[ShortcutToMoncton]

YEAH, Baby!!!!

I just got a single G4/500. 256 megs RAM, 27 gig HD, DVD-RAM, Zip, AND AN APPLE 15' LCD monitor....

....for $2200 Canadian!!!! For you Americans, that's about....oh, $1400 or so in Apple dollars.....

....I'm feeling stoked. Can't believe it. Holy shiet. What a deal.

I'm pumped.



greg

[malson]

Well, share the wealth buddy Where did you find such a deal? I'm glad to see that someone else gets excited when there is new hardware involved...

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Actually, it's sort of a sad story. The owner is in the fianl stages of cancer, so his friend is selling some of his stuff, I guess just to make some money for his family or whatever.


Tis friend doesn't really know much about Macs, and I don't think they care about getting a good price...he just said "Sure!" and sold it.....

Anyway, they've made me happy. I'm debating whether to keep the thing, or sell it and probably make $1000 Canadian off the deal....and go for the dual 667.



greg

------------------
Though the day's been
really long
I still feel I'm close to
nowhere....

[c0rvette]

there is no dual 667

Yeah, there's nothing wrong with taking advantage of a situation in which the one guy who does not the fair price is slowly dying. Does he have a nice car? Know any other sick people?

[Leonis]

Hey SCTM...

I don't mean to disappoint you but I found out one place in Vancouver is selling the open-box DP500 for.............for..........for.....for...for...f or..for.........

$2600CDN!!!!!!!

This thing comes with FULL warranty and all the standard stuff.....

DAMN MAN I WISH I COULD HAVE MONEY TO BUY THIS THING RIGHT NOW!!!!!



------------------
My comic web site

I don't use spell checker.

[olePigeon]

I got my first G4 for $1600. That was when they first came out. It was the 500MHz "server" without the OS X Package. Came with the 256MB RAM, Zip, DVD-RAM, etc.

How did I get it so cheap? Let ya guys in on a little secret. Companies like Sears and Circuit City don't fix or even sell G4 towers. Occasionally they get some in for whatever reason. They can't fix them, they can't return them, so they sell them to the employees for super cheap.

I got lucky in that my friend's friend was general manager of sales. So he got a G4 on which the footpads had come off. So he technically couldn't rebox it and resell it as it had a problem.

So, I got practically a brand new G4 which only problems were footpads ($20) and I got it for $1600.

Unfortunately, I've moved to Colorado and don't know anyone.

Anyone visiting Moncton had better check their fillings when leaving. This guy must have rubber pockets to steal soup.

[Cipher13]

Vulture Watcher and Ethical?, shut up, now.
What is the problem here?
Theres nothing wrong with what he did. Nothing at all.
And I wonder which regular members you two are who are too cowardly to say something without being behind an anonymous alias.
Hell, even your regular member thing is an anonymous alias...
Bloody cowards.
Should ban unregistered posting.

Cipher13

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Well, since I don't live in Moncton, you can visit there whenever you like. It's the title of a song, dumbasse.

Ahhhhhhhhhh. So, I'm supposed to offer the guy MORE than what he wants for it, hey???? So he says, "$2300 and it's yours!", and I go, "No no no no!!!! I want to pay you $3000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Think about it for a second, morons. He puts an ad in the paper to sell a computer; I get there first. The situation is unfortunate, but if he wants to sell...I'm buying.

Some people around here don't seem capable of using what little brains they have.....

greg

------------------
Though the day's been
really long
I still feel I'm close to
nowhere....

[danbrew]

Well, shoot, I'll chime in. The first guy said this:

...his friend is selling some of his stuff, I guess just to make some money for his family or whatever...

and

...Tis friend doesn't really know much about Macs...

It's not that much of a leap to think that perhaps the family of this guy could have used the money and a better deal could have been had. Does this mean that Greg is a thief? Certainly not. But he did know the owner was dying and the family was trying to raise money. And the guy entrusted to negotiate on behalf of the family didn't really know what he had. Hmmm.

Hey, shoot, if he can live with himself, I can sure live with him.

