Remember when Kim Kardashian did that charity clothing sale on eBay -- in which she donated a whopping 10 percent of the proceeds to typhoon victims in the Philippines? And we were all, 10 percent?!? Why did she even bother? Well, you guys hurt Kim's feelings. Now Kim Kardashian is defending her 10 percent donation, you ingrates, you. Because! When you do an eBay auction, there's all these fees that eat up the proceeds, and she's left with almost nothing, practically birdseed, which she willingly donates to the needy out of the goodness of her heart. HER HEART! Which we are breaking with these cruel accusations of greed.
But listen, haters, this wasn't a one-time act of charity for her. Kim says she donates 10 percent of all her income.
So for people to attack me for giving 10% of my eBay auction sales to the people of the Philippines, that hurts. I do eBay auctions monthly and change the charity or church from time to time. I give 10% of all my earnings to charities, not just these eBay auctions.
And by the way, here's how the math for those eBay auction sales breaks down.
When the eBay numbers get broken down, the auction management agency that posts for me gets a percentage for all of their hard work, then eBay listing fees, end of auction fees, eBay Store fees, Paypal fees, etc., all add up to about half of the sale. Then I give 10% to a charity.
Okay, but that still leaves 40 percent.
Am I nitpicking at this point? I'm actually impressed that Kim donates 10 percent of her earnings. That's a lot more than many other people in her income bracket donate, to tell you the truth. So respect to Kim for doing her part. I'm sure it really adds up.
As for these eBay sales ... I don't know. I mean, that 10 percent probably adds up, too. And they're her clothes so she can do whatever she wants to with them. Why wouldn't she want to sell off barely used designer clothing? I'm sure the way she sees it, that 10 percent to charity is just the icing on the cake.
I just think it's important to be open and transparent about where the money is going when it comes to charity sales. Just like you'd want to check out a nonprofit's financials before sending them money (how much of it is spent on providing a service vs. going into things like marketing and paid staff), if you're buying something from a charity sale, you should probably find out what percentage is going to the actual charity. And by the way, on Kim's auction page, where it says, "A percentage of the proceeds from Kim's auctions benefit the International Medical Corps," there should be a "10 percent" in place of "a percentage." Is anyone still reading this post or did you click away when you found out I'm not all outraged over this? Hello? Bueller? Bueller?
Whatever. So now we all know: Buy a dress from Kim Kardashian and only 10 percent of your money is going to charity. But also? Now you have a fancy dress. It's compromise charity for people who love stuff.
Seriously, if you really care about helping people in the Philippines, send a cash donation to Doctors Without Borders or UNICEF instead. As Kim says, "Giving comes from the heart. We all need to be reminded of this as we celebrate the holiday season this year." Giving comes from the heart and also from Kim's closet.
Do you think Kim's justification for her eBay auction works or should she have given more?
Image via E! Online