Marydoll
*Doodledog*, my friend has made a business of it, makes a good income, but avoids paying tax on her profits.
Helping a charity does not factor into it, that is why it doesn't sit well with me.
I had a large number of bags for BHF, sitting waiting to be uplifted, she wanted to "take them off my hands", thus depriving the charity.
I would feel the same about your friend taking the bags as I do about staff doing likewise. It creams off the charity donation aspect, and it diminishes the chance of anyone else getting a bargain, but finding a bargain in the shop is different somehow.
Not declaring tax is a different objection. I agree that not paying tax is wrong, but it's not about the charity - they have still got their cut. I'm not being difficult - I just don't see what's wrong with making money from charity shop finds (although they should declare it for tax purposes if they do it as a business). Objecting feels as though people only want their donations to go to 'worthy causes' who can't afford to buy new things, and IMO that attitude can kill off charity shops, particularly in better off areas. There should be no stigma attached to shopping second hand, and if someone wants rid of something and can't be bothered to sell it on, they shouldn't object to someone else taking the trouble and making on the deal.
I can see that there's not a huge difference between an eBay seller and a shop volunteer, but the way I see it, the seller is relying on chance and the ability to spot a bargain, whereas the volunteer is setting the prices and seeing the goods first.