[MM-o4]

I mean this in the best possible way, but I hate you guys. Why? cause I paid $4000 about a year ago fro a G4/400 128mb 10gig + 17" studio display. I feel so burnt, but I guess cause I paid in AUS dollars "F" our shithouse dollar!!!

*I feel better now, have a nice day*

MM-o4

[Cipher13]

Don't feel bad, I paid $4100 for G4/400, 10 gig, 128 RAM, 17" ASD and Adaptec 2906 SCSI card, WITH an education discout.
Friggin' Australian dollar, not to mention all these damn taxes and stuff.
Bloody $5495 for a 400MHz TiBook.
Crooks.
Know what the RAM prices are now? Its something like a few hundred dollars for 128 megs!

Cipher13

[Richard Pinneau]

Sheesh! Cipher. If only your time weren't taken up on the boards so much...

We ought to be gettin together an Apple gray-market gig for down-under. Or would that be a graphite market?

[d2kit]

You guys are really lucky!! If you just take a look at the prices here in Italy you wouldn't beleive it. A TiBook, just as an example, goes for 3500 US$ (including tax) for the 400mhz version and 4800US$ (always including tax) for the 500mhz. I wish I had your normal reseller prices!!

[olePigeon]

Because you have to pay for overseas insured shipping, as well as other fees for export of a Super Computer to another country.

[MikeM32]

Actually $1400 american sounds about right, maybe a bit lower then "book value" but what the heck. Computer's are like cars once you drive it off the dealers lot it already loses value right there.

It's a shame the owner is dieing but don't get too wrapped-up in the fact. I mean maybe they did thier homework on the value and maybe they realized that while they could ask for "book" value, they'd have to wait forever to find a buyer willing to pay it.

Mike

[danbrew]

That's part of it -- but rest assured that Apple (and everyone else) certainly charges different prices in different markets.

On a shipping and insurance question -- relatively speaking, that cost is going to be the same whether the container is going to Seattle or Rome. Import duty/taxation issues can add cost to the unit -- in some cases in can be tens of thousands of dollars.

My company is involved in importing product to China and the Chinese govt actually wanted to levy a tax of $10,000 US for each CD-ROM imported. Long story with too many confusing details, but it's a fact that taxes can get you.

Shoot, I'd almost thing it would be more to D2's benefit to hop on a plane, pick one up in NYC and then turn around and go home. He's talking a $1000+ surcharge. Bet he could get round trip Rome/NYC for about $300 if he does it in advance. But is 16 hours of flight time, plus another day or two out of your schedule worth $700? Probably not. On the bright side, you would enjoy 5 hours of computing on your way home. Err, that is if you didn't forget to charge the battery... <grin>

[ShortcutToMoncton]

You guys are talking about things that you have no idea about. Again, don't bother.

The OWNER of the computer knew about Macs; obviously, since he bought the best Apple had...... They were just getting rid of stuff they didn't want, and could really care less about the price. The seller didn't know about Macs, or else he would've kept it for himself (he mentioned he wanted to, but didn't want to buy more programs). I could have offered less money if I wished, and would have gotten it. I chose not to.

I think it's a VERY good deal. Apple's current 15" LCD monitors go for $1300 Cdn. alone. I just sold my G4/400 MHz for $1750, WITHOUT monitor or extras. I practically doubled the computer and got a sweet monitor for $500 more..........

greg

------------------
Though the day's been
really long
I still feel I'm close to
nowhere....

[Cipher13]

Originally posted by Cipher13:
Don't feel bad, I paid $4100 for G4/400, 10 gig, 128 RAM, 17" ASD and Adaptec 2906 SCSI card, WITH an education discout.
Friggin' Australian dollar, not to mention all these damn taxes and stuff.
Bloody $5495 for a 400MHz TiBook.
Crooks.
Know what the RAM prices are now? Its something like a few hundred dollars for 128 megs!

Cipher13

Just to add a little more fuel to my own fire, that education discount is a teachers discount, which is more than a student discount.
And still, 4100 freaking dollars.
Oh and by the way, this is from an AppleCenter - you know the Apple retail outlets.
So... yeah. Thats proper pricing.
Argh

Cipher13

[Misha]

I really don't see how anyone could be opposed to the deal Greg got, unless the whole "death" thing really irks them.

