or right.
It’s illegal to resell the items. It’s illegal to drive 55 MPH in a school zone with a 15 MPH speed limit posted.
Questions?
That’s right I totally agree 🙂
Because people takes advantage of that! And those people that sells their stockpile is one reason coupons are not as good anymore and causes prices to go up to ridiculous prices! Coupons are to help you, not for individuals to stock up and make profit off the items! I don’t coupon but I know people that do just to get items they need. I believe those who resell inserts and resell their stockpile need to be held accountable for their illegal sales! Illegal is illegal no matter what form it is!
Hi, Tiffany. There are some things I don’t quite understand in this post. For one, on the coupons, most read that they (the actual coupon) is not to be sold. As far as reselling goes, people that have garage sales have shopped for and purchased all kinds of items…clothes, housewares, even old lawnmowers…all those items are perfectly fine to be sold without a “resale license”. How is this any different? To deliberately go out and purchase items using coupons to only in order to sell…no. I’m talking strictly about having items that you realize you will not use in time before their expiration date comes due? Is that considered so unethical/illegal?
Those things were not purchased with the only intent of reselling, and likely were not purchased with a coupon. I don’t have a coupon in front of me but many also say something about reselling the product. You are also only allowed to have a certain number of garage sales a year before you have to have a resale license. They are regulated by the Office of the State Comptroller. Residents are allowed to have only two such sales within a twelve month period. Any more than two and the resident is recognized as having a business and must obtain a sales tax permit from the state.
Read more: http://www.city-data.com/forum/houston/725390-yard-sale-permit-houston-sales-homes.html#ixzz2fRhmDiIH
most people sell clothes at a garage sale because their kids have outgrown them and they no longer need them. People do not usually make a profit on clothes or toys that they sell at garage sales. when you are selling new products that you got at greatly reduced prices by using coupons and making a profit this is greedy too me.
I buy clothes at a thrift store that has a 50% off sale and resell them for $1-$2 more. I do the leg work to find my coupons and the deals. When my stockpile over flows I do sell it. Idc who thinks its wrong, but I am a disabled stay at home mom and like helping my husband with bills from time to time. To each is their own!
Why are you “anonymous”? Because you know it’s wrong and are afraid of getting caught..that’s why!
This is just sad. I mean I keep hoping I become a good couponer so I can have stockpiles simply to call my family over to come and share with them! Just proves what my husband always tells me “you cant change the world”.
yes you can…one moment at a time…keep giving what you dont need….kharma will let you have that stockpile…keep a good spirit about and it will come back to you…swear it…its a universal law or something..lol..i dont believe in selling, no matter what, and i have created quite a stir in my own coupon community…just keep doing what you are doing…all will come…dont get duped into selling off cuz believe it or not, there are laws against such…happy couponing!
I don’t think it’s proper to sell your extras. If you are a poor college student why did you buy so much? Being greedy means those of us who only needed 1 or 2 won’t find any if 2 or 3 of you hit the shelves. If you say it’s because the items were free, almost free or just really cheap, then you likely made a good profit even if you sold it at half price. If it didn’t cost you that much, then give it to a shelter, they need it a lot more than you and you are not out that much money. On one of the coupon shows, one woman had a ton of salad dressing, mustard and other condiments. She didn’t have children and she was one of those who took everything off the shelf. She would not have used all those condiments unless she had a salad and mustard sandwich at every meal! Yuk!
I’ve only interpreted the reselling as being for the coupon itself, not for the product you purchase. Granted there are some products that you purchased that say, “if sold anywhere other than here, please call this number”. Obviously you wouldN’t sell that product. However, I know there are people like myself that stock up on so much product to help the people that need it. I let people shop in my stockpile for really cheap on one condition-they sit through one of my classes to learn how to do this for their own family. Don’t get me wrong, I donate as well but I know a lot of families who need help right now who are more than willing to learn how so that they make sure their kids never go to bed hungry. Every penny I get goes straight to an organization to help fund another program to help others. I even sell some of my items in silent auctions at events to raise money for other organizations. So yeah, I do sell my items and I see nothing wrong with it. And I think it’s shameful that any of you couponers would call another couponer greedy because I have NEVER seen a couponer be “polite” and NOT clear a shelf. Not many college kids I know turned to coupons as a way of surviving and give her props to learning an important tool to help sustain herself and her classmates. I mean would you rather have the kids starve or go around with poor hygiene, or would rather have them buy a cheap product from a fellow classmate that she just so happened to have sold from her stockpile? I’ll take option B.
