Whether he was buying for personal use or to kick start his business is an important distinction to me.
Doug Schmell was removing funds that were entrusted to be held safely. They were not his and he buying personal books with other people's money.
When you are self employed or running a small business (like you and I do) you have accounts payable and accounts receivable and there is an overlap.
Your accounts payable account can be late and yet you can still have money in accounts receivable to reinvest in the business. It's the nature of small business.
It's why many bills can and are payable 30 / 60 / 90 days out. It allows businesses stay liquid while floating in the middle.
The intent with the Star Wars figures is an important distinction IMO because people who work for themselves think differently than collectors.
That is where I was going with my point.
And yes, Chip belongs in the HOS, and yes it wasn't OK that he didn't answer anyone until Brock's CL post, and yes it's not OK that he didn't ship packages out.
And I'm not sleeping in a Holiday Inn Express tonight.
I have been self employed for 35 of my 53 years of life. I have never, ever spent money I did not have in hand. It is not only a bad habit to get into, it is dangerous, and if you want to really dissect it, can become criminal. I work for myself AND I am a collector and would always put paying my debts before any "deal". TBH anyone who can see this as "OK" would raise red flags in my mind.
Yup