Prior to my move down to TX last week, I had to unload my furniture and other bulky stuff (TV) on very short notice, and as such was forced to dump it for very little money.

I'm not "happy" that I had to, but I'm sure the people who bought the stuff didn't feel the least bit like they were ripping me off or taking advantage of an unfortunate situation (though far less unfortunate than death, but the parallels are the same).

Had Greg left out the fact that the guy he bought it from was dying, you'd all be saying "Wow, that's a great deal!" So let's leave it at that.


Cipher, in the US staff/student edu discounts are the same. Are you sure they're not the same in Australia? IMO, if either one gets a larger discount, it should be the students... they're the one's who are alread paying money to go to school which prevents most of them from holding down a full-time job (and thus make money, like the staff does).

[S_Lanaway]

This guy's post has been bugging me ever since I read it this weekend.

He manipulated someone in a dire situation by suggesting an unreasonably low price (that is why he's considering selling it and 'pocketing the extra $1000') and has the audacity to come to this forum and brag about it? To share the joy of his business savvy? That's not business savvy - that's taking advantage of someone's unforunate situation.

You couldn't pay me to put a computer obtained that way on my desk. Every time I looked at it I'd remember that I f-u-cked someone over for it, who was dying and not in a situation to look after his own affairs properly.

It's not the death part that makes me uncomfortable, it's the manipulative opportunism.

All you people who want to try to boil it down to a simple free-market business transaction are dumbing it down. This guy could have offered a much more fair deal for both parties involved, and emerged with his conscience in tact.

In my opinion, this computer is cursed with very bad karma.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Huh. You are more annoying than most, Lanaway. I think you're pissed because I happened to look in the Toronto Star before you did...


There was no "unreasonably low price" suggested. The whole bundle was advertised for $2300, like I said above. I had $2207 in my bank account. The person did not care....in fact, he actually waved his hand quickly and said "Sure, that's good" when I offered $2200. The person selling this bundle, which was originally bought at U of T, obviously knew that it was an expensive machine (I believe it was over $7000 when he got it, and that was less than a year ago!). As I said in my second post, I don't think the owner cared about the price...or maybe he was just looking to make someone happy. He did with me, anyway....

There was no manipulation or anything else. Death is a very serious topic that I won't discuss here; so is cancer. My own cousin had cancer when she was 11 years old, discovered while I was staying at her house...it's not something I'm gonna get into, but suffice to say it's no joking matter. As well, the person who owned the machine, although I never met him, was in full control of his facilities, from what I understand.

If you'd read the posts, moron, you might have left a more intelligent comment.....

In no way did I brag, as well. I am ecstatic that I managed to get such a fantastic price...after all, I just sold my G4/400 for $500 less!!!! This was originally intended as a thread for great prices on hardware. If anyone else wants to join in, like some have, feel free. If not, then.......

greg

------------------
Though the day's been
really long
I still feel I'm close to
nowhere....

YEAH, Baby!!!!

I just got a single G4/500. 256 megs RAM, 27 gig HD, DVD-RAM, Zip, AND AN APPLE 15' LCD monitor....

....for $2200 Canadian!!!! For you Americans, that's about....oh, $1400 or so in Apple dollars.....

....I'm feeling stoked. Can't believe it. Holy shiet. What a deal.

I'm pumped.

Yeah, that's not bragging. That's canadian for, well, the rest of us know what it means...

[S_Lanaway]

Firstly, if it was the other guy who set the price, then why would you have described the arrangement as...

"...he just said "Sure!" and sold it....."

Doesn't exactly sound like someone aggreeing to a price that THEY set.

Secondly, I'm couldn't care less about the Star or anything anyone is advertising in there, because right now I have the machine I've always wanted sitting on my desk - so I'm not looking, bubs. And my G4 has no bad karma.

No, the real reason for my irritation is as I said originally - the thing stinks. Not so much that you did it in such a way, but that you seemed so proud of yourself. Getting a fantastic deal off a dying person isn't something to shout about. I mean, we all love Macs but couldn't you temper it just a little...

And, as I said before - it's not about death either - it's about an opportunism that is perhaps a little ruthless.

