Ever feel guilty about getting a good deal?

[roswellborn]

I once hit a yard sale, picked up some inexpensive china, and the guy says "how much would you give for this tent?" Well, I was down to my last $3, and told him so - "SOLD" he says... I even argued with him, saying "You can't sell that tent for three bucks!"

He swore he was *not* going to fold that dang thing up even one more time and it was mine for three bucks. A freakin' two room tent, for three bucks... Best I can describe is - it's a dome tent - with an add-on room (with a divider, no less).

His dad was kinda grumpy as he watched me fold up that tent

And no, I felt no guilt whatsoever. The guy practically shoved it in my hands.

That was sweeeet! lol

 

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[creeper71]

Short answer- No never. It's not my job to inform a seller what their wares are worth. That is...unless a see a little ole lady cashing in here late Husbands coin collection at the bank for face value. But then that's a different scenario.

that is exactly what I was saying in my first post Digs, smart people think alike...lol

 

[batcap]

How about this all too familiar scenario:

You stop at a sale, ask the seller if they have any jewelry. They reply "yes but its all costume" or "yes, but none of it is real". You then take a brief look through and easily spot a few sterling or even gold pieces. You buy the whole lot for a few bucks to $5.

Is this something to feel guilty about or shame on them for not realizing what they had?

You're not quite clear, but my 4 magic words are "How much is this?" I don't haggle much. If it's more than I'm willing to pay I'll complement the seller on how well they know the value of the item and put it down.
Most of the time I'll scope out something of which I know the value.

"How much is this?"
14k Pendant on 14K chain - $5
14k earrings 25 cents
Navajo sterling pendant $2
Carved amber from Poland on sterling chain from Italy $1
Big sterling chain w/sterling pendant. $5
Hand made sterling necklace w/amythest detail. $2
Heavy sterling bracelet $5
Signed (etched signature) sterling dolphin ring $2
heavy old Hamilton & Hamilton pin $1
Several sterling bracelets, chains, earrings, pendants, etc, etc etc ... $1 ea.

That was just today's labor. I asked what they wanted and gave it to them. No, I don't feel guilty at all.

There have been a few when the seller looked like they were going to eat dinner with whatever they managed to scrape together from their yard sale. That's different. Then I'll say "I'll give you $X for that." $X is usually my estimated break even.
That's still not charity.

 

[ivan salis]

it is morally wrong to let mentally lazy people have any money *- since they will use it to buy food and shelter and breed even more mentally lazy folks --thus watering down the "mental gene pool' over time --so for the sake of future generations of mankind --its your moral duty to get over on the "dullards" .

 

[Kneo]

On the other hand, if I go to a flea market or something and a guy has a box full of Mercury Dimes with ".50 cents each" written down as his price, I'm not going to correct his error. But, if someone comes to me with a pile of Mercury Dimes and asks me how much I can give for the silver, I sit them down and explain spot price for that day, weigh the coins, multiply by 90% to calculate silver content, then multiply again by the percentage I am willing to pay - which is usually 75%-80%.

If they are not happy with the price I tell them to:

(A) Sell them on eBay themselves and give eBay and PayPal nearly 20% (most don't know how, else they wouldn't ask me)

(B) Take them to an auction barn and get 70% of whatever a bidder will pay for them - which could be $5.00

(C) Take them to our local coin dealer and get burned

(D) Take them to a "We Buy Gold and Silver!" place and get REALLY burned

(E) Take them to a pawn shop and get SCORCHED like you were standing three feet from the sun

I give them about every option I can for selling their coins except for turning them onto a refinery, which is information I keep to myself because I don't like the idea of coins being melted down.

Everyone gets burned once in their lifetime. I remember being burned for $90 bucks when I was in my early 20s - I am too embarrased to even tell the story. However, I remember bringing the item back and telling the antique seller that it wasn't real and he said 'of course it isn't real, the real thing is in museums.' But I remember him telling me he didn't know when I asked him if it was real, but he DID KNOW. I had no business purchasing something I knew nothing about. My first lesson learned, and my father in-law said "Caveat emptor" - which means buyer beware.

 

[Frank1960]

Hmmm what kind of shape are the notebooks in? I would have shown them to them but if they said no then nope wouldn't feel guilty