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Free stuff is everywhere once you start looking for it, from trade-show giveaways to furniture left on the curb. Today's caller found himself with leftover display equipment from two neighboring booths and wanted to know whether he owed anyone a heads-up before flipping it.
My question is, can I resell something I receive for free? I worked at a trade show and two of the booths next to me said they didn’t need some of their display equipment. I asked if I could take it and they said “Sure!” But I didn’t tell them I was going to try reselling it … now I’m wondering if I have an ethical obligation to be clear about that when buying items or taking free stuff like at the trade show.
I don't see anything wrong with it. The vendors clearly had no use for the equipment, and they didn't attach any conditions to giving it away — no "for personal use only," no restriction of any kind. Once someone gives something away with nothing attached, it's yours to do with as you like, including reselling it. The one exception is when an item is explicitly marked not for resale; short of that, it's fair game.
The same logic applies to curbside furniture or anything else someone has clearly decided they're done with. If there's no restriction, claim it for your reselling kingdom.
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