We have to factor in that you likely saved them some trouble by making the sale simple for them - I'm just not sure if it was worth a $1000 discount.

But that is just me. If you are comfortable with the purchase then that should ultimately be all you need.

In my opinion you were taking advantage of a situation in which the person didn't really know better, kind of screwed them, and the fact that the money was going to an ill person makes it worse.

[malson]

I do believe that Moncton got a great deal on his new machine. Did he do something unethical or in any way wrong? Of course not. Don't be foolish. This sort of thing happens every single day. Let's say that someone needs some quick cash to pay an bill...traffic ticket, rent, whatever. So maybe they sacrafice their computer at a lower than expected price. Is that wrong? I don't think so. In this case, I don't think Moncton was holding a gun to this gentleman's head. If he was, HE was the one that got ripped on the price Therefore, all he did was get a good deal. So what? What impact does that have on us? None at all other than to congratulate him on his find. "Machine has bad karma..." What kinda New Age crap is that??? Last time my machine had "bad karma" I ran Norton and took care of that... One more thought...I know that if I was the sick guy I would love the fact that a bunch of people are sitting at their keyboards discussing my financial problems and trying to dissect my reasons for doing things. Yeah, that would just make me feel great.

[S_Lanaway]

If I was the sick guy in question I wouldn't be reading these boards - but if I was I wouldn't have enjoyed reading ShortcutfromMoncton's first posts.

By the way there's this old lady down the street who was a little short on her mortgage payments this month. So I picked up her 1998 Lincoln that her husband left her for only $500! Can you believe it!!!
I may sell it and keep the $10,000.

Anyway it's kind of a sad story about the lady but at least she made her mortgage payment this month. And she was happy to take the $500. Hey why don't you all congratulate me on the great buy!!!!

[malson]

Lanaway, I must say that you are a real winner. You have taken your own apparent jealousy and twisted it to make it look like Moncton has done something wrong. That's a move of truly a$$hole proportions. Congrats to you. Sometimes I really wish that people would grow up and quit bitching just for the sake of bitching. Sigh...I wish for too much...Oh well...

[This message has been edited by malson (edited 02-20-2001).]

[S_Lanaway]

I never bitch for the sake of bitching.

And, as I mentioned before - I have the machine I've always wanted. I'm not looking.

His attitude creeped me out. Sorry. It's only my opinion. I find it a little scary how 'get-get-get' people can become without really thinking about the people factor. It's up to each individual where they draw the line.

[ariella]

pretty lame, people.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Agreed, Ariella.

Lanaway, you seem obsessed with trying to point out that I somehow cheated them into selling for a low price.

THEY ADVERTISED THE BUNDLE FOR $2300 IN THE REGIONAL NEWSPAPER.

I was the first person to arrive, and I offered them $2200 ($100 less, note!) - all I had in my bank account, minus $7. THEY ACCEPTED.

That, in my opinion, is the end of the story (and I've already gone over it above). They seemed happy, I seemed happy. They phoned me twice during the next few days to ask how it was running and did I like the machine. I assured them I did, and that I was VERY satisfied with the purchase.

Sorry this thread got off on a tangent, people. Like I said, this was originally supposed to be a discussion on good prices and deals - obviously only a few people (and I thank you!) didn't need to have that explicitly spelled out to them. Unfortunately, it looks like the rest here cannot bother to read the posts already answering their inane comments, and love to be generally annoying.

Anyway, the moral is that I got an awesome deal, I can't believe it, I'm truly stoked with my new little network, and always run for a good deal.


Thanks for the discussion, those who intelligently participated. If you're reading this, MODERATOR (Misha?), I'd appreciate it if you'd close this thread for me.

Thanks,
greg

[GRAFF]

Let's not close up shop just quite yet. This post has been bothering me for the past few days as well. Perhaps it is the original poster's glib way of boasting or perhaps it is the whole 'death' issue, but he never seems to have asked the question, "why are you selling this for so little?". Any Mac magazine will give you a good approximate resell value for a Mac, so the information is easy to find. There will always be people like this who prey on the ignorance of others, so the situation is nothing unusual.

