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Posted 02/16/2009 11:26 pm
The way I see it, yes, the seller should have done some research to see what it was he was selling first. Whether he comes under the class of "expert seller" is hard to say. Was he selling other items too, or just coins? If the former, he could be said to be well outside of the realm, but if the latter, more so.
It was obvious that the seller was largely ignorant, however, and the $8 initial offer was not only insulting, but was meant to take advantage of the seller's ignorance. The guy was a total idiot, upping his offer to $50, though, because it obviously showed the seller that this was the case.
It all comes down to a question of ethics. Despite the fact that the seller should have known better, is it ethical to take advantage of someone's ignorance in such a situation?
I guess the answer is whether or not you could sleep nights after doing so.
The shoe goes on the other foot more often, though. Usually it's the dealer that tries to take advantage of the seller's ignorance by offering an insulting price for an item, in my experience. I'm not saying all dealers are like this, mind you, but I've witnessed a great many who are.
As for the behaviour of the collector, it is clear that he was motivated by greed.
It was obvious that the seller was largely ignorant, however, and the $8 initial offer was not only insulting, but was meant to take advantage of the seller's ignorance. The guy was a total idiot, upping his offer to $50, though, because it obviously showed the seller that this was the case.
It all comes down to a question of ethics. Despite the fact that the seller should have known better, is it ethical to take advantage of someone's ignorance in such a situation?
I guess the answer is whether or not you could sleep nights after doing so.
The shoe goes on the other foot more often, though. Usually it's the dealer that tries to take advantage of the seller's ignorance by offering an insulting price for an item, in my experience. I'm not saying all dealers are like this, mind you, but I've witnessed a great many who are.
As for the behaviour of the collector, it is clear that he was motivated by greed.
Edited by WpgLwr
02/16/2009 11:29 pm
02/16/2009 11:29 pm
