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awkward online auction situation
12-11-2016, 09:04 AM
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#1
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 775
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awkward online auction situation
Last month I bought a pendant and necklace heavily discounted from a major box. It wasn't expensive, but it was 78% off.
I decided to donate it to an auction being held by a person LD who rescues cats. I kept the jewelry in my possession and was going to mail it to the winning bidder.
The auction goes live and when it ended LD's daughter ended up being the highest bidder. The daughter didn't even bid with her own Facebook username. LD bid on behalf of LD's daughter.
Supposedly the daughter should have paid LD the winning bid, but I have no way of knowing that.
I was Paypal'd the money for the shipping $3.
I do realize that since I had donated the jewelry technically it wasn't mine any longer, but I do not like what happened.
How do I prevent this from happening in the future?
I did not say anything this time, but the whole point of my donating the jewelry was to get money for the rescue effort not for someone to end up with something they liked essentially for free.
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12-11-2016, 09:13 AM
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#2
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Texas: No Country for Old Men
Posts: 50,021
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Quote:
Originally Posted by broadway
How do I prevent this from happening in the future?
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If you suspect LD is doing something unethical, maybe you should support a different animal rescue group.
__________________
Numbers is hard
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12-11-2016, 09:36 AM
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#3
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: May 2004
Location: SW Ohio
Posts: 14,404
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Quote:
Originally Posted by broadway
How do I prevent this from happening in the future?
I did not say anything this time, but the whole point of my donating the jewelry was to get money for the rescue effort not for someone to end up with something they liked essentially for free.
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Essentially, you're in exactly the same situation as anyone who donates to LD's group--you have no way of knowing if LD is using the money to help cats, or if the money is being used by LD for his own purposes (incl to directly purchase gifts for his daughter, etc). You just have a little bit more insight because of the "irregularities" with the Facebook IDs, a normal donor wouldn't have seen this.
The best way to avoid a problem in the future is to give to a different group that helps animals, maybe one with some external independent auditing.
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12-11-2016, 09:43 AM
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#4
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Dutchess County
Posts: 1,599
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Seems to me they were up front with the bidding by using their own true ID to bid. Just because they run the charity doesn't mean they don't have their own money to spend.
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12-11-2016, 09:58 AM
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#5
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: New Orleans
Posts: 47,500
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Quote:
Originally Posted by REWahoo
If you suspect LD is doing something unethical, maybe you should support a different animal rescue group.
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+1
Also, "charitable" organizations run by scumbags seem rampant these days. I think that unfortunately, anyone planning to give to a charitable organization has a lot of investigating to do first. It's sad.
F and I were talking about a similar issue just yesterday, concerning scumbags that set up churches and fleece their church members. Around here this is becoming more common than not. We are not religious, but if we were we'd sure be cautious before joining and giving money to any sort of unknown church.
Makes me miss the simpler, less complicated times of the past.
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Already we are boldly launched upon the deep; but soon we shall be lost in its unshored, harbourless immensities. - - H. Melville, 1851.
Happily retired since 2009, at age 61. Best years of my life by far!
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12-11-2016, 10:21 AM
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#6
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 17,774
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Quote:
Originally Posted by broadway
...
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I did not say anything this time, but the whole point of my donating the jewelry was to get money for the rescue effort not for someone to end up with something they liked essentially for free.
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Do the proceeds from the auction go directly to the person who rescues the cats? If so, I don't think you'll ever know if the bid for your item was actually paid by that person, to himself. Even less lkely imo is that the daughter paid the parent for it. Can you donate food or litter instead of participating in the auction, next time?
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“Would you like an adventure now, or would you like to have your tea first?” J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan
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12-11-2016, 10:57 AM
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#7
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Conroe, Texas
Posts: 18,727
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Even more, how do you know LD actually rescues cats in the first place? Facebook user names? That right there would have stopped me cold.
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*********Go Yankees!*********
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12-11-2016, 11:01 AM
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#8
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Colorado
Posts: 8,971
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If you have a charity, you can't donate to yourself. So if the charity is a 501c3, what they did is illegal.