The original post serves no purpose, however. Is it meant to be a guide to finding good bargains? Is it an attempt to resolve a moral question - although I find the poster to be severely lacking in morals. His virulent response to posts that question his integrity only emphasizes this.

I can only speak for myself, but unless I knew that the seller was aware of the real market price and was OK with this, I would have trouble sleeping at night.

[malson]

In the immortal words of Charlie Brown:

Oh Good Grief!

This guy is unbelievable -- it seems that anyone who questions his point of view on this transaction is 'stupid'.

You know, even if there was NO moral issue at work here - you have to wonder about someone whose little gung-ho dimentia includes starting a thread about how 'stoked' he is on this purchase. This isn't about him starting a real discussion, it's about him showing his glee and seeking validation on the whole deal by attempting to make it seem socially and morally acceptable - through some inane conversation thread about how cool the hardware is and how great the deal was. Maybe he thought we would all be jealous and congratulate him? We must be 'jealous' if we don't agree with his attitude...

And now that things aren't going his way he's in to name calling. Very defensive for someone who has nothing to worry about.

This guy started the whole thread and now that he's being looked at rather than congratulated he wants to shut down the thread.

I agree with Lanaway on this, and if Rubber Pockets doesn't like the point of view he shouldn't expose himself by making asinine posts and then angrily reading the responses. It's not just the moral question of the deal, it's how ANNOYING he was afterwards with his little 'I'm Stoked!!' thread.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Haha...the unregistered ones start coming out of the closet pretty fast around here, hey?

Sorry for offending you with the "I'm stoked" part, Farkas. I'll try not to use such "generational" descriptive words in the future.

How about...

"NEAT-O!!!! Look at this DEAL!!!! It's the CAT'S MEOW!!!!"


Anyway, I guess it'll never end, and I guess I can't understand their mentality. Anyone else around here the same? I mean, all these people...if they had found someone advertising this bundle for that price, they would have immediately went to them and said,

"You know what? It's actually worth more than that, just in case you somehow didn't know (not that you paid $7000 for the thing last year or anything, right?). Here, I'll pay you $750 MORE than what you asked for, and we'll call it a deal, ok????"

It really, really tickles me. And THEN you have the people who seem somehow offended that I bought something from someone who, unfortunately, may be dying. Not that I actually SAW him or talked to him or anything (or that I knew the situation until I actually had purchased the machine), but from these people you'd think I somehow tricked this poor, befuddled sick person into giving me a good deal (maybe like I said, "Hey, there's an EAGLE!" and took off with the machine while he looked).

These people were selling because they had no use for the computer any more...and they decided they wanted the money instead. This is what they told me when I ASKED.

My original inteant was NOT to mention the health of the original owner of the machine, but since it was asked where I purchased it from, I briefly (and, I thought, tastefully) told why it was a one-time-only deal. I guess a lot of people somehow get offended easily, although I still have problems figuring out exactly what for (since usually I've already answered their complaints in previous posts).

Anyway, obviously some other people here are really bothered that I've gotten excited over a new computer...I mean, what's up with THAT!?!?!? Maybe it's a faux pas, huh...like the "COOL" thing to do is to casually mention it in conversation or something, like it's no big deal (I can see Seinfield doing the skit now.... ).

Anyway, I'm still stoked....

greg

P.S. - Get registered, kiddies!

------------------
Though the day's been
really long
I still feel I'm close to
nowhere....

Greg, enjoy your computer. Yes, others might have dealt with it differently. Sorry if that irritates you.

[FourFathoms]

This is pathetic. You all need to lay off Greg. He got a great deal, he didn't take advantage of anyone, and he's happy about it. Jeez. Give him a break. Just because the previous owner is dying/is dead means that he's stealing? Does it mean that he's sick? And what were those people supposed to do with the computer? They wanted to sell it to make a few bucks. You're all probably just jealous. Enjoy your new G4, Greg. But in the future, keep your excitement to a minimum. Apparently it's not acceptable with the people in this forum. God forbid you want to share some good news.

-Adrian
[email protected]

P.S. Everybody together: "REGISTER!" There! That's good! Good boys! "REGISTER!" Gooood!

not so fast shortcut!

lanaway you're right...

