Re-read the article. She's not really getting paid for the reviews. She's getting the cost of the items refunded. Net $0, and she's even in the hole a bit from companies that ghost her.
> “I’m pretty sure I’m at a 10% loss. But I’m okay with it, because I’ve gotten a whole bunch of new stuff.”
The cheap crap is the payment. She's not making much on reselling them, either:
> Jessica gives away many of the items she reviews, and she has made about $150 by selling products on Facebook Marketplace. She’s donated clothes that don’t fit and handed off the rest to family members or friends.
She is getting paid (in gift cards) for the purchases made. Her profit maybe zero but she earning a revenue from her scheme. From an accounting and IRS perspective it would be categorized as an income
Regarding the donations, if she takes the charitable contribution deduction it will reduce her income tax due. That may affect the calculation on whether she’s “making money” or not.
However, she should probably be paying income tax on the value of the items she receives because they are payment for her labor in writing fake reviews. If she’s actually paying taxes on the income, then she could easily be losing money.
Charitable contributions are only deductible if you itemize deductions. Under current tax laws, only about 10% of returns are expected to itemize, generally high earners.
> “I’m pretty sure I’m at a 10% loss. But I’m okay with it, because I’ve gotten a whole bunch of new stuff.”
The cheap crap is the payment. She's not making much on reselling them, either:
> Jessica gives away many of the items she reviews, and she has made about $150 by selling products on Facebook Marketplace. She’s donated clothes that don’t fit and handed off the rest to family members or friends.