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12-11-2016, 11:17 AM
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#9
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 3,602
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If it is just a person who rescues cats informally and not a legal organization with board of directors then just take it for what it is. Be sure NOT to take a tax deduction for this because a charitable donation in this case would not be allowable.
If you wish to continue to support LD consider donating cat food. Less potential for misunderstandings this way
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12-11-2016, 12:52 PM
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#10
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 13,227
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Wow,lots of accusations flying here. For all we know, LD really liked the jewelry, and paid the bid amount to the account used for cat rescues. As was pointed out, the bid was above board and not hidden with an alias of some sort.
broadway, I think it is within your right to ask LD, in a non-confrontational way, how this was handled, and asking for proof is not out of line. If LD just has an informal setup, you have learned perhaps not to donate to that type of person/organization. If it's legit, you'll feel better about your donation and LD.
If someone else had bought the jewelry, how would you know that the money actual went to cat rescuing rather than in LD's pocket? You're putting a certain amount of faith in LD either way. There's nothing about LD buying it that screams Scam to me.
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12-11-2016, 04:36 PM
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#11
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 17,237
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I am also one who is not going to get on LDs case....
Maybe the bids were really low... and LDs daughter thought that it was a good deal for her...
The question I would have is where was it auctioned If it were with only friends of the cat rescue place, then there might have not been enough eyes on the product.... I would want them to auction on EBay or some other large site with many eyes....
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12-11-2016, 04:39 PM
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#12
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 17,237
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Quote:
Originally Posted by COcheesehead
If you have a charity, you can't donate to yourself. So if the charity is a 501c3, what they did is illegal.
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If you set up a charity as a 501c3, then you are not donating to yourself, you are donating to the 501c3...
I would like to see why you say what they are doing is illegal....
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12-11-2016, 04:43 PM
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#13
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Colorado
Posts: 8,971
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Texas Proud
If you set up a charity as a 501c3, then you are not donating to yourself, you are donating to the 501c3...
I would like to see why you say what they are doing is illegal....
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Because my wife started a 501C3 and we know the rules.
You could potentially donate to the charity, get the tax break and yet still have access to funds.
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12-11-2016, 04:43 PM
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#14
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Ex-Cali
Posts: 1,245
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Quote:
Originally Posted by COcheesehead
If you have a charity, you can't donate to yourself. So if the charity is a 501c3, what they did is illegal.
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Huh?
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12-11-2016, 04:47 PM
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#15
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Colorado
Posts: 8,971
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CaliKid
Huh?
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Think about it. You might eventually get it.
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12-11-2016, 07:00 PM
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#16
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Placerville
Posts: 1,788
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I'm stupid; what's an LD?
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12-11-2016, 07:09 PM
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#17
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 8,368
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Quote:
Originally Posted by skipro33
I'm stupid; what's an LD?
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Local Distribution?
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"Exit, pursued by a bear."
The Winter's Tale, William Shakespeare
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12-11-2016, 11:09 PM
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#18
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 17,237
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Quote:
Originally Posted by COcheesehead
Because my wife started a 501C3 and we know the rules.
You could potentially donate to the charity, get the tax break and yet still have access to funds.
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I also asked for where you see that.... just saying it is because you know the rules is not authoritative...
I agree that it can be a conflict, but that in and of itself does not make it illegal....
I have looked and cannot find any reference to what you say... there is a lot about disclosing conflicts, but I do not see where they say you cannot donate to one you created...
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12-11-2016, 11:30 PM
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#19
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 748
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Quote:
Originally Posted by skipro33
I'm stupid; what's an LD?
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Loose Diaphragm?
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I don't want to spend my entire life at work. I deserve more. - Want2retire aka W2R
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12-12-2016, 05:37 AM
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#20
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Colorado
Posts: 8,971
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Texas Proud
I also asked for where you see that.... just saying it is because you know the rules is not authoritative...
I agree that it can be a conflict, but that in and of itself does not make it illegal....
I have looked and cannot find any reference to what you say... there is a lot about disclosing conflicts, but I do not see where they say you cannot donate to one you created...
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IRS guidelines for "incidental benefits".
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