peiklk
|
posted on August 7, 2001 07:56:58 AM
This came up in a discussion last week and triggered a redflag in my brain (when I get bugs, I use Black Flag on my brain, but that's another story  ).
Anyway, I remembered hearing/reading, etc. that the selling or purchasing of manufacturer coupons is illegal at worst and a violation of the coupon terms at best.
I noticed that some here were discussing the sale of coupons and on another forum I frequent this came up as well.
So I did some research and found the following information.
http://www.cents-off.com/faq.htm
The main points:
===========================================
*** Can I sell my extra coupons?
No, there is no legitimate way to sell your unwanted coupons.
The sale or transfer of coupons is a violation of virtually all manufacturers’ coupon redemption policies. These policies are generally printed on the coupons or is available from the manufacturer upon request. The sale or transfer voids the coupon.
Persons purchasing coupons have often been associated with organized criminal activities. They often purchase the coupons as one aspect of a scheme to defraud the coupon issuers/manufacturers, usually by seeking to redeem coupons without purchasing any products. Individuals selling coupons to such crime rings have been charged with and convicted of criminal violations.
*** Can I buy coupons?
No, there are good reasons not to purchase coupons. In addition to being in violation of the manufacturers’ policies, it simply does not make sense to pay for something that is given away for free.
Coupons being sold on the Internet or by other means may be stolen property or counterfeit. Individuals attempting to use these coupons may be subject to prosecution.
===========================================
This of course, will probably produce a barrage of "It's mine, I can do what I want" and "It doesn't hurt anyone" -- but those excuses do not nullify the fact that this is not a legal business.
I'm sure more are just unaware that this activity is potentially illegal and once they know, would move to stop engaging in this practice of buying and selling coupons.
Just an FYI.
|
MurphyBird
|
posted on August 7, 2001 09:22:42 AM
Ack! I guess no more bidding on coupon lots on eBay for me.
While it is true that the coupons are considered "Free", They don't have many in my Sunday local paper - so I have bought some on eBay, and it has been well worth it.
Darn it.
|
RB
|
posted on August 7, 2001 09:27:51 AM
Thanks for the info.
I still say that if a company prints up a million coupons, they should be prepared to honour each and every one of them regardless of how the redeemer got them.
|
MrsSantaClaus
|
posted on August 7, 2001 10:02:01 AM
My sister used to list coupon auctions - and did pretty well with them, until the auctions were zapped by eBay as illegal.
Sorry 
BECKY
|
peiklk
|
posted on August 7, 2001 10:07:49 AM
I wonder if their little VERO nonsense allows them to keep illegal auctions up right now.
There are 623 that have 'coupon' in the title right now.
|
flynlizards
|
posted on August 7, 2001 11:32:16 AM
Then again, you have people like me out there who feel, if I purchase a newspaper, it is my property, including all contents. Therefore I should be able to do with the contents as I please (including coupons.)
The same holds for those sent to me in the mail as a promotion. Once it hits my mailbox, its a federal offense for anyone but me to remove it (including the manufacture that sent it.) Again, my property to dispose of as I please.
I've bought and sold these and came out well both times. Times are hard and if I can make or save a bit, I don't see the problem in it. Others surely feel the same! Diapers and such are SO expensive these days!
|
peiklk
|
posted on August 7, 2001 11:36:17 AM
flynlizards: all well and good. But what you FEEL does not make your actions legal. I was shocked too when I first heard this, but that doesn't make it an invalid law. Anyone who wants to do this should work to get the law changed and either stop breaking the law or accept that they ARE breaking the law until it is changed.
The bottom line is that this is an illegal practice and ebay shouldn't be allowing these auctions.
|
capotasto
|
posted on August 7, 2001 11:39:53 AM
", but that doesn't make it an invalid law. "
An invalid law is one that doesn't have a leg to stand on.
Has to use crutches....
|
flynlizards
|
posted on August 7, 2001 11:43:45 AM
LOA !!!
|
RB
|
posted on August 7, 2001 11:48:04 AM
An invalid law is one that doesn't have a leg to stand on
And, by the same axiom, "illegal" is a sick bird.
sorry
|
packer
|
posted on August 7, 2001 01:23:33 PM
peiklk,
I was going to stay out of this, since I was the one asking questions about store coupons.
I haven't checked out your sourse because I could care less.
As far as selling Coupons being ILLEGAL...Oh well.
In the mid 80's I've been to some of the biggest Refund Conventions in the Country.
You want to know what we did at them?
We BOUGHT ~ SOLD ~ TRADED Coupons and product labels.
AND...to help promote our convention and their products we would have representatives there from most of the major players.
Now tell me why would these companies help us in our BUYING ~ SELLING ~ TRADING ~ of these coupons if it was illegal, apparently they didn't think so.
I had about 4 subscriptions to different trade papers and thats what we did. BUY & SELL COUPONS & LABELS.
Every grocery store you go in has big coupon bins for the taking. Granted they arn't selling them but still they arn't staying with who they were originally intented for.
The companies WANT to get their coupons distributed. It promotes people to buy their product.
As far as those that use them illegally(turning them in without buying the product), thats been going on for years.
The stores USE to do it all the time. Now its harder to do because they have to match inventory to coupon.
