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Aha, so another case of arbitrage between old-school brick-and-mortar merchants and Internet sales. People make their living visiting mom-and-pop stamp dealers
by mysterypie 9y ago
Aha, so another case of arbitrage between old-school brick-and-mortar merchants and Internet sales. People make their living visiting mom-and-pop stamp dealers (or coin dealers, or used bookstores), run by old guys who don't get the "Internet" thing, buy up suitable inventory, and re-sell on the web. It works especially well when, for example, a stamp dealer in small town U.S.A. has a stock of French stamps (French coins, rare French books). Locals aren't interested in French stamps, but if you sell on the Internet, you can find buyers in France.
- icantdrive55 9y agoGoodwill has a huge internet presence on EBay. Everything of any value goes right to an auction site, usually Ebay. (You cannot demand that your donated stuff goes to those in your community.) The rest of the crap is marked up too high at local stores for desperate poor people. 591C3 magic? Oh yea, the nonprofit does not prosecute fraudulent store managers. The guys who are selling your donated stuff out the back door, or literally "tapping" the till. There's been books on this company, but nobody seems to care? "Oh, it's a non-profit--it must be run well?" Then again, it does more than most nonprofits.