In the same way that MP's keep saying they will tackle ticket touting. It boils my blood that people buy tickets with no intention of going to the concert but instantly stick them on the web and fleece genuine fans. These poppies are to honour the dead and injured from past and present conflicts and to buy one with the intention of selling it on to somebody who genuinely wants to support the poppy appeal at in increased cost is morally wrong and should be against the law. I'm all for market enterprise but some things are just wrong and should be protected by legislation - this is one of them.
What if I have one and sell it for £50 and then give the profit to the British Legion? That way a bigger percentage has gone to charity. I urge everyone who has one to do this!
Or just give £25 to the legion and keep your poppy. Or we could all give £25 to the legion whether we've got a poppy or not. If we did, no ex-servicemen would have to suffer from the effects of poverty for the next century.
Ticket touting is for an event at a fixed time. I could keep this poppy for a year and then decide I'd like to sell it. So if I sold it for £50 would you want me prosecuting? Even if I sold mine to Jay for £100, it would still be honouring the dead, just in his living room rather than my downstairs bog.
I think the point is being missed. My issue is with those who buy them and have only one intention which is to stick it on eBay and make a profit for their own pockets because they know that some people will be desperate for one and will pay over the odds to have one. If you buy one, sell it for £50 and donate the money to the poppy appeal you're not profiteering out of fallen servicemen so I'm not sure how this point is relevant.
Someone along the way will have made a profit no doubt about that,whether its for charity or not someone will have more than covered their costs and if vat has been charged that makes all of us.