Cash For Gold - And Now Another Similar Business!

Biggins

I was talking to someone yesterday who worked in a Garda station and they mentioned something to me.
They said that in their opinion, one of the worst things to come along in recent years was all these "Cash for Gold" shops and sometimes stalls.
They were apparently (again, in their opinion) just a quicker and easier method for some to get rid of small stolen items.
I never got to ask the person if there was any relationship to the rise of these types of business to any increase in rate of small crimes and/or thief of gold but I was left with that impression.

Anyway they mentioned then (distracting me) that the new business of selling "Clothes for Cash" is another new trend which worried them.
Apparently they have noticed an increase in items being stolen off washing lines, etc!

Now being honest, I suspect that the "Cash for Gold" might be acting as a bit of an enabler/attraction for some people that are light fingered - but the second type of business and its possible unfortunate effect on peoples other items never occurred to me till they mentioned it.
I seen the leaflets in town and even seen one or two of the clothes collection businesses (they pay per weight) - but I never thought that this might have another side effect detrimental to the public!

My question or pondering to the forum is, what do the rest of you in general, think of these businesses?

Tesco Massacre

It's a great way to get rid of all this excess gold bullion I have lying around.

Stinicker

If the guards did their job and the justice system delivered actual Justice then this wouldn't be a problem.

My name is URL

I don't really know enough about it to say

let me get my buddy down here who is an expert on opinions about these businesses.

amacachi

Is it 3 years ago already? The clothes scam happened here a few years ago, some bags falsely claiming to be a charity. Also the legit bags getting stolen.
As for the cash for gold, tough. They provide a service, they can't be expected to ask for proof of ownership for everything that passes through. Pawn shops, market stalls etc. would be used to pass along stolen **** if they weren't around.

senorwipesalot

We filled eight black bags full of sh1te 90s clothes from the attic and got sixty quid off cash for clothes.Got a free nights drinkin and saved on cost of skip hire.
They didnt check contents either,could have filled bags with rocks.

RichieC

Stinicker wrote: »

If the guards did their job and the justice system delivered actual Justice then this wouldn't be a problem.

You'd think that, wouldn't you.

stripysocks85

Fair enough if you're giving your clothes to a company who state that they'll pay you X amount of 10kg or so, but to be honest, I don't know what they do with the clothes after that. I do know of scams where people were sending leaflets through doors claiming the clothes were for CHARITY and then using the clothes to get payment from the 'we buy your clothes' companies. That's not right. If people want to give them to charity, fair enough. If they want to get a few bob, so be it.

But I can see how some desperate people may go snooping around washing lines - similar to how house robberies supposedly increased in the search for items for the Cash 4 Gold schemes.

It's all a loada c0ck if you ask me.

Biggins

amacachi wrote: »

...Pawn shops, market stalls etc. would be used to pass along stolen **** if they weren't around.

This is true.
Pawn shops have been around for decades alone but would they now ask for I.D. more so these days in a lot of cases - making the "Cash for Gold" businesses a better/easier option?

Never used any of the above so don't know myself.

amacachi

Biggins wrote: »

This is true.
Pawn shops have been around for decades alone but would they now ask for I.D. more so these days in a lot of cases - making the "Cash for Gold" businesses a better/easier option?

Never used any of the above so don't know myself.

If they're following procedure yes. Market stalls and the like would be less likely to do so. A pawn shop would be one of the more obvious businesses where it would be east to have stuff not go through the books.

number10a

You have to do a lot of stealing of clothes from washing lines for this to be worth it. I brought in a load of stuff the other day and got 80c a kilo. It takes a lot of clothes to make a kilo.

Pacifist Pigeon

I think that buying gold for cash at the moment is a good step to take if you want your savings to avoid the devaluation of current brought on by inflation and especially in case the euro crisis turns over into a complete crash of the euro currency.

However, gold won't always be the best bid in the future. Prices of gold will continue to rise until there is an inevitable gold boom (similar to the property boom), which will then be followed by a gold crash (if we can trust Hayek and his economic theory).

I think that this is far off yet, probably when people start to frantically buy gold as if there's no tomorrow - that's when you know that you are in the midst of a gold boom. That's when you sell and do the opposite of what the sheeple are doing or else you'll lose money after the crash. There was a similar gold boom at the end of the 1970s and early 1980s.

bigneacy

Biggins wrote: »

This is true.
Pawn shops have been around for decades alone but would they now ask for I.D. more so these days in a lot of cases - making the "Cash for Gold" businesses a better/easier option?

Never used any of the above so don't know myself.

The legitimate Cash/Gold businesses are actually quite strict on ID - its the rogue traders out there who are giving the whole industry a bad name.

