a dilemma

[mongrel12]

So i meet this guy at a music camp i went to this summer--and he says that he has a freind whos got a couple lotuses from wayyy back, and that he'll sell them to me for 30/50 a piece. It's fairly clear that he has no idea whats going on (he thinks that CoP's are banned in tournament play, and that lotuses are illegal). So now i have contacted him about buying, and he says that the freind still has the lotuses. Is it my responsibility to tell him what they are really worth, or should i just pick them up cheap, and finanace my entry into powered type 1 easily? I would feel terrible about buying them for clearly less than they are worth...but he has done no research on the subject and i think that its partially his responsibilty to know what the goods he possesses are worth. Should i buy? Or not... (obviously id take steps to make sure they are not fake, like he sending first, etc)

[KitzuneNinja]

So i meet this guy at a music camp i went to this summer--

"One time, at band camp"

 

but he has done no research on the subject and i think that its partially his responsibilty to know what the goods he possesses are worth. Should i buy? Or not... (obviously id take steps to make sure they are not fake, like he sending first, etc)

Buy if you want to, or at least give him more money if you feel like being at least a bit nicer.

[Ephraim]

I'd feel compelled to tell him what they were really worth. If you tell him, "hey, those'll sell for more than $300 on ebay," he might retract the offer, but then again, he might shrug and say, "Okay. I'll sell you one of 'em for $150, then. Thanks for the heads up."

[Kasuras]

I don't know the situation that well really, but I would just buy the cards. Because I'm under the impression you don't know the person very well, (As in a very good friend.) I would do it.

However, if it were a very good friend of mine, I would have just bought the cards for the prize he asked too. If he never finds out: I won't sleep bad about it. If he does find out: too bad.

Ergo: I don't feel bad about ripping people off, whomever they are. But that's just me, and I'm known as an arrogant asshat.

Note: ripping is not meant as stealing here. Just buying highly undercosted stuff is something I don't mind.

[lilmidget]

DO IT!!!

You shouldn't feel guilty at all because he's the one that offered to sell for 30-50. Obviously he doesn't care too much about the money or else he would have checked on ebay or something to see how much it's worth.

[Sagath]

Its a sellers responsibility to know the value of an item.

look at it in any other light. If you find a 67 Mustang and the guys selling it for 3 grand, whos fault is it? You can do analogies all day long, simple matter is its not your fault hes selling them for 50 bucks.

If this goes through, I'll buy one off you tho

[Xman]

You shouldn't feel guilty at all because he's the one that offered to sell for 30-50. Obviously he doesn't care too much about the money or else he would have checked on ebay or something to see how much it's worth.

Now thats not exactly true.

People sometimes don't have time or anything, and a lot of time, it is just because they don't have time, they don't know.  However, Most of the times (if you are talking me), It depends on the feel of the guy I get.  Whether I buy it, and then tell him, or tell him and get it at a discount Or just buy it and ingore if the guy is an ass.

Edit:  It is true it is the sellers responsibitliy.  It is called getting it at a discount (major discount), but even if he knows what it is worth, people sometimes still sell for cheaper.  Don't feel bad.

If I sen dyou $50, will you pick me up one to?

[Royal Ass.]

I would buy so fast and laugh all the way the bank.  its his fault for not picking up a scrye or typing in black lotus in on e bay just to check the cost.  there is noting immoral about this at all.  now maybe if it was your best friend...

[Moxlotus]

It is his fault for not knowing the value of his cards.  The analogy with the 67 mustang is really good.  I would buy it in a second and laugh the entire way home.  As humans it is our responsibility to take advantage of those who are not intelligent.  If someone wants to "give me money" which is basically what they are doing by not knowning what they are worth, I wouldn't not take it.

[Matt]

Here's what you do: you buy them all at his price, and then, when the sale is complete and finalized, give him an extra $100 that he wasn't expecting. You'll have got an amazing deal, he'll have gotten a lot more than he expected. Everyone wins.

[LotusHead]

I picked up a Worksshop, 4 full season Factories, and some other non-tier 1 goodies last summer for $40.  I later found out that the Shop was a $100 card.  I agonized for days at "ripping someone off", but in the end I realized that I didn't know WorkShop was unrestricted (I do now...) or that it was a big ticket item.

I thought that I bought $80 worth of cards for $40.

