Last month, Kim Kardashian created an eBay auction and said that she would be donating a portion of the proceeds to the Philippine typhoon victims. What seemed like a sincere gesture quickly stirred controversy after it was reported that only ten percent of the earnings would be donated.

She started out by explaining the auction on her personal website saying: “Hi guys, this is a very special auction because a portion of the proceeds of my eBay auction are going to International Medical Corps, which is a nonprofit organization that provides critical health services on remote islands where families are struggling to access medical care and basic resources like food, clean drinking water and vital medications.” “The proceeds will go directly to the communities they’re serving in the Philippines and will help typhoon survivors get access to medical care and ultimately save lives,” she continued. “My prayers and thoughts are with those affected by the typhoon. Check out my eBay auction here and support those who need our help in the Philippines. Xo”

When the public found out that only ten percent would be donated, they were outraged. It’s no secret that Kardashian is a multi-millionaire, so the question was… Why not donate more? After thousands of remarks came in about her auction, Kardashian decided to defend her decision to only donate ten percent and explain that she is always donated to different charities and doesn’t appreciate the negativity.

“I feel compelled to speak about something that is in my head and my heart,” she wrote. “Over the years, I’ve had to grow a thick skin. Being in the public eye, there are times I feel like I get criticized for any and everything I do. I’m used to it now. I just choose not to feed into negativity or become consumed by it.”

Kardashian continued saying that she was taught to give back at an early age by her father, the late Robert Kardashian. “The problem comes in when I get attacked for giving and trying to help people. My dad always taught me the importance of giving back,” she explained. “I don’t publicize everything I do to help charities and people all over the world. I do it because I want to. I do it because my dad taught me to. I do it because it’s the right thing to do. So for people to attack me for giving 10% of my eBay auction sales to the people of the Philippines, that hurts.”

She went on to explain how the numbers are broken down when she decides to use an eBay auction to promote a charity. “In regards to these eBay auctions, when the eBay numbers get broken down, the auction management agency that posts for me gets a percentage for all of their hard work, then eBay listing fees, end of auction fees, eBay Store fees, Paypal fees, etc., all add up to about half of the sale,” she explained. “Then I give 10% to a charity. Truth is how the # is broken down, is neither here nor there. The people of the Philippines need all of our help, no matter how big or small.”

Image via Wikimedia Commons