Would never post a topic:

[ChrisInBaltimore]

According to this thread, you're a horrible person Buzz.

 

Actually, from the comments so far, it seems I'm the horrible one (or maybe just the stupid one).

 

This whole discussion got beat to death over the weekend in the Garage Sale thread. In this day and age, people should know what they have. It doesn't matter if they are a little old lady or some middle aged insufficiently_thoughtful_person.

[JollyComics]

Give him something as your thankful gift.

[originalisbest]

If you tell someone that they're giving away a fortune, they're either still going to sell it, and feel regret that they didn't look into it further, or keep it, and lose it to some shark later down the road who will somehow convince her it's a reprint, or some such garbage. Hopefully, you're not a shark, and it's better off with you.

 

If it's in your means to up the asking price to something fair, you should do so. If you're flipping, you're still making money. If you're keeping them, you know you're still getting a bargain.

 

In the case of the hidden Detectives, I assume you're not walking around with thousands, so you should buy them, and not mention anything. Once you sell them, go back and give her an envelope with some cash in it. Don't confuse her with market details and an itemized breakdown, just tell her that one of the books was expensive, and you think she's entitled to half. You don't have to give her half, but she won't question "half", she'll feel good about it, and you'll have done your duty as a decent human being.

I don't really have a problem with that. I'd still inform them before I took it, and if some snake screwed them later it's not my fault. I would feel good knowing I wasn't that snake. I have a feeling if a guy has a $50 box of comics at a yard sale and you tell him "This is worth a lot of money, I have $1500 in the bank and I'll give it all to you for the box" they'll probably be very happy and not turn you away just to get suckered out of it by the next guy.

 

Exactly the opposite of what would probably happen in that scenario. Offer people a "significant" sum of $ for something they know nothing about and they're much less likely to sell to you, they tend to button up. If you poker-faced offer them $50 for the same deal, they may assume "sounds fair" and may or may not part with their stuff.

[jaybuck43]

I had this conversation with my mother after purchasing a rather large Silver Age collection. I offered a fair offer to the guy who sold it to me. He knew nothing about the books at all. After my mother asked what I paid she said, "why did you offer so much, I'm sure he would have taken less?" My response was "I'm sure but I just wouldn't have felt right". She did bring up an excellent point though. 15 years ago there was no easy way to check the value of an antique you were selling (i.e. your father's comic collection) but today with the internet, it takes about 5 seconds to go on eBay and type in Amazing Fantasy 15 and get a ball park idea of what the book goes for (of course if you have a 1.0 copy and are asking $125,000 for it, well that's what Pawn Stars is for ) So if you go to a garage sale and pay $10 for an Action Comics #1 you shouldn't feel bad because there is no reason anyone shouldn't have SOME idea of what the book is worth.

[dupont2005]

According to this thread, you're a horrible person Buzz.

 

Actually, from the comments so far, it seems I'm the horrible one (or maybe just the stupid one).

 

This whole discussion got beat to death over the weekend in the Garage Sale thread. In this day and age, people should know what they have. It doesn't matter if they are a little old lady or some middle aged insufficiently_thoughtful_person.

Yeah. Screw 'em. Screw everybody. Delicious profits are my god!

[dupont2005]

I had this conversation with my mother after purchasing a rather large Silver Age collection. I offered a fair offer to the guy who sold it to me. He knew nothing about the books at all. After my mother asked what I paid she said, "why did you offer so much, I'm sure he would have taken less?" My response was "I'm sure but I just wouldn't have felt right". She did bring up an excellent point though. 15 years ago there was no easy way to check the value of an antique you were selling (i.e. your father's comic collection) but today with the internet, it takes about 5 seconds to go on eBay and type in Amazing Fantasy 15 and get a ball park idea of what the book goes for (of course if you have a 1.0 copy and are asking $125,000 for it, well that's what Pawn Stars is for ) So if you go to a garage sale and pay $10 for an Action Comics #1 you shouldn't feel bad because there is no reason anyone shouldn't have SOME idea of what the book is worth.

You assume everyone is literate and has a computer.

[dupont2005]

If you tell someone that they're giving away a fortune, they're either still going to sell it, and feel regret that they didn't look into it further, or keep it, and lose it to some shark later down the road who will somehow convince her it's a reprint, or some such garbage. Hopefully, you're not a shark, and it's better off with you.

 

If it's in your means to up the asking price to something fair, you should do so. If you're flipping, you're still making money. If you're keeping them, you know you're still getting a bargain.

 

In the case of the hidden Detectives, I assume you're not walking around with thousands, so you should buy them, and not mention anything. Once you sell them, go back and give her an envelope with some cash in it. Don't confuse her with market details and an itemized breakdown, just tell her that one of the books was expensive, and you think she's entitled to half. You don't have to give her half, but she won't question "half", she'll feel good about it, and you'll have done your duty as a decent human being.

I don't really have a problem with that. I'd still inform them before I took it, and if some snake screwed them later it's not my fault. I would feel good knowing I wasn't that snake. I have a feeling if a guy has a $50 box of comics at a yard sale and you tell him "This is worth a lot of money, I have $1500 in the bank and I'll give it all to you for the box" they'll probably be very happy and not turn you away just to get suckered out of it by the next guy.

 

Exactly the opposite of what would probably happen in that scenario. Offer people a "significant" sum of $ for something they know nothing about and they're much less likely to sell to you, they tend to button up. If you poker-faced offer them $50 for the same deal, they may assume "sounds fair" and may or may not part with their stuff.

If they button up, that's fine. I'll feel good about having not screwed anyone over. Wasn't meant to be. There's more important things in life than profit. Being able to live with myself is a pretty important thing. I'm sure some people can live with themselves after knowingly ripping off a stranger on Craigslist. Some other people can live with themselves after committing armed home invasion robbery. I can't say I'd be comfortable doing either. I'd have serious reservations associating with anyone who was comfortable doing either as well.