Now I realize that A) some people have given up on their Magic past and really don't give a shit and B) they don't care about a Black Lotus (Or Workshop) as much as you do.  

Do it, if you deserve it.  If you think this guy deserves a bit of good fortune, give him the extra $100 if you want to make his day.  The Black Lotus belongs in your deck more than in the bottom of anyone's sock drawer.

It's for the good of T1!

I still believe in Karma so...think carefully.

(do it! He is not in the T1 Community! Getting 3 Mana for 1 card is TECH! (equal to getting 3 Cards for U!)

[Ric_Flair]

You have absolutely no duty to tell him the value of the cards.  The traditionally common law stance on this issue was caveat emptor.  In this case it is even more clear--the seller does not know.  If the seller does not bother to research what he is selling that is his fault.  You should ABSOLUTELY buy them.  This is how the market works.

[Whatever Works]

If you dont buy them for that price because of a guild trip at least give us the email adress and the name of the guy, and im sure about 20 people will send him an email on the same day without any shame or regret.

[AIcOPed]

I think you better see the cards before you give the money, because i find it highly unlikely that they wold sell that cheap. He just happens to have more than one lotus but no other power for sale. sounds fishy.

Every con starts by offering a deal to good to be true, and you thinking you will rip him off.

Maybe they are good proxy fakes.

be careful.

[Bram]

Here's what you do: you buy them all at his price, and then, when the sale is complete and finalized, give him an extra $100 that he wasn't expecting. You'll have got an amazing deal, he'll have gotten a lot more than he expected. Everyone wins.

Nah. It's like when you buy something in a store in Turkey, you're expected to haggle. If you finally decide to by something at a given price, and the store owner exlaims 'my special friend' when you walk out, you'll know that he ripped you and would have settled for a much lower price.

If you give him 1 hundred buck bonus, he'll get suspicious and think you ripped him. Simply buy the cards at his asking price. And make sure YOU don't get ripped with fake loti.

[WildWillieWonderboy]

A while back this guy came into the card store I was working at. He says "I like type two and sui black is back, I need dross harvesters and drinkers of sorrow." I pull said objects and other goodies from my binder and he says "I'll give you Mishra's Workshop for this stuff." I <3 that guy 4L. Because he's a scrub who thought black stuff with drawbacks is good and didn't even peep the scrye sitting at the same counter we were conducting said transaction, I profitted. I later traded it away for forces fetches and other cool shit. Every aspect of magic is competition and in vintage especially part of that is the competition for resources. Definately be careful not to get ripped off.

[Royal Ass.]

A long time ago when i was a little 6th grader i traded a bunch of dual lands away for a bronze horse and then later realized how dumb the trade was.  This was 10 years ago and i still keep that Bronze horse in my ultrapro as a reminder to myself that i will never make another bad trade, and i really havent since then.  it was a good lesson to me and it looks like that guy needs a lesson.  

though like someone else mentioned be aware of con artists because you could be the one getting ripped.  often things that sound too good to be true really are.  dont give money without seeing the lotus for yoursef.

[Bram]

it was a good lesson to me and it looks like that guy needs a lesson.

Dude, there's no need to lie to yourself like that. You don't need to justify this. 'But I was doing it for his own good!' Fuck that. You're doing it for the financial gain. This is how the world really works, no blue pill / red pill bullshit. Just rip the bastard.

[skecreatoR]

BR4M is right. I once bought 3 workshops off my TEACHER in grade school, for approx. 35 bucks a piece. I didn't glitch a second, cause it is his fault, and his alone, that he would sell those cards for that little.

[TracerBullet]

There's no question of fault here.



If this guy would be happy recieving $50 for five lotuses, then fine, he's happy.  That's all that matters.  Discovering after the fact that you could have gotten more money is like discovering you've got Apple Cinnemon Cheerios in the pantry after eating a bowl of plain oatmeal.  Sucks, but meh, you were happy to eat the oatmeal in silence.

[dandan]

I used to often tell people a trade was out in my favour and get them to choose more cards. However I know that whenever I find somewhere that sells Magic I hope that they have boxes of old stuff at list price (apart from Homelands). I know I'd buy a display box of Alpha for 75 dollars!

Remember the Dandan definition of good - something that increases net happiness. He will be happy, you will be very happy=good. Giving him a 100 dollar bonus would almost certainly cause him to become unhappy later on=bad. If they are fakes and you never find out, then that too is good.