Doing something illegal no matter the purpose will never be right in my opinion. I can not justify breaking laws that way.
I scoured my coupons today and no where on any of mine does it say that you can’t sell a product that you purchased with a coupon. Coupons are a form of tender so what you do with that product after is up to you since you purchased it. I mean today I just sold my sister 2 paper towels i just bought for $.66 cents, exactly what I paid for that item. How is that wrong? She said she was out I said she could take two for the price I paid for that item which was $.33 a piece. I mean does the same logic go to the clearance products that are deeply discounted that I’ve seen people countless times mark up and resell? I saw a woman purchase $5.00 formula that was marked down from $37.00 and resell on eBay for $15.00 a piece. So I guess she should go to jail too? I’m just utterly confused about how selling the items you bought with coupons, which is a form of tender, is any different then selling something you bought without. I don’t purchase items with the intent to distribute nor do I purchase items I don’t need just to say I got them for free. Also, some civic associations don’t even have a limit on how many garage sales you have so it really just depends on your area. And I’ve seen a woman clear out her stockpile yearly at her garage sale, she asks for $5 and people fill up a box of whatever is on the tables and leave. The cops showed up once and were embarrassed to even have been called to her garage sale. especially after she showed them her hundreds of receipts showing she indeed paid for the items and was just clearing out her stock to start fresh.
That’s because it isn’t true. I have never personally sold my stockpile items, but I only recently started couponing, so I don’t have anything extra or expiring, or that I’m not going to use. But just like anything you have that you decide you won’t use anymore (jewelry, furniture, clothes, etc), you own it, so you can sell it. There may be specific state laws about how many garage sales you can have per year, but the online sales laws are even more lenient. AMAZON (you know, one of the largest companies in the world) is only required to charge sales tax in 12 states because they don’t have an “established physical presence” – aka a storefront. If you make an established business out of selling your goods, then of course I’m sure you have to pay taxes (more likely income or capital gains taxes would come in to play before sales tax) and have a license just like any other kind of business. But selling your belongings is not against the law, and no taxes are required until you reach a certain threshold (and online I believe that is 10 million dollars, and they are pushing for a 1 million dollar threshold). If you sell items for a profit (meaning you sell it for more than you paid), it is considered capital gains, and should be reported on your tax return.
We are talking about people selling their stockpiles at garage sales and flea markets. It really doesn’t make much sense to sell your stockpile between the hours it takes to coupon and the taxes involved. So anyone selling their stockpile, I can pretty much bet they are doing it illegally.
Well you mentioned selling items online specifically in your article, as did the person I was replying to, so that was why I mentioned it. And the title of your article is “Is It Ok to Sell Your Stockpile”, and your answer was “no”, so I was responding to that, and your reasons given. In your defense, however, I do see a few coupons (although most do not) that state “coupons not authorized if purchasing products for resale.” I’m sure it is not OK to make a couponing-for-profit business (at least without the required licenses and such), but your article is misleading, stating that it is not only not ok to sell your stockpile, but that it is illegal. People CAN sell their items at garage sales (following state and local laws, of course), or online, and Ironbabe02 can certainly sell her paper towels to her sister for what she paid, and doesn’t deserve to be belittled for doing so. Most people coupon to save, because money is tight.
In addition, since I have no experience with flea markets, I did some research on that. It appears that this would also be legal, since the flea market itself manages the required licenses. You rent a space for $XX, which includes a small fee for use of their blanket Occupational License. And you must show proof of sales tax registration, UNLESS you are holding a garage sale there (which can include anything you own that you can’t/won’t use). So if you see someone selling items at a flea market, you can bet they ARE doing it legally. At least as far as licensing and taxes are concerned. I’m seeing some issues with things being sold that were previously recalled.
I am not sure what state you are in, but in Texas there is not a “blanket license” that covers each vendor since the flea market does not want to be responsible for each vendor.
Since you have no experience with flea markets and have never been to one you have not experienced the vendors selling stockpile items for retail price, not charging sales tax or having a resale permit, all of which is against the law, at least in Texas.
