Short video. I thought it was longer but I was wrong. In this video it's more drama than shopping so if you want to bounce that is cool. I had an issue with a Salvos thrift store recently and this is the follow up. I know it looks like I'm cutting off my nose to spite my face but I just want these charities to be better and do better. I was a volunteer and also a paid staff member for other charity organisations and I can tell you that the bigger ones need a serious overhaul.

I don't want people to think I just go about charity bashing. I know it can look like that but it seems that as a business they are not held accountable for poor habits and behaviour. I want them all to do well and make money for their causes. What is the point pricing something so high it will NEVER sell? Stock rotation is key for these organisations.

A lot of people say that resellers are the problem and maybe I need to address that in a video. In the meantime however.. Resellers are actually part of the lifeblood of this charity economy. We tend to spend more than the average customer as well. We go to more stores and the money is spread further into the community. We help promote a circular economy and give life to things that would otherwise see landfill. Yes we resell but every business needs stock. You don't begrudge your big box retailers buying stock brand new so what is the difference? We provide goods and services to a customer base that either cannot or won't travel to find these items for themselves.

Reselling is also a business. Many of us pay tax on the income and it allows us to pay the rent and feed our children. It also stops many from needing government handouts or pensions. There are a lot of resellers out there who do not have the capacity to undertake traditional employment and this is a way they can have the dignity of earning a very honest income. Or in my case, it is about chasing my dreams of being an author and being my honest self.

Fun fact that some do not realise is that these thrift shops are set up to raise money through sales, not provide cheap products to the needy. It used to be that way but the sad fact is that money can do more good for the needy than a second hand jumper. I hope this helps people get the role of resellers. We are simply for the most part second hand dealers sourcing our goods as efficiently as we can and are just as valid a part of the economy as your traditional retail outlets. In a way maybe even more so in terms of sustainability. Our very existence ensures the extended life of items donated by their original owners, passing them on to new people to enjoy.

Anyway thats a rant that took longer than the video.

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