NO MATTER WHAT THEY SAY TO YOU LANAWAY, YOU'RE RIGHT. THANK YOU FOR SHOWING SOME HUMANITY

shortcut will never get it...its not so much about the price...

its his attitude...

and his immature lack of concern for anything but the great "deal" HE got.

ME! ME! ME!

shortcut IS right in that if they offered 2300 and he paid 2200 then thats ok BUT here's where the unfavorable reaction comes in...he's not just happy...

HE'S DANCING ON THIS GUYS GRAVE!!!

so shorty if you couldn't understand our reaction, thats why. to be happy is one thing, but your childish screaming glee is inapropriate. all i can think of is the man dying of cancer. you're happy at his expense...

and shorty i did not register because i visit this site off and on throughout the week and have never posted so im not a regular.

but when i saw that first post and your response that he had cancer, the coldness, and heartlessness of it shone through. i don't know you but looking at your attacking responses i would think you're a teen.

this reminds me of the kids in florida who found a man that had been hit by a car and was dying and were seen going through his pockets for money to enrich themselves instead of caring at all about the man himself and getting help for him.

to the moderator if you grant shorty's request and close this thread i want to thank you for leaving it up as long as you did, everyone i've shown this to has had the same reaction: revulsion...

and shorty if you attack me in response to this measured post, thats cool, i can handle it...

but here's an adult suggestion...

if you sell the computer, and make your ill-gotten profit. you don't have to do this of course, but consider taking a small percentage of your "profits" and donating it to an organization thats providing care, comfort, and research, for people dying of cancer...

like the man who owned your computer...

[GRAFF]

Just one question for Greg which hasn't been answered. Did they know and acknoledge that they were selling so far below the actual street value of the equipment? If so, then congratulations on a great deal!

If they didn't know the real value (whilst you did), then there is a serious moral issue here.

For those of you who say, "forget it, he just got a great deal, you're jealous, etc." your cold-blooded attitude worries me profoundly.

[ariella]

then let it worry you until it eats you up.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Seems some here think I was "attacking" people.

Me? Attacking people? Have you read the posts? I've done nothing but defend myself the entire thread, while others have critizised my morals, ethics, honesty AND shoe size. Furthermore, these same people can't seem to read earlier posts which often answer the questions to their "problems". While I have called some names (dumbasse is a particularly nice one... ), I think it was justified, considering the critizism from people who had no idea what the situation actually was.

GRAFF: No, I did not explicitly say that the price was undervalued. Why on earth would I do that? I noted that it was a "good deal", but other than that did in no way mention that they were selling below value. To do so would have been foolish. How would one EVER get a good price on ANYTHING if they went around doing that? You might as well buy everything straight from the Apple Store.

It is NOT, and I repeat NOT, a buyer's responsibility to inform the seller of the value of the item they are displaying. The seller should have the full responsibility and knowledge to know the "value" of their item. Obviously many of you here have not had much experience in business. I myself have built a little "business" of sorts over the last few years, picking up computers and selling them for slightly more. This just happened to be the best computer I've managed to lay my hands on.

As well, let it be noted that I did NOT know about the health of the owner until AFTER I had bought the computer. The person selling it simply stated that he was selling the computer for "a friend" who wanted the money. It seemed slightly suspicious, but after a few phone calls with the serial number (to Apple and a dealer) my feelings were assuaged. It wasn't until after I had given the man a half downpayment (until the next day) and asked him to contact the owner about original manuals and CD that he informed me that it would be difficult to do that at the moment, given the person's health.

So, I fail to see how I somehow was morally "wrong". That I bought a machine below value without first informing the seller of the true value is, if I may say so, a very weak argument to accuse me of being somehow wrong. That I somehow "danced on his grave" is something else I can't understand, since in no way did I mention the person or that I somehow "cheated" him; I merely shouted out my joy at having bought a new(er) computer at an awesome price when I expected nothing until, at best, July.

Critizise on, O Ye of Unregistered Status....

greg

------------------
Though the day's been
really long
I still feel I'm close to
nowhere....

[danbrew]

The neverending thread...

First, folks sometimes post in an anon fashion because they don't want to receive "**** you" emails. It happens when posting an unpopular viewpoint.

