Some consumers who have no need for government-issued $40 coupons for a television converter box have been getting them anyway, trying to make a few bucks from those desperate to get one.
Though not yet coveted like the golden tickets of Willy Wonka, the coupons are appearing on websites, some sellers offering to give them away but many willing to part with them only for a price.
“They’re hard to get, so I figured why shouldn’t I make a few bucks on mine?” said Marc, a Denver resident selling his coupon on Craigslist who refused to give his last name. “I got cable, and I don’t need it, but someone else might.”
It’s illegal to sell the coupon, and it says so on the back. Anyone caught selling coupons could be prosecuted, said Bart Forbes, spokesman for the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which issues the coupons.
But that hasn’t stopped people from trying, and a waiting list of more than 2 million people is fanning the fire.
On the auction website eBay, several ads have appeared recently from locations as diverse as Alsip, Ill.; Harrison Township, Mich.; and Houston.
Two ads, each for a pair of $40 coupons, had the same high bid of $82, suggesting the bidder was attempting to kill the seller’s ability to profit from the freebie.
NTIA said it has agreements with eBay and Craigslist to police the ads and remove them, but some get through just long enough for someone to buy a coupon.
One sold for $19.51 after eight users put in a bid. The seller openly conceded eBay prohibited the sale, so he titled the auction as one for “information” about how to obtain the coupon.
Ads on Craigslist included one potential buyer from Crown Point, Ind., saying he needed the coupons so his children could watch television.
“We asked for the coupons and got them, but they expired,” said Scott, who wouldn’t give his last name. “We tried to get a replacement but couldn’t, and I’m up the creek without a paddle with the kids needing television.”
Not everyone is looking to profit. Several ads show the benevolent side of people offering their unused coupons for someone else in need.
David Migoya: 303-954-1506 or dmigoya@denverpost.com
