Guaranteed Low Prices and Interest: Difference between revisions
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→Buying on Credit when the Price is Unclear
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===Buying on Credit when the Price is Unclear=== | ===Buying on Credit when the Price is Unclear=== | ||
'''''Tarsha - Buying on Credit''''' | '''''Tarsha - Buying on Credit''''' | ||
#Generally it is forbidden to charge someone extra for buying on credit.<ref>Gemara Bava Metsia 65a, Shulchan Aruch Y.D. 173:1</ref> | #Generally it is forbidden<ref>Rambam Malveh Vloveh 8:1 clarifies that it is only rabbinically forbidden to charge more for buying on credit since it is presented as a sale not a loan. Shach 173:4 agrees.</ref> to charge someone extra for buying on credit.<ref>Gemara Bava Metsia 65a, Shulchan Aruch Y.D. 173:1</ref> | ||
# If an item doesn't have a fixed price then one can charge more for it when the buyer pays later than the delivery date. The reason is that since there's no established price the seller can set the price of the item at the higher price that the buyer will pay later. However, if there is a market price that is known or | # If an item doesn't have a fixed price then one can charge more for it when the buyer pays later than the delivery date. The reason is that since there's no established price the seller can set the price of the item at the higher price that the buyer will pay later. However, if there is a market price that is known<ref>Tosfot b"m 63b, Rosh b"m 5:22</ref> or the seller specifies a price for the item if one wanted to pay now and another price for buying on credit it is forbidden.<ref>Gemara Bava Metsia 65a</ref> Therefore, having a two tiered pricing system for buying regularly and buying on credit is interest and forbidden between two Jews.<ref>Shulchan Aruch Y.D. 173:1</ref> | ||
##Even when there's no clear price, the market hasn't established a price, and the seller didn't specify a price, the seller can only increase the price a little. There is a dispute as to this amount: | ##Even when there's no clear price, the market hasn't established a price, and the seller didn't specify a price, the seller can only increase the price a little. There is a dispute as to this amount: | ||
## Some say that the seller can only raise it to an amount that one could expect the price to rise by the time of the payment date. For example, if it is known that in the rainy season the price of umbrellas rise, and the price of umbrellas weren't fixed in the market, then one could have someone pay the price of the rainy season even though the umbrellas were bought in the dry season and they were delivered then. One couldn't charge a higher rate that wouldn't be expected to be the price of the market. We are strict for this opinion.<ref>Baal Hatrumot 46:4:30 citing Ramban 65a s.v. amar, Rabbi Akiva Eiger 173:1, Shach 173:5, Chelkat Binyamin 173:28</ref> | ## Some say that the seller can only raise it to an amount that one could expect the price to rise by the time of the payment date. For example, if it is known that in the rainy season the price of umbrellas rise, and the price of umbrellas weren't fixed in the market, then one could have someone pay the price of the rainy season even though the umbrellas were bought in the dry season and they were delivered then. One couldn't charge a higher rate that wouldn't be expected to be the price of the market. We are strict for this opinion.<ref>Baal Hatrumot 46:4:30 citing Ramban 65a s.v. amar, Rabbi Akiva Eiger 173:1, Shach 173:5, Chelkat Binyamin 173:28</ref> | ||
## An alternate opinion to the first one is that the seller can charge up to the price that the market sometimes surges to when some event occurs if that event happens on a frequent basis.<ref>Chelkat Binyamin 173:28 citing the Sama 173:30 based on Rama 173:1</ref> | ## An alternate opinion to the first one is that the seller can charge up to the price that the market sometimes surges to when some event occurs if that event happens on a frequent basis.<ref>Chelkat Binyamin 173:28 citing the Sama 173:30 based on Rama 173:1</ref> | ||
## Some say that the seller can raise it up to 20 percent above the range of prices in the market. If this is a stringency we follow this opinion.<ref>Chelkat Binyamin 173:28</ref> | ## Some say that the seller can raise it up to 20 percent above the range of prices in the market. If this is a stringency we follow this opinion.<ref>Chelkat Binyamin 173:28</ref> | ||
# If something doesn't have a clear price and the market price fluctuates frequently even if there is currently a market price it is considered eligible for the leniency of charging more for buying on credit as long as the seller doesn't specify a price for purchasing it up front.<ref>Chavot Daat 173:3, Chelkat Binyamin 173:31</ref> | |||
'''''Paying in Advance''''' | '''''Paying in Advance''''' | ||
#Generally it is forbidden to sell something for cheaper when the buyer pays in advance.<ref>Shulchan Aruch Y.D. 173:7</ref> | #Generally it is forbidden to sell something for cheaper when the buyer pays in advance.<ref>Shulchan Aruch Y.D. 173:7</ref> | ||
