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Subject: 
Re: The difference between hobbyists and collectors...
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto
Date: 
Tue, 9 Jan 2007 16:07:21 GMT
Viewed: 
1558 times
  
In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, Calum Tsang wrote:
In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, David Koudys wrote:


Be fair.

What in the love of god is fair, though, Dave?  Half the people out there in our
world don't have the same value or belief systems you or I have, they cheat on
their taxes, they buy SUV's which could roll over and kill you, they park in
handicap spots...

...fair is far too subjective.

agreed--it is subjective, but again, all of this was my opinion.

But just as we can point and laugh about how the weatherman has difficulty
predicting the weather conditions 2 weeks out, we can't then assume that the
weatherman will be wrong about the weather that'll happen tomorrow.  As I said
somewhere else, if the weatherman says that it will rain 2 weeks from now and it
doesn't, that doesn't mean that *everything* he's ever said or will ever say
will be wrong.

There is lots of grey that occurs between the differences of opinion--we can't
go a week without someone contradicting what's healthy.  Eggs are good one week,
bad the next.

So again, much greyness.

However, I bet all the money in my pocket against all the money in your pocket
that if someone starts yapping about the 'don't eat *anything* *ever*' diet,
that no one will think that it's a good idea.

So fairness is a range--the one end is *nothing*, which isn't fair, and the
other end is *everything*, which, again, isn't failr.

It's not a set number--it's a range.  And it fluctuates from one point to the
next.  That's the chaotic part of life.

So somewhere is a 'fair market' value for set 345.  My opinion is that 400
dollars isn't it.  Further, my opinion is that anyone who askes right off the
bat for 400 bones doesn't deserve that set in the first place.  It's like
driving down the street and seeing 'Crazy Honda Driver' break all sorts of
traffic laws and such--Jackass Driver doesn't deserve that car!  (again, my
opinion)



But that's just how I think about things.  And since, in my little world we're
all somehow dependant on one another, I can't formulate a way of 'screwing my
neighbour' on something today without thinking that it's somehow going to bite
me in the ass at some future point.

That works for small situations like helping your real physical next door
neighbour.  It doesn't help in a larger market situation like eBay.  What's a
fair deal?  On a man's word and a handshake.  Mr. Auction Sniper in Wisconsin
frankly doesn't give a care as he snipes your bid at a second before closing
with an auction bot.


Ahh, but then we get on the buyers side, and not the sellers side--two different
scenarios--one is the 'free market'--the other one is price gouging.

I've been bidding on eBay for a few years now--I look at an auction and I put
down what I'm personally willing to pay for those items.  If someone wants to
pay more for 'em--all the power to 'em.  I'm not--my decision.  I've lost sooo
many auctions, but I don't care--I have my money to go buy somehting else.  And
the good bit about eBay is that something else'll come along, almost identical
to what I wanted.

Prime example was the Commodore SX64 that I wanted.  I thought about it--I
wasn't willing to pay mroe than 40-50 bucks on a very old computer that might nt
even work when I got it.  There's usually about 5-10 SX64's on eBay at any given
time.  Some go for as much as 200 bucks.  I kept putting in my max bid at 50
bucks and I eventually won one for 40.  Nice.  I've had it for 4+years and it
still works.  I'm happy, and the seller got some cash for it.  Win-win for both.
That's the market.  That's how it works.  Monopolies don't work in an open
market, and monopolies don't work in helping the every day citizen.

So the guy wants $400.  Fine, the market in theory should settle him out.  If
it's not worth $400, no one will buy.  Next time he offers a set (maybe the same
set) it'll be lower and he'll have learnt a lesson.  If he does get $400, well,
you're the idiot in corner with your "fair" and he's laughing to the bank.

Calum

On this we agree--the person who buys that set for 400 bucks has entirely too
much money on his or her hands, and should donate some of that spare cash to the
Endeavour Enterprises Foundation of Submarine Building.

So done.

Dave K
-bringing life back into rtlT



Message is in Reply To:
  Re: The difference between hobbyists and collectors...
 
(...) What in the love of god is fair, though, Dave? Half the people out there in our world don't have the same value or belief systems you or I have, they cheat on their taxes, they buy SUV's which could roll over and kill you, they park in (...) (17 years ago, 9-Jan-07, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto)

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