What gets me about all of this is that the story is slowing changing -- as you read through the thread and points and/or objections are raised, Greg chimes in with "oh, yeah, let me add that...".

The net effect is that you've got a new computer and you're happy with it. However you have to realize that you posted your story on an internet board and have implicitly asked your peers to share in your glee. Fine. But don't get your feathers in a dandy when some question the "deal" -- I suppose we're all here for the dialog. And some like bashing more than others.

Your comments on whether it was your responsibility or not to ask the seller, "Why so low?" are somewhat telling about your age and/or maturity level. I don't mean this as a personal attack, but just as feedback. Some people say, "Don't look a gifthorse in the mouth", while others will question the circumstanes of the sale. I personally would ask how the seller arrived at the price. If he said, "You know, I've lost interest in this hobby and just need some quick cash", I'd take it and run. But if he said, "You know, I'm selling this for a friend who is dying of cancer", I'd probably suggest that he could get a higher price -- perhaps from me, perhaps elsewhere.

The thread more than likely has gotten way off topic... as the end of the day, what matters if whether you can sleep at night. If you can, pleasant dreams. If you have the slightest doubt about whether you took advantage of the situation, then you did.

So there you have it.

My totally unsolicited, but 100% correct internet advice.

(by the way, if you wanted the thread to die, you'd stop responding to it...!)

[S_Lanaway]

Still brewing, I see...

'danbrew' and 'yes' - I am with you 100%. We can't make Shorty feel something he doesn't, but we have been perfectly within our rights to express how put-off we were by his attitude. Hope he runs into more compassionate people when he becomes old/sick and needs help with his affairs... like I said originally, I think Shorty could have been more decent about all this and still gotten a good deal for himself.

When I first read his post on the weekend it disturbed me, given the circumstances and his oblivious attitude (guess he didn't realize how off-putting it would be for some of us)... it was days later when I came across the thread again and decided to write something. That's what discussion boards are all about...

ps. I'm sure there are many of us here running businesses (including myself), that don't involve scanning classifieds for cheap sell-offs from dying people. Big businessman, eh? You can be a really good businessperson, make really good deals, and still treat people with decency.

[RAzaRazor]

Originally posted by c0rvette:
there is no dual 667

Well, that is the 533, but in Canadian Megahertz!!

Originally posted by S_Lanaway:
I'm sure there are many of us here running businesses (including myself), that don't involve scanning classifieds for cheap sell-offs from dying people. Big businessman, eh? You can be a really good businessperson, make really good deals, and still treat people with decency.

HUH? WTF did you see him "scanning classifieds for cheap sell-offs from dying people?" Do they have specific ads in this category in Canada????

SHEESH! Get a life.......

Originally posted by S_Lanaway:
By the way there's this old lady down the street who was a little short on her mortgage payments this month. So I picked up her 1998 Lincoln that her husband left her for only $500! Can you believe it!!!
I may sell it and keep the $10,000.

Anyway it's kind of a sad story about the lady but at least she made her mortgage payment this month. And she was happy to take the $500. Hey why don't you all congratulate me on the great buy!!!!

What a lame friggin' analogy! His $1400 US was a good, but not an unreasonable, deal for used computer equipment that is no longer even available, the computer having been EOL'd after Christmas. And you compare this to cheating some old lady, knowingly, out of 95% of the value of a car???

Yes, "shorty" was a little exhuberant about his good fortune, but he certainly didn't "cheat a dying man" on this, so why don't you whiney pukes get on with life, and get off of his back!!!

"Shorty," enjoy your new Mac, but I'd just advise you to never offer this forum anything personal again. Obsessive personality disorders, tempered with pit-bull attack tendencies, seem to reign supreme here..........

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Sigh.

If you will read the posts, Brew, you'll see the story has not changed a whit. The only thing that has happened is that I have volunteered more information on the transaction as people kept raising objections to some things that never happened. I keep having to add more details as people keep posting new "moral dilemnias" I created. Therefore, I keep posting because I feel the need to defend myself from what I find deeply cutting accusations with no basis whatsoever.

