Invisapeeps 2.0

EmmDee · Guru

Couponers, Stockpiles and Running a business out of garage

winds55 · Guru

which kind of thing - someone using her shopping skills to make a little extra money to support her family?

I wouldn't buy anything from her, but it's probably useful for her customers who get things at less than retail too.

-- Edited by winds55 on Saturday 26th of April 2014 06:00:52 PM

RichardInTN · I believe in I.D.I.C.

For me it would depend on how she's selling stuff. Is she just "breaking even" on the stuff she sells (EX: after coupons/discounts/whatever she has 40 boxes of Mac & Cheese that work out to 40 cents {including taxes} per box... she keeps the 5 she wants and sells the other 35 at 40 cents each)? If that's the case then she's just being frugal (and there's nothing wrong with that), and spreading that frugality around.

If she's making a profit, and NOT paying taxes on the profit... then I'd take issue.

EmmDee · Guru

She is selling it at about 25% off retail pricing at best. She was giving out some of the prices and it didn't seem like that great of a deal to me. I have no problem with someone being entrepreneurial as long as it is run as a business. I know the subdivision she lives in, from what I have heard from past residents there are restrictions on home based businesses and # of garage sales you can host per year. I don't view the business model as much different from someone who finds things that people are throwing out and sells them or whatever. Just call it what it is, a store in her garage. Once you get to a point that you have "regular customers" who are invited to a presale event, it is a business.

winds55 · Guru

If the subdivision has restrictions like that, chances are pretty good she's been reported to whatever authorities can do something. As far as paying income taxes, by the time she wrote off the portion of the garage devoted to her 'store', and the gas, etc., she probably wouldn't have any income to pay taxes on.

Balloon Animal · Guru

Never heard of someone doing this and then selling it. I have heard of people who stockpile just for their own use. I think its shady personally. I feel like some people would be better off donating excess stockpile items which is what some people I know do. If they can work their coupon magic and get more toothpaste for free than they can ever use, they donate the extra. Trying to sell the extra is shady and probably illegal if you don't report it on your taxes.

Balloon Animal · Guru

I feel like I would be okay with a trading situation like if Sally got a good deal where she was able to buy more toothpaste than she could ever use with coupons and her friend Jane was able to get more toilet paper than she has room for, then can meet up and trade. That is fine. Or even for services like Jane is going to babysit for me and I am going to give her a year supply of toothpaste I got for free with coupons.

It is just the turning right around and selling it for a profit that seems kinda shady and potentially illegal. Just my 2 cents on it.

Aurora · Senior Member

I know a ton of people who do that, probably because I am on a money board with couponers. I don't have a problem with it. If everyone wanted the deals, they could spend the time doing them. CVS, walgreens and rite aid have their deals because they profit from them, as do businesses who give out the coupons. Once you own it, you can do what ever you want with it and that includes sell it.

Balloon Animal · Guru

I would not be so keen on buying certain things like that from people in their garage. For food items I would worry maybe it was tampered with or not stored properly if it was something perishable. I would also worry I might be buying stolen goods. So I personally would not be down for buying stuff like that unless it was from someone I knew really really well.

winds55 · Guru

Why would you expect someone to donate something just because they got a good deal on it? Do you donate the money your husband makes above what you need to survive?

Everything's above board - she's not lying about where or how she got the things, or how many things she has; it's easy enough to check packages for expiration dates and signs of tampering; she's not inconveniencing friends by storing stuff in their garages; she's not side-stepping store or coupon rules.

The indignation is rather amusing to me.

Balloon Animal · Guru

There is no indignation from anyone that I saw. People have a right to an opinion and I would not do it personally. I get stuck in line behind the couponers and it takes almost 5 times as long as it would for someone just checking out normally because they have a mountain stack of coupons that have to be scanned and then they have to manually override a lot of it and enter it in by hand. It definitely inconveniences others.

I have friends that do it and I am typically fine with it if you just get what you need, but I don't understand going above and beyond that. It comes across as hoarding which is just my opinion which people are going to talk about on a message board which is the whole point of a message board.

Aurora · Senior Member

Balloon Animal wrote:
There is no indignation from anyone that I saw. People have a right to an opinion and I would not do it personally. I get stuck in line behind the couponers and it takes almost 5 times as long as it would for someone just checking out normally because they have a mountain stack of coupons that have to be scanned and then they have to manually override a lot of it and enter it in by hand. It definitely inconveniences others.

I have friends that do it and I am typically fine with it if you just get what you need, but I don't understand going above and beyond that. It comes across as hoarding which is just my opinion which people are going to talk about on a message board which is the whole point of a message board.

I am a couponer and I don't take 5 times as long when I have coupons. Also, rarely have I needed to have someone override anything. People do it because it is fun and saves money and for some people, they can make money from it. How is selling your excess hoarding?

Balloon Animal · Guru

Aurora: That is good you don't take up a lot of time. It can be done that way. As I said several people I know do it and I don't have a problem with the way they do it. I did get stuck behind a woman the other day I was third in line and so me and the couple in front of me and the person behind me all had to wait while this lady did her coupons. It did take a long time because it was at Walmart and they did all the price match overrides and then scanned the coupons and then a couple coupons have the thing where you have to look up the price and enter the price, then if so much money comes off it requires a supervisor to come override it which also happened. So yes, it definitely can take a long time.

But if you go when the store is not busy and just do a couple coupon things at once it is not a big deal. Selling your excess is not hoarding but buying up every item on the shelf with the coupons and leaving none for anyone else is hoarding and I have heard reports of that happening. I have also heard of people taking all the coupons that are put out for everyone and using them all for themselves which is also shady.

This came from a couponing class I attended. The lady that taught it admitted some people can be unethical about it and that was one of her talking points on the sheet to please be ethical and not take up too much time in line, not steal all the coupons that are put out for everyone to use and not to clean the shelves out so there is nothing for anyone else.

So like life with other things, sometimes a few bad apples ruin it for everyone else.

OpheliaDev1 · Guru

"But if you go when the store is not busy and just do a couple coupon things at once it is not a big deal. Selling your excess is not hoarding but buying up every item on the shelf with the coupons and leaving none for anyone else is hoarding and I have heard reports of that happening. I have also heard of people taking all the coupons that are put out for everyone and using them all for themselves which is also shady. "

I tend to agree with this. I have no idea on the legalities - but it seems pretty greedy to me to do a shelf sweep of an item, then sell it out of your garage.

Riding in the WY Wind · ~Ride Free~ ~ Live Free~ (M)

I most likely would not buy her products, but as long as she is complying with any rules or regulations that might pertain to her, it does not bother me.

OpheliaDev1 · Guru

Riding in the WY Wind wrote:
I most likely would not buy her products, but as long as she is complying with any rules or regulations that might pertain to her, it does not bother me.

I would wager she is not. I think there are rules for how food items are to be stored before sale, etc. I wouldn't get on my high horse about it, unless her customers were walking on my grass or blocking the road or otherwise being annoying. But I also wouldn't shop there, b/c it seems pretty dang sketchy.

And really---if she wants to run a store, then get a business license and by the stuff! Even with coupons, she's still probably paying more than the store paid.