Sell the gift cards on Ebay! Those stores already have the money. I also have relatives who give me gift cards for stores I don't like - though my dislike does not always stem from ethical concerns.

I have sold them on Ebay for slightly less than what they're worth, and they go fast. It's a great way to get some money when you're in college.

because the price is right there on it. I wonder if you;d ever get those people who are insane about winning auctions actually pay more just to win.

hahaha anything is possible on Ebay. When on the bidding side, those last 30 seconds of the auction can make you do stupid things!

I didn't use the auction format when I sold them, but the "Buy it Now" feature. One was bought less than 20 minutes after I posted it. But I've seen auction-style gift card sales. It doesn't make much sense if the highest bid is very close to the card's value, even with free shipping.

When I buy from eBay, I've learned to avoid the temptation to check out my bids within the last hour or so. I try to set my true maximum on my initial bid. If it gets passed, I try to get over it.

I suffered buyer's remorse exactly once. Never again.

I don't really see how selling them on eBay helps out on the ethical side of things. Passing the cards along via sale still supports the stores the LW hates--they get the exact same amount of profit as if she'd used the cards herself, only now she herself will have profited monetarily from it. At least donating them to charity keeps her from profiting off the deal.

It's awfully hard to go through life analyzing every gift you receive. And I wonder how serious the student really is about this stance: Is she avoiding all products from China since working conditions there are generally lousy, for example?

You're right, it doesn't help on the ethical side.
The problem is the money was already given to the stores, and they won't give it back.
Donating them to charity is a good idea. I suggested she sell them because she is in college and possibly on a tight budget. The issue here is trying to make relatives understand why one dislikes these retailers. This can be frustrating and useless.
For example, every year I get birthday presents that I wouldn't own even if the store paid me. Two years ago, I tried to stop this waste of time and money and asked the people who usually buy me a gift to instead make a donation to a local charity that specializes in helping homeless people.
Only one of my relatives sent a check for this organization. Others thought it was very funny and gave me the usual Hollister hoodie or equivalent.
I"m not giving any more hints. Sometimes I've donated the stuff, and if I need the money, I'll sell it and get the things I really need or want. That way I'll enjoy their presents, indirectly.

hello soldier. >;)

animonstruo:

Two years ago, I tried to stop this waste of time and money and asked the people who usually buy me a gift to instead make a donation to a local charity that specializes in helping homeless people.

Trouble is, you really can't dictate gifts to yourself, unless someone asks. Even then, they aren't obligated. (Example, gift registries.) I sometimes will contribute to charities someone specifies, but not often. For one thing, it's heck getting back off their mailing lists. They probably spend more on mailings to me than my one-time contribution, and all that paper keeps clogging up my mailbox. Especially bad when it's an environmental group.

Secondly, I don't always agree with their choices of charities. For instance, your relatives may be among those who think people are homeless by choice, and just need to go out a get a job. Trying to convince them otherwise will most likely fall on deaf ears.

However, on gift cards, you do have the out of claiming another store is easier to get to, or has a better selection in your town than their choice, or whatever. You needn't get into the socio-economic and political issues involved. As to actual items they send, you have the same options as anyone - keep them, give them away, sell them, throw them away, or send them back, or take them back if there's a gift receipt.

I considered giving a charitable gift in somebody else's name once and ended up ditching the idea specifically because of what you're talking about, IncogNeato. It is almost impossible to get off the mailing lists. My mom contributed to a number of fine charities. After she passed away, I forwarded her mail to my house. And now, going on three years later, I still get multiple mailings a day addressed to her. Some took her off their lists after we explained the situation, but it seems like once you are on some of these lists, there's no getting off.

Ture story:

I got on a charitable mailing list once in high school, through no contribution of my own. A couple of years later, I started getting, "This is your last chance to donate before we take you off our list" letters. A couple of months passed, and it was again business as usual. The next year, same thing. The third year, I'd had enough. I took their letter, wrote a long missive about how excited I had been about the prosprect of being dropped from their list, and how heartbroken I was that they had twice lied to me. I then stuffed in a lot of the garbage they had sent me in just the previous week or two.

The mailings stopped.

than who are you? Good to see you, lil :)

Well if her object is strictly based on the ethics of the companies, this doesn't really help. They already have the money so whether she uses them or sells them doesn't really matter. She might as well use them if she otherwise likes the stuff.

Now if she wants to avoid the issue in the future, she needs to discuss it with her relatives. My suggestion would be to bring it up in a conversation without alluding to the gifts. "I learned that company X is using sweatshop labor so I've decided to stop using them." Hopefully this will stop the gift cards for this company, and might even stop her relatives from using the company she objects to.

If that doesn't work, I think the suggestion that she say she can only physically get to a few places is appropriate.

Posted by InCogNeato:

"However, on gift cards, you do have the out of claiming another store is easier to get to, or has a better selection in your town than their choice, or whatever. You needn't get into the socio-economic and political issues involved. "

EXCELLENT suggestion!!!!

And I feel your pain about getting stuck on mailing lists. I made an on-line donation to a charity in memory of a deceased mentor. While I was easily able to "unsubscribe" from the charity's e-mail list, I fear I'll be forever receiving their snail-mailings, and the waste of paper makes me crazy. Your imaginative efforts to get off mailing lists shame me, and I will now take affirmative action to get off unwanted lists, rather than bitching about it and then pitching it into the recycle bin and forgetting about it.

good to see U 2 yg. how's your hair doo these days?

I've been trending towards shaggy, but I have a very important meeting for work coming up next month, so I'm thinking a quasi Mohawk might be in order.

How's the herb-- I mean herbs!-- and summer in the mountains?