When I was a kid we use to cut coupons and take them to SAFEWAY and they would give us CASH VALUE for them.....ahhhhhhh for the good ole days!
pieklk,
I guess if all those coupon auctions turn up closed we will know who to thank, huh?
packer
|
peiklk
|
posted on August 7, 2001 01:28:39 PM
packer --
All your history on the matter doesn't change the fact that it's illegal. What happens behind the scenes is not an issue, but I'd hate to see ebay shut down for contributing to illegal activities.
Someone mentioned that coupon auctions have been shut down before. Wouldn't surprise me if it happened again. But not sure that I would deserve the credit there.
|
shrty411
|
posted on August 7, 2001 01:53:06 PM
The way people get around the illegal selling of coupons is giving them away "free" and then charging a "handling" fee. I don't know how that would relate to an auction, though
|
peiklk
|
posted on August 7, 2001 01:54:59 PM
Except most coupons cannot be "transferred" to another person either -- not legally.
|
ozgirl
|
posted on August 7, 2001 01:59:26 PM
Hi !
Regarding the coupons, a VERO member of eBay had my coupon auctions cancelled recently, and when I checked the others that had been listed, they too had been cancelled; I had listed them after seeing about a dozen auctions for the exact same ones, and all the auctions disappeared...seems a shame that no-one got to use them, though...
Sandy
|
packer
|
posted on August 7, 2001 02:24:21 PM
With all the many different coupons on the market, just tell me, who would be qualified to VERO such auctions?
You'd have to have someone from each and every company, at least thats how I see it.
packer
|
peiklk
|
posted on August 7, 2001 02:32:24 PM
Not really. The Nazi party isn't the VERO of Nazi items. ebay just opts not to sell them on their own.
Ebay could do the same with illegal items and just pull them on their own.
|
misscandle
|
posted on August 7, 2001 02:34:36 PM
Just curious if anyone actually can cite the law that would be violated by selling the coupons. "Illegal" means against the law. What law? I'm not talking about related crimes such as selling counterfeit coupons, etc. Where is the LAW on the books that says selling or trading coupons is prohibited, and what are the penalties?
Against company policy is not the same as illegal.
Also, if the coupon itself does not have any language about it being against the issuing company's policy for the coupon to be transferred, then what can they do? If the coupon is presented at a store, how do they know it was purchased on eBay? As a practical matter, will the issuing company refuse to redeem the coupon?
I'm not trying to argue, I really want to know.
|
packer
|
posted on August 7, 2001 02:41:52 PM
Nothing illegal about this wording.
|
mrpotatoheadd
|
posted on August 7, 2001 02:45:08 PM
What do you suppose "Void if transferred to any person, firm or group prior to store redemption" means?
|
packer
|
posted on August 7, 2001 02:49:19 PM
WHAT?
There going to throw me in jail for sharing my coupons with someone else?
Get real!
Does the coupon SAY its ILLEGAL to give your coupons to someone else?
packer
|
MurphyBird
|
posted on August 7, 2001 02:49:58 PM
Just looked at my coupons too - most do have the non-transfer language on them, a few don't.
|
sulyn1950
|
posted on August 7, 2001 02:50:36 PM
or the wording any other use constitutes fraud?
|
packer
|
posted on August 7, 2001 02:51:09 PM
What do you suppose "Void if transferred to any person, firm or group prior to store redemption" means?
Suppose you enlighten me!
packer
|
flynlizards
|
posted on August 7, 2001 02:54:48 PM
Packer, naughty you! Now we're all in trouble, you have REPRODUCED the coupon!! Oh no!
|
peiklk
|
posted on August 7, 2001 02:56:29 PM
Using a voided coupon is FRAUD which is illegal.
Transfering or selling the coupon voids the coupon, which means you aren't providing the buyer with that which they think they paid for: a valid coupon.
|
mrpotatoheadd
|
posted on August 7, 2001 02:57:55 PM
Well, I suppose it means that they give these coupons out to people, and if the person they give it to "transferrs it to any [other] person, firm or group prior to store redemption", then it is void, and they have the option of refusing to honor it.
Of course, I didn't write it, and I'm not a lawyer, so who knows?
|
packer
|
posted on August 7, 2001 02:58:40 PM
Oh my!
LOL...
Hey if you notice the coupon DOES have a cash value of 1/100 of 1 cent.
I can sell 100 for 1 cent
packer
|
packer
|
posted on August 7, 2001 03:23:05 PM
I just did a search on "coupons" and I noticed that some people are selling "EXPIRED" coupons and getting bids.
Whats up with that?
To me any store that takes EXPIRED coupons is into something pretty cheesy.
packer
|
squinkle99
|
posted on August 7, 2001 04:11:44 PM
Packer,
Overseas military bases generally allow their customers to use coupons that are no more than six months expired in the commissaries. I have heard that this is because of the slow mail service to APOs and FPOs and that coupons are pretty hard to come by in general on overseas bases.
.............................
Also, for the rest of the thread. So, taking the wording on the coupons literally would require me to believe that the newspaper delivery guy who brings me my Sunday paper is violating coupon policies because he is transferring the newspaper and associated coupons to me before I redeem them at the store.
Coupon discussion websites debate this topic periodically. Overall, the consensus tends to be that the manufacturers who issue coupons like to change their policies at will and like to try to intimidate people with the insinuations of legal action against anyone who bucks their system in any way. Generally, most stores and employees don't have a very clear idea of what is going on either. Ask twenty different store personnel about coupon policies and you will get at least ten different answers and five blank stares.
|
