View source for Archive:Cheapskates Letter

UBC Varsity Outdoors Club

Box 98, Student Union Building

6138 Student Union Mall

Vancouver, B.C. V6T 2B9

www.ubc-voc.com

January 25, 2007

Mayor and City Council

Vancouver City Hall

453 West 12th Avenue

Vancouver, BC V5Y 1V4




Dear Mayor and City Council,

We are the Varsity Outdoor Club of the University of British Columbia, founded in 1917.  We are writing about changes to by-law No. 2807, Second-hand Dealers and Pawnbrokers, specifically about the effects it will have on Cheapskates - a local Dunbar consignment chain.

Our membership is united by a passion for the outdoors and includes first ascentionists, authors of outdoor literature and founding members of the Mountain Equipment Co-op and Federation of Mountain Clubs of BC - however most of our over five hundred active members are university students.  As university students the ability to purchase secondhand goods is essentially the only way to start out in a sport - especially gear and expense intensive sports such as skiing, mountaineering and camping.  Cheapskates has become a staple provider for us - our clubroom is filled with gear purchased at Cheapskates, our backcountry huts (built by volunteer labour, and open to all) are furnished with stoves, lanterns and heaters from Cheapskates, and our members use their Cheapskates gear extensively on trips.

Cheapskates fills a valuable role in our community by allowing us to purchase and recycle our used sporting goods.  Since they operate only on consignment we feel that we actually have less of a chance of purchasing stolen goods at Cheapskates than purchasing over the internet - through Ebay or Craigslist, for instance.

Since it began almost 20 years ago, Cheapskates has always made an effort to distance itself from stolen goods.  They will only ever send the profits of a sale by cheque in the mail - never cash.  They also require that a consignor provide a correct name, address, and driver's licence.  Unfortunately, however, they will not be able to comply with the new changes to bylaw 2807 - for them it presents an insurmountable obstacle and they will be forced to close.  As of January 16th they are no longer accepting items for consignment.  This is, indeed, a blow to our membership - and indeed a tragic loss for the entire community.

What needs to be done is to change the by-law such that businesses like Cheapskates - those making a genuine and effective effort to avoid the resale of stolen goods, can continue to operate.  This could be as simple as introducing different catagories for pawnbrokers vs. stores which sell on consignment.  Not only that - but Cheapskates needs to be informed these changes will take place, and allowed to continue operation until the new laws take effect.  If they are unable to start accepting items for consignment soon the loss of business will be too much, and they will be forced to close regardless.  They need to be able start again immediately - not next week or even tomorrow.  If council cares about this valuable community member something needs to be done today.  There is not enough time to wait for studies, or 'look into' various ways the laws could be changed - they need to start business today if they are to survive.  Please allow them to resume business while the matter is discussed - the phone number for Cheapskates is 604 222-1125.

Thank you
The Varsity Outdoor Club

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