Does buying goods at stores such as Goodwill consitute as a donation to a charitable organization?

Posted by admin on December 11th, 2009 and filed under goodwill donations | 6 Comments »

I donate goods to Goodwill, but at the same time, I buy goods such as books. Is the reciept I get for purchasing goods considered evidence as an additional donation (e.g. when I file my taxes)?

No it’s not. That is why your Goodwill purchase receipt willususally say "Not a donation. This receipt is for a merchandise purchase." (Church thrift stores are the same scenario. But this actually is a very good question. As a tax professional I OFTEN see people who go to "charity auctions" and are under the impression that they will get a charitable donation for the money used to "bid" for the items. The amount that you can claim as a charitable deduction would be the amount OVER the value of what you have purchased. In your case I’m sure that you are not paying over the value of the item since these are used items, but a real-life example of the auction scenario is this: Mrs. Rich goes to a "charity auction" for Smallville Youth Athletics and bids $200 for a signed pair of shoes from Mr. Big Name athlete. In a sports collectibles store you will pay $175 for Mr. Big Name’s autographed shoes. Only $25 of this check to Smallville Youth Athletics is a donation.

6 Responses

  1. shaiinfomed Says:

    Buying goods at a thrift store does not constitute a donation. Giving goods is a donation and that can be written off on your taxes if you have a receipt.
    References :

  2. spot Says:

    No.
    References :

  3. pollywump Says:

    Charity should be just that…..charity….period. To assume to give a gift of charity, one should not think of a gain, as in a tax write off.
    Once a donation or a gift leaves your hand, let it go. If your that greedy, don’t bother donating.
    References :

  4. Lala_79 Says:

    NO. Only when you donate items (goods) can that be considered tax-deductible.
    References :

  5. FlCpa Says:

    No it’s not. That is why your Goodwill purchase receipt willususally say "Not a donation. This receipt is for a merchandise purchase." (Church thrift stores are the same scenario. But this actually is a very good question. As a tax professional I OFTEN see people who go to "charity auctions" and are under the impression that they will get a charitable donation for the money used to "bid" for the items. The amount that you can claim as a charitable deduction would be the amount OVER the value of what you have purchased. In your case I’m sure that you are not paying over the value of the item since these are used items, but a real-life example of the auction scenario is this: Mrs. Rich goes to a "charity auction" for Smallville Youth Athletics and bids $200 for a signed pair of shoes from Mr. Big Name athlete. In a sports collectibles store you will pay $175 for Mr. Big Name’s autographed shoes. Only $25 of this check to Smallville Youth Athletics is a donation.
    References :

  6. churchonthewayseniors Says:

    no luck on what you buy from theses stores, only the receipt that you get when you donation goods or if you give them a cash gift, the receipts are different for donations and purchases………….
    References :

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