Seller with 100% pos. feedback is flight attendant thief. Daily Mirror posts his ebay user name :)

[houstonite23]

Guy had his very expensive camera lost on a Ryanair flight, only to have it miraculously turn up on eBay. He did contact seller, who happened to be a flight attendant.   Here is the link http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/passenger-camera-stolen-ryanair-steward-5528237

He still has his same old user profile etc. All of his listings are for things regularly lost on planes: SkullCandy headphones, cameras, etc etc. Look at the news story, then look up the user. Not sure if I am allowed to post his ebay user name here? I am rather new to the boards.

As you can see from MY ebay, I am not very active at all (not a big eBayer, never shilled, and have a slow connection on top of not very tech savvy so it is cumbersome for me to list or buy things on here)

not to mention I usually just donate my unwanted items as opposed to listing them, so I suppose that makes me an eBayers thorn in their side. I have a sister who used to do well on eBay, she begs me daily to "why don't you list (insert anything Ive got that she thinks I could make money off of)" I do not like buying a thing cheaply, then re-selling it for more. I think it is dishonest.

What I think is even MORE dishonest though- are sellers who make a side business off of stolen or found items. Sickening.

t

[horizon1907]

---

@houstonite23 wrote:

Guy had his very expensive camera lost on a Ryanair flight, only to have it miraculously turn up on eBay. He did contact seller, who happened to be a flight attendant.   Here is the link http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/passenger-camera-stolen-ryanair-steward-5528237

He still has his same old user profile etc. All of his listings are for things regularly lost on planes: SkullCandy headphones, cameras, etc etc. Look at the news story, then look up the user. Not sure if I am allowed to post his ebay user name here? I am rather new to the boards.

As you can see from MY ebay, I am not very active at all (not a big eBayer, never shilled, and have a slow connection on top of not very tech savvy so it is cumbersome for me to list or buy things on here)

not to mention I usually just donate my unwanted items as opposed to listing them, so I suppose that makes me an eBayers thorn in their side. I have a sister who used to do well on eBay, she begs me daily to "why don't you list (insert anything Ive got that she thinks I could make money off of)" I do not like buying a thing cheaply, then re-selling it for more. I think it is dishonest.

What I think is even MORE dishonest though- are sellers who make a side business off of stolen or found items. Sickening.

t

---

Yes, I 100% agree with you on the 1st part of your story. Silly man, who will most likely be prosecuted for his dastardly deeds.  As for the 2nd part of your tale, I find that a load of Utter Rubbish. How do you think Stores & Wholesalers work. They buy for a certain amount and sell for a profit. That's just the way it is.  Good on you for donating all your unwanted goods etc  to Charities etc. I guarantee, they are selling it on for profit and why not. 

[springyzone]

I agree, the flight attendant was very unethical.

It's quite sad really because a camera lost on a flight will probably contain a person's holiday or family snaps.

It's a shame that someone you would think you could trust was so dishonest but at the end of the day, I don't think it will have paid off as they will lose their job & they won't be getting a good reference.

As for selling things, there is no harm in selling a thing at a profit, especially if you have put a bit of work into the selling-maybe time and effort to list or wrap or set up a stall or whatever.

There is a big difference between gouging people and selling at a reasonable price where you get a small profit and the customer walks away happy too.

If the internet isn't your thing, why not have a stall with anything you no longer need at one of the Sunday Rotary markets?

[houstonite23]

Re Rotary markets- No thank you- it really is too much trouble for me. Just loading everything to take to the charities is a tedious effort. By the way- regarding earlier commentor who said my opinion was "utter rubbish" about re-selling-

what my POINT is about those eager beavers who scour the charity shops and hoard everything which is nothing that THEY want or need- but only to up the price 500% to sell to someone else. It IS dishonest. Period. Not you or I who might find one item to resell, but those who make it their lifes work. I see these people in the shops, they even rifle their paws through jacket pockets looking for lost money.

[digital*ghost]

---

@houstonite23 wrote:

what my POINT is about those eager beavers who scour the charity shops and hoard everything which is nothing that THEY want or need- but only to up the price 500% to sell to someone else. It IS dishonest. Period. Not you or I who might find one item to resell, but those who make it their lifes work. I see these people in the shops, they even rifle their paws through jacket pockets looking for lost money.

---

I'm not sure I understand how where someone gets their stock from is dishonest. The charity shops I know of love resellers. The reason being, they spend heaps of money in the shops. Money is what the charities want.

Once upon a time shops like that used to be about providing low-cost goods to people in need. Not anymore, not since op-shopping got trendy n' such. Now, they run the shops like a business and use the profits to fund their charity programs, and if they get someone in who is in genuine need of clothing or household items, they tend to give those people store credit vouchers so that they get the items for free. 

I used to buy some of my clothing stock from charity shops, they got a lot of brand new stuff in there, though I tended to only buy when it had been sitting around for weeks unsold and went to half price. A 500% mark up even then was usually impossible, but the main point is - I bought from charity shops and resold, and it meant I was handing money over, instead of holding out my hand.

I found $4 in the pocket of a jacket once, after I brought it home. I've spent, and donated, a heck of a lot more. 

The people I have a problem with personally are the ones who go through the bins and steal donations to sell. Now that's dishonest. 