As you said, the flea market does not want to be responsible for each vendor, so I’m sure they’re careful to make sure each vendor on their property has the required permits. In all of the (few) flea markets I’ve googled, including Texas, they require proof of sales tax permit in order to set up shop. I’m sure this is standard practice with all of them. Regarding sales tax exemption in Texas specifically, there is an “Occasional Sale” exemption on sales tax requirements where as long as the annual sales are under $3,000, they are not required to charge or pay sales tax. This is because they have already paid sales tax on the merchandise. If they have a tax permit, they do not have to pay sales tax when they buy it with the intent to resell it. But I would assume that is where the coupon language comes in to play (not authorized if purchasing for resale), since we all know that we still have to pay sales tax on “free” items.
So do you actually think that people who are reselling things they buy with coupons, pull out their sales tax exempt permit when they purchase their items! LOL!
Like you said, you don’t have any experience with this and you really are not a couponer. Plus Florida laws are completely different then Texas state laws. I know that it can be really confusing for you, but I am sure you will figure it out! Good Luck!
What you are not understanding, not having the experience, is that it does not pay for people to follow the law on this. You can not possibly make enough money for it to be worth it. That is why they do not follow the law.
You would charge your sister $1.30 for 2 rolls of paper towels?? Why not just give them to her?
I think this is more of an ethics and morals issue than it is about legalities. People keep saying it’s against the law and it’s just wrong to sell your stockpile but it is not illegal at all! I think people have nothing better to do than get up in other peoples business and give there personal opinion’s and try to use scare tactics to freak people out. Get a life! Who cares if you sell your crap for profit? You bought it,it’s your crap! The stores who sell the products and companies who make the products are happy to sell you the stuff because there making profit! They love to see couponers! They love to sell it all to you! No complaints there right? So who has the right to tell u what you can do with your stuff after you buy it? Nobody except for these haters on here that don’t want you or anyone else to get ahead! You can get the great deal at the store but how dare you help someone else get a discount and you get a tiny bit of profit! Oh no! It’s because you might have a tiny bit of happiness doing it and a little bit of fun I’m sure! Screw people who are negative! Until the coupon police start writing citations and staking out yard sales I’m not going to worry. Nobody has the right to play Jonny Law and tell you what you can and can’t do
I have a very close friend whom resells her stock piles. She isn’t getting rich and she works very hard. Since she started selling this stuff she doesn’t need to ask for help with money. She is a good hearted hard working mother and wife, and I am happy that I can go buy a bag of stuff from her for a little less then in the store. I am a mother with 2 jobs and do not have time nor the patience to coupon like this
I’ve been a follower of your blog for a number of years, and I have to say this is the first time I’ve been a little irked by some of your reply comments. So what if they asked their sister for the money it cost them for the paper towels? What right do we have to judge how other people conduct their lives? If the sister didn’t want to pay for it, she wouldn’t have paid. Simple as that. If the sister was happy then what’s the problem? Family or not, not all of us can afford to give anything and everything we own to other people.
I am always surprised how people are finding this old article I wrote a while ago. I don’t have time to go back through all the comments at this point. There is a difference between sharing things you bought with your family and selling them to strangers. We have a right to judge when people are doing something illegal. We can choose to not support that and not do the same thing.
I am new to couponing. However, I have to chime in. On the most recent monthly P&G insert, it states on every coupon “Coupon not authorized if purchasing products for resale”. More and more I am noticing a daily limit per household listed on coupons as well. If you violate these rules, it constitutes coupon fraud. While your state or local authorities may not come after you for a sales tax issue…don’t think for a minute that they won’t come after you for coupon fraud. Just play nice with others…follow the guidelines printed on the coupons please.
BS
If you purchase something, you own it and can do as you please, including sell it. Unless you made an explicit agreement you wouldn’t, there’s no reason why you can’t.
Obviously if you sell more than $400 in a year you need to go the legal route and register your business so you can pay taxes on the income.
Acquiring goods and selling them for a profit constitutes 80% of the US economy.
Not unless it specifically states “not for resell” or if you actually read the coupon it says you can not sell the items in which you purchase with coupons, which coupons do.
Oh Im about tired of whiners — Not for Resale applies to the coupon not the items. You Can Not dictate a persons ownership of something they purchased. It is NOT legally feasible to do so. If I purchase in one state, and move to another, the state I moved from can NOT enforce the laws in the new state I now live in. The is absolutely no way to demand a consumer not to resale what they own once purchase is complete. That register receipt is your proof of ownership. Once I have that, you are in NO WAY going to tell me what I can do with what I own. Period!