[vaillant]

According to this thread, you're a horrible person Buzz.

 

Actually, from the comments so far, it seems I'm the horrible one (or maybe just the stupid one).

 

This whole discussion got beat to death over the weekend in the Garage Sale thread. In this day and age, people should know what they have. It doesn't matter if they are a little old lady or some middle aged insufficiently_thoughtful_person.

 

Sorry Chris, but this is a barbaric generalization…

[dupont2005]

What if instead of finding it in a desert, you found it in someone's garage at a garage sale?

 

Someone owns the Sahara desert, don't they...?

 

When you have to get that ridiculous to make a point, I'm sure it's a totally valid point. When you're at a garage sale you're face to face with the owner of whatever it is you're buying. When you "find" something in the wilderness, in unincorporated, uninhabited land, you are not.

 

There's a difference between finding something abandoned and suckering someone out of something.

[porcupine48]

Dead horses deserve mercy as well.

[Buzzetta]

According to this thread, you're a horrible person Buzz.

 

Actually, from the comments so far, it seems I'm the horrible one (or maybe just the stupid one).

 

Apparently, I am

 

Time to go out - be back later.

[vaillant]

Buzz just benefited from the dealer's offer. They even insisted.

 

I have no problem either way, as long as there is no malice involved.

[jaybuck43]

I had this conversation with my mother after purchasing a rather large Silver Age collection. I offered a fair offer to the guy who sold it to me. He knew nothing about the books at all. After my mother asked what I paid she said, "why did you offer so much, I'm sure he would have taken less?" My response was "I'm sure but I just wouldn't have felt right". She did bring up an excellent point though. 15 years ago there was no easy way to check the value of an antique you were selling (i.e. your father's comic collection) but today with the internet, it takes about 5 seconds to go on eBay and type in Amazing Fantasy 15 and get a ball park idea of what the book goes for (of course if you have a 1.0 copy and are asking $125,000 for it, well that's what Pawn Stars is for ) So if you go to a garage sale and pay $10 for an Action Comics #1 you shouldn't feel bad because there is no reason anyone shouldn't have SOME idea of what the book is worth.

You assume everyone is literate and has a computer.

 

The United States has a 99% literacy rate so yes I do assume that everyone is literate (or knows someone who is). And I assume that everyone has ACCESS to a computer, not that they necessarily own them. Almost all libraries in the US have computers that allow for web surfing, including courses for seniors on how to go on the Internet. So I think it is fair to assume that they can access a computer.

[RockMyAmadeus]

Delicious profits are my god!

 

Delicious, delicious profits!!

 

Nom nom nom nom....

[vaillant]

The United States has a 99% literacy rate

 

Huh? Since when? I seem to recall it was not like that until not many years ago.

Or you mean "computer literacy" (a word which would be untranslatable in italian ).

[jaybuck43]

The United States has a 99% literacy rate

 

Huh? Since when? I seem to recall it was not like that until not many years ago.

Or you mean "computer literacy" (a word which would be untranslatable in italian ).

 

No I mean ability to read (literacy) not computer proficiency (never understood why people call it Computer Literacy, it makes no sense)

 

Source is CIA World Factbook

 

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html

[ChrisInBaltimore]

According to this thread, you're a horrible person Buzz.

 

Actually, from the comments so far, it seems I'm the horrible one (or maybe just the stupid one).

 

This whole discussion got beat to death over the weekend in the Garage Sale thread. In this day and age, people should know what they have. It doesn't matter if they are a little old lady or some middle aged insufficiently_thoughtful_person.

Yeah. Screw 'em. Screw everybody. Delicious profits are my god!

 

You really need to give it a rest…

[ChrisInBaltimore]

According to this thread, you're a horrible person Buzz.

 

Actually, from the comments so far, it seems I'm the horrible one (or maybe just the stupid one).

 

Apparently, I am

 

Time to go out - be back later.

 

I was joking and I'm amazed Dupont hasn't jumped all over you.

[ChrisInBaltimore]

I had this conversation with my mother after purchasing a rather large Silver Age collection. I offered a fair offer to the guy who sold it to me. He knew nothing about the books at all. After my mother asked what I paid she said, "why did you offer so much, I'm sure he would have taken less?" My response was "I'm sure but I just wouldn't have felt right". She did bring up an excellent point though. 15 years ago there was no easy way to check the value of an antique you were selling (i.e. your father's comic collection) but today with the internet, it takes about 5 seconds to go on eBay and type in Amazing Fantasy 15 and get a ball park idea of what the book goes for (of course if you have a 1.0 copy and are asking $125,000 for it, well that's what Pawn Stars is for ) So if you go to a garage sale and pay $10 for an Action Comics #1 you shouldn't feel bad because there is no reason anyone shouldn't have SOME idea of what the book is worth.

You assume everyone is literate and has a computer.

 

The United States has a 99% literacy rate so yes I do assume that everyone is literate (or knows someone who is). And I assume that everyone has ACCESS to a computer, not that they necessarily own them. Almost all libraries in the US have computers that allow for web surfing, including courses for seniors on how to go on the Internet. So I think it is fair to assume that they can access a computer.

 

Where did you get a 99% literacy rate? I don't think that is accurate…

 

Heck my students alone would practically disprove that statistic.

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/06/illiteracy-rate_n_3880355.html

[vaillant]

I thought it was less.

 

Not that is much accurate on other things (I was looking at Italy) but I guess it’s as close as accurate as such statistics can be…

 

I do agree on the misuse of "literacy" (and God knows how many other words…).