Things like Cash-4-Gold and pawnshops are a rip-off to me because I've invested in the knowledge and have the patience to send my gold elsewhere and sell on
eBay. But I would not call their business a scam. They are providing a service and individuals are free to engage in the service if they wish. These same individuals are a few goolge clicks or phone calls away from getting more for their money but it is their responsibility to do so, not the responsibility of cash-4-gold to raise their prices.
For example. You want quality services for cheaper prices? Don't call the guys with the huge banners in the yellow pages. Yet for some, this large full page spreads in the newspapers and yellow pages signal quality and trustworthiness even if it is not the case. The same is true of cash-4-gold. What they lack in prices offered to their customers they makeup for in availability and name recognition. To some customers, this means a lot.
Lets look at your scammers analogy in more detail. Remember, a transaction is twofold. I give you what I advertise and you give me what you advertise. If this transaction is free from outside force then, by definition, both parties must have valued the other individuals goods more than what they exchanged it for. This is proven by the acting parties making the exchange. In the scammer analogy I upheld my end of the transaction, but the scammer obviously did not uphold his bargin. Had I known this ahead of time, nothing would have been exchanged. Thus, the scammer is a fraud.
Fair is subjective. I would tell my brother that you ripped him off, as you would tell your that I likewise ripped him off if the cases were different. However, there is nothing inherently wrong with someone making lowball offers. We should be allowed to offer whatever we like. Again the responsibility falls on both sides of the same coin.
Originally Posted by Jeremiah
Things like Cash-4-Gold and pawnshops are a rip-off to me because I've invested in the knowledge and have the patience to send my gold elsewhere and sell on eBay. But I would not call their business a scam. They are providing a service and individuals are free to engage in the service if they wish. These same individuals are a few goolge clicks or phone calls away from getting more for their money but it is their responsibility to do so, not the responsibility of cash-4-gold to raise their prices.
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