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Know What You're Selling

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Categories: Humor and sarcasm; Experiences and daily life; Human nature

Word count/read time: 428 words; 2 minutes

An astute gentleman stumbled upon a $6 watch in a dusty display cabinet at his local thrift store. It turned out to be a highly desired watch which he promptly resold for $35,000! All along the chain of custody this ultra-sleek diving chronograph was "just" a donation.

A priceless case of 19th century booze sold for $300 because the seller neglected to spell the name on the bottle correctly. They left out one letter in the title so this lazy transcriber lost tens of thousands of dollars.

The internet gives everyone the chance to be an expert. As helpful as it can be, sometimes laziness gets in the way. A two-second search would have revealed these gems. Proofing the ads for clarity and accuracy ensures these legitimate treasures are available for all to see.

It's common for descriptions to have less than one sentence. Pictures may say a thousand words but words are necessary. Some people spend more time explaining why they can't describe the item instead of describing what they can: dimensions, weights, markings, condition.

Smartphones can seemingly do everything so people often post only a picture. With the capabilities of modern phone cameras, every picture should be near-perfect. Only by intention would it be otherwise.

A recent conversation about a supposed sterling silver mesh purse was interesting. Two fuzzy pictures, four-word title, five-word description. No dimensions or weight. Their (jeweler, pawn-shop, neighbor, coin store, or antique dealer) assured them it was silver. They said it was perfect but the holes said otherwise.

They guaranteed it to be sterling silver for several reasons. One, their grandmother said it was (nearly as powerful as the religion card and a bold first move). Two, it had a box from a jewelry store. Three, it cleaned up with silver dip. A magnet doesn't stick, it melts ice, and it is heavy...that describes most metals on the planet!

They didn't like my line of questioning, insulted me, and said I couldn't prove it was silverplated. It was clearly stamped that way as I had already mentioned in my email. The listing wasn't corrected but they defiantly added our conversation with an additional note explaining why I was wrong, to hell with the hallmarks!

Common sense isn't contagious so our beliefs often take precedence over reality. It's a shame that some people have fully squandered their intellectual integrity. Why can't prescription drugs have intelligence as a side effect? The heck with cures, just placebo us with not-stupid pills! The moral repeats itself: Know what you're buying and who you're buying it from.

Posted by M: May 5, 2016

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