[pennyforum14]

---

@houstonite23 wrote:

Re Rotary markets- No thank you- it really is too much trouble for me. Just loading everything to take to the charities is a tedious effort. By the way- regarding earlier commentor who said my opinion was "utter rubbish" about re-selling-

what my POINT is about those eager beavers who scour the charity shops and hoard everything which is nothing that THEY want or need- but only to up the price 500% to sell to someone else. It IS dishonest. Period. Not you or I who might find one item to resell, but those who make it their lifes work. I see these people in the shops, they even rifle their paws through jacket pockets looking for lost money.

---

You are making a very broad generalisation there, about something that is really just your opinion.  Our local charity shops (and I dare say most of those in other areas as well) welcome eBay sellers with open arms.  Because of them, they get far more sales, and therefore much more revenue, that they can distribute to the needy.  They serve a valid purpose in the lifecycle of clothing, and there is nothing dishonest about it. 

Are you telling me that when you sell on eBay you only sell for the same price you bought the item for?  Of course you don't, there would be no point.  Are you saying that if you came across an item at a market or antique fair that you knew was worth a lot more than the seller was asking for it, that you wouldn't grab the bargain and then offer it for sale at a more realistic price?  That is what built eBay, people reselling items they no longer need or want, or that they have purchased at a low enough price to be able to sell them at more than they paid for them, it's called commerce and it is not dishonest, unless the item you are selling is being misrepresented as something it is not in order to attract the higher price.

[horizon1907]

---

@houstonite23 wrote:

Re Rotary markets- No thank you- it really is too much trouble for me. Just loading everything to take to the charities is a tedious effort. By the way- regarding earlier commentor who said my opinion was "utter rubbish" about re-selling-

what my POINT is about those eager beavers who scour the charity shops and hoard everything which is nothing that THEY want or need- but only to up the price 500% to sell to someone else. It IS dishonest. Period. Not you or I who might find one item to resell, but those who make it their lifes work. I see these people in the shops, they even rifle their paws through jacket pockets looking for lost money.

---

It is not dishonest. How can it be ?? They buy the items that they think they can resell. What about Dealers etc who go to Public Auctions, Deceased Estates, Garage Sales, Charity Stores etc for the sole purpose of stocking their shops, ebay and so on.  Is that dishonest also ? 

[houstonite23]

I'm not talking about Estate Sales. Either way- appears Ive hit a sore spot as my critique hits home, which is eBay.  My opinion probably could stem out of my own jealousy. THIS is what I take issue with, those who grab up every item they can hold from say, Goodwill. They do not want the items - but buy them only to re-sell. They are an annoyance and I am not at ALL alone in this opinion. About once or twice per month, I go to charity shops with the sole point of finding a small handful of crafts items that collect to finish the project and either donate or give as gifts. I use these cheaper places as I don't make very much money only enough to take care of myself. I go in, and some woman with wild eyes snatches the whole bunch out from under me only to re-sell at a much higher price.

Am I an "anti-capitalist"? Hell NO! It isn't the idea of "profit" that annoys me. Its "flippers".

[babylonfuture]

Goodwill?

You know you have found yourself on the Australian site right?

Anyway I see no problem with people buying an item to resell it/flip it (it's what businesses do anyway).

If someone can make a business out of it and are not breaking any laws by doing so - then good on them.

Rather someone make a "profit" than rely on Centrelink / Government or through other (illegal) means.

I think you should work (or volunteer?) at Goodwill and jack their prices up (they will get more money) to stop these resellers and to ensure you get access to the good stuff.

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

---

@houstonite23 wrote:

not to mention I usually just donate my unwanted items as opposed to listing them, so I suppose that makes me an eBayers thorn in their side. I have a sister who used to do well on eBay, she begs me daily to "why don't you list (insert anything Ive got that she thinks I could make money off of)" I do not like buying a thing cheaply, then re-selling it for more. I think it is dishonest.

---

okay, I see where you are coming from with the whole of your opening post.

What this guy did was not only wrong, it was illegal.  He will pay the price through losing his job and having to front up in court.

The other part of your post, the one to do with charity/opportunity shops, is being a little misunderstood here.  Your point about buying something cheaply and selling it for more is being taken out of context.  I read your post as meaning that when someone goes to a charity shop and deliberately looks for really cheap items so that they may sell for a lot more on eBay is, in your mind, dishonest.  That can not be challenged here.  How you feel about this is how you feel about this.  Members can disagree, but it is wrong to criticise you for holding this view.  When you wrote "buying a thing cheaply, then re-selling it for more" I take as relating solely to buying cheaply from op shops.

When read in this context I can see why you feel this way.  The op shops are missing out on getting more money than they could for the items.  I can also see the points being made by others that the op shops are getting money coming in, on a regular basis when someone shops there regularly, and that by selling for more than they pay they are doing nothing wrong and in some cases they are avoiding having to ask for help from aid agencies.  I would also suppose that those sellers would give back in some way, but I can't prove that supposition.

Personally, I disagree with any statement that buying a thing cheaply, then re-selling it for more is dishonest in all contexts.  I buy cameras on eBay that I occasionally on-sell on eBay for much more than I pay.  It is not my fault if an eBay seller starts their item at too low a price, or lists in the wrong category and therefore attracts very few bidders, or through their listing practices discourage bidders from bidding. By this I mean they list as "No international Postage" which restricts potential bidders, but when questioned they are willing to post internationally, allowing me to grab a bargain.  I do not think I am doing anything dishonest.  Once I buy the item, even if cheaply, it is mine to do with as I please.  If I please to sell it for more than I paid for it then that is my right.

Thank you for bringing the behaviour of the flight attendant to our attention.