You, as well Brew, make the (very stupid, I might add!) same mistake as the rest; you've not read the posts above yours. In my last one (and others before), I explicitly stated that the person selling the computer said he was selling it for "a friend" who wanted the money. THAT WAS WHAT I KNEW. I got the serial number from him off the phone and called the appropriate people to confirm the legit status, and then immediately drove a half hour to the guy's house, since he had had tons of people calling him about the computer. It wasn't until after I had given him a downpayment and asked him to contact the owner that I found out his health condition. THAT, LANAWAY, is the answer to the stupid, moronic "advantage" theory you like to spout.

Having two close friends as "Used-car" dealers and a few others as Computer-Shop owners, I guess I fall into the "Never Look a Gifthorse..." catagory. To me, if the person wants to sell a machine for less than its value, AND advertises it, then you'd be really, really foolish to ASK to pay more.

That's my take on things, and it bothers me not. The condition of the original owner, while seeming a "big deal" with Lanaway and his "Karma" thing, is actually the least thing that should possibly bother anyone here, I think, since that person and his health did in no way come into contact with the deal (other than the fact that that's why it was being sold) OR myself.

If you have such a morbid fear of death, Lanaway, then I pity you. If not, and if I did not meet or see or contact or even KNOW ABOUT this person, what's your problem?

Sigh. While I would agree with some of you here if your complaints were valid, I must say that under the circumstances, none of you yet have brought up a decent point against my dealings, BESIDES the fact that I did not explicitly question the reasons for the low price beyond illegal material (and if THAT bothers you, then I hope you never buy a used anything). Most of the questions, I must say, are flames against what I MIGHT have done, not what I actually did.

Please read the posts, people, and keep your comments to the facts as I've laid them out.

Since this obviously isn't going to leave, and since I keep feeling the need to defend myself against false accusation, I'm gonna try and steer this in the direction it was SUPPOSED to take.


greg

------------------
Though the day's been
really long
I still feel I'm close to
nowhere....

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Ok, here goes.....

FIRST: I know there's no dual 667. Betcha there'll be one by July, though.....

So, I got the Single 500, with the LCD, for $2200. Leonis found the DP 500 for $2600. That's good, considering it's new...but I think I'd personally take the monitor and the lower price (no taxes, too!). Or maybe not. It's a really good deal.

The one by olepigeon, $1600 US for the Server...that's awesome, considering it was new at the time. I've never really thought about Department Stores for returned equipment, but I guess it WOULD be possible to get some really good deals there. I know I grabbed my Dad an iMac DV SE (the Graphite one) 400 MHz at a Costco (it was the last display) for $1400 Canadian a few months back, which was a pretty respectable price at the time....

greg


------------------
Though the day's been
really long
I still feel I'm close to
nowhere....

[S_Lanaway]

I don't have a fear of death, I have a fear of opportunistic vultures who refuse to allow compassion to play anything other than an abstract role in their dealings.

Like I said before, you could have offered a more fair deal for both sides after you had the full knowledge of the situation, and knew whether or not the owner was happy with the price (ie. were they aware what they could have been getting towards this dying man's family,funeral, or health care?). That's all. You didn't choose to do that, and that is your right, your choice. The person you were dealing with could have researched the situation more, regarding fair compensation. But it doesn't change the fact that after making your deal, the tone of your posts - given the situation - seemed a little bizarre and off-putting to some of us. A little humility might have been in order out of respect for the seller of your new computer.

Everybody here who disagrees with you has read all the posts shorty. You're going to have to accept that we'll interpret the facts differently. You choose to keep regurgitating the same defenses, but it doesn't change the fact that your attitude in coming here to post put some of us off. Sorry.

Nobody here is perfect, some of us just had an honest reaction to your attitude and expressed it. Let's be done. For the third time, ENJOY YOUR COMPUTER!

You ask your friend to sell your computer for you because you are unable to, he sells it for an unreasonably low amount.

Stupid you for not being on top of it and making sure he was informed of the price.
or
You are dying and your friend is good enough to help you with your estate but he isn't knowledgeable enough to set a fair price and you don't care to ask.

Shame on you for not even asking if they understood the value.

you were dealing with the person with cancer.
his friend was just trying to help
if not for his illness you would not have profited

not something to cheer about

Andrew