There is new regulation coming in that will get rid of this element. Also I think the whole rise in burglaries/petty crime association with the gold buying industry is just a bit too convenient. Its like trying to say there was never burglaries before, and imo the pawn shops are generally worse in terms of both price and ID proceedures. The jewellers are no better - practically ****ting with joy at the thought of rescalping you for that overpriced necklace they sold you when they buy it back! I used to work in the gold buying industry - 95% of my customers were old women getting rid of broken and unwanted stuff, the other 5% was either men or the very occasional youngster who usually left without selling.

bigneacy

Pacifist Pigeon wrote: »

I think that buying gold for cash at the moment is a good step to take if you want your savings to avoid the devaluation of current brought on by inflation and especially in case the euro crisis turns over into a complete crash of the euro currency.

However, gold won't always be the best bid in the future. Prices of gold will continue to rise until there is an inevitable gold boom (similar to the property boom), which will then be followed by a gold crash (if we can trust Hayek and his economic theory).

I think that this is far off yet, probably when people start to frantically buy gold as if there's no tomorrow - that's when you know that you are in the midst of a gold boom. That's when you sell and do the opposite of what the sheeple are doing or else you'll lose money after the crash. There was a similar gold boom at the end of the 1970s and early 1980s.

This is very true. When you are walking down the main street and you see "GOLD 4 CASH - (bullion/coins, not jewellry) then the market is about to crash - "Sell sell sell!!"

Gee Bag

Biggins wrote: »

I
Apparently they have noticed an increase in items being stolen off washing lines, etc!

Jaysus, times are tough alright! I thought only perverts stole clothes from washing lines.

Pottler

The "cash for copper" and "cash for steel" shops aren't exactly magnets for societys finest either. "Cash" for pretty much anything is asking for people to haul along all sorts of things they've found, statues, sculptures, cylinders, pipes, road signs, necklaces, rings etc. It's amazing what people can find when someone is offering cold hard cash for it.

Owen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obNIeg2EHDU

fenris

Gee Bag wrote: »

Jaysus, times are tough alright! I thought only perverts stole clothes from washing lines.

No - real perverts steal from the laundry basket!

Lando Griffin

Gee Bag wrote: »

Jaysus, times are tough alright! I thought only perverts stole clothes from washing lines.

Indeed, and now make a nice little earner. On our affulent estate we have had several items of clothing have gone missing since a certain family moved in on the 17 september last year.

Run_to_da_hills

As soon as the head shops died off these scamming criminals sprang up all over the country and the Governments have done absolutely nothing about them. At least the Headshops didn't encourage burglaries.

Eric Cartman

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

As soon as the head shops died off these scamming criminals sprang up all over the country and the Governments have done absolutely nothing about them. At least the Headshops didn't encourage burglaries.

the headshops were bringing in so much money to the revenue it was just silly. stopping them selling the legal highs was one of the worst things they could have done, I think it was €3 million in VAT alone that nirvana turned over to the revenue

Lando Griffin

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

As soon as the head shops died off these scamming criminals sprang up all over the country and the Governments have done absolutely nothing about them. At least the Headshops didn't encourage burglaries.

And it was the likes of the one in Roscommon who was a retired public servant who caused all that. Can you imagine what will happen with all the people like her in the P S retiring out here in March. Therell not be a drink nor whore to be had.

wonderfulname

I've had dodgy looking versions of the labels charities send out for you to stick on bin bags of clothes shoved through my letterbox a few times in recent months, I'd imagine it's a 'trade' that could pay well were you inventive.

ringadingding

Eric Cartman wrote: »

the headshops were bringing in so much money to the revenue it was just silly. stopping them selling the legal highs was one of the worst things they could have done, I think it was €3 million in VAT alone that nirvana turned over to the revenue

I would be surprised if it was 3m in turnover, and shellshocked if it was 3m paid in vat......

nice_very

forget gold..................


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlmnccE3hFI

conor052001

Tesco Massacre wrote: »

It's a great way to get rid of all this excess gold bullion I have lying around.

hahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

InflatableEgo

Op,
you should of already known about the 'cash for clothes' thing. Its nothing new.
Pretty much anything that gets put through your door is a good indication to whats currently the latest fiddle. Point in case:

- Donation clothes bags. Which say nothing that you are donating to charitiy.
- Donate old mobile phones. Again, say nothing about to charity.
- Donate old toys.
- etc. etc.

Jesus Wept

You'd have to steal a lot of clothes to make any cash, they pay a pittance.
But yes, the gold thing and so forth is a disgrace. Also, the amount of iphones and smartphones for sale second hand - many of them are probably stolen.

dfx-

My name is URL wrote: »

I don't really know enough about it to say

let me get my buddy down here who is an expert on opinions about these businesses.

I'll offer you an opinion half of its full value

InflatableEgo

The-Rigger wrote: »

You'd have to steal a lot of clothes to make any cash, they pay a pittance.

Depends on what type of person we are talking about here.

You are correct in one sense. The average stall thats willing to buy second hands clothes will only give you 1 euro for tshirts, jeans etc. No money in that.

But there is a market outside the country. Africa being the number 1 source for second hand clothes (and no, not to the poor places of africa) Sure alot of nigerian people living in ireland like to ship stuff back to nigeria to be re-sold. I even had first hand knowledge of a nigerian man who regular ships a van full of gear back to nigeria a few times a year. Yes. Including the van.

Its legal.