Would you have said something in the middle of a transaction?

[rio grande]

Once again,I must say if it is not my deal it is not my place to decide if the profit is excessive. I have both bought and sold things either too cheap or for too much. If you ask too much for something and I pay it then that's my problem. If I ask too much and you pay it that's your problem.
I am not talking about cheating the other party, I'm talking about trading and dealing. If I have $200.00 in a $500.00 item and I sell it for $300.00 I'm happy. If the next guy or gal makes the other $200.00 I don't care, and neither should a bystander.

That's you. You are knowledgeable about the values of these things.
If a widow walks in with a $1000 Samurai sword her late husband brought back from the war and is offered $150 for it, or a slightly demented old man offers his grandfathers 1892  Winchester for $100.....what then?

The original question was "Would you have said something?". 
Something like "Hey Mister, they are offering too little."  or "Hey, I'll give you more for it."
It has to do with 1) Preventing a rip-off  2) Butting into a transaction.
Moral questions. as posters have made obvious.

I've sold things too cheap when I needed fast cash. Did it with eyes wide open. No problem.
May do it again, who knows?

I've bought things from pawn shops and individuals that I knew were worth far more. felt very good about it. 
Then. Not now.

It's now a question of morality.  I have to examine it.  I have to ask myself - what is 'excessive profit'?  What is a 'reasonable profit'?
Because I'm a Christian now.  Not perfect, far from it, still a sinner.
But different than before.
How can I possibly love my neighbor and take advantage of his ignorance?

Or let someone else take advantage of him, when all it might take to stop it are a few words?

[gypsyman]

I think that if I were in that situation, I would have offered the clerk the $250 right then and there. In front of the guy trading it in. Hold the clerk to his word, and let the old gentleman see it. In fact, probably tell the older gent, what a good deal it was, and thank him for trading it in. Lets see the sales clerk shorts ride up on that one. gypsyman

[SHOOTALL]

 I would not say anything . The store has a right to make any deal it can as long as it is legal. Most if not all stores here have notes on the door or posted elsewhere telling customers no private deals can be made on site ( some law is often stated buy I don't know it) .

[Brett]

A question to those who said that they would not intrude on the deal.

Let's change the circumstances only slightly.  Let's say you arrive on seen just as a friend, relative or your next door neighbor is negotiating to sell or trade something and the store owner/clerk/individual seller offers them far less than what you know the item is worth.  Do you still keep out of it and allow your friend or relative to get shafted or do you speak up?



 

[rockbilly]

I was witness to a similar incident a while back.  A guy was offered a price for a gun well below what I thought was a fair price; another guy stepped in and told the clerk the gun was worth much more.  The clerk asked the guy to leave his store and advised him he was not welcome back again, ever.  After the guy left I found out the gun was a Colt replica and not an original as I expected it to be.  I suspect this was the same case for the guy that spoke up.

I think in the future I will keep my mouth shut and observe.

[bluedog6]

Once again,I must say if it is not my deal it is not my place to decide if the profit is excessive. I have both bought and sold things either too cheap or for too much. If you ask too much for something and I pay it then that's my problem. If I ask too much and you pay it that's your problem.
I am not talking about cheating the other party, I'm talking about trading and dealing. If I have $200.00 in a $500.00 item and I sell it for $300.00 I'm happy. If the next guy or gal makes the other $200.00 I don't care, and neither should a bystander.

That's you. You are knowledgeable about the values of these things.
If a widow walks in with a $1000 Samurai sword her late husband brought back from the war and is offered $150 for it, or a slightly demented old man offers his grandfathers 1892  Winchester for $100.....what then?

The original question was "Would you have said something?". 
Something like "Hey Mister, they are offering too little."  or "Hey, I'll give you more for it."
It has to do with 1) Preventing a rip-off  2) Butting into a transaction.
Moral questions. as posters have made obvious.

I've sold things too cheap when I needed fast cash. Did it with eyes wide open. No problem.
May do it again, who knows?

I've bought things from pawn shops and individuals that I knew were worth far more. felt very good about it. 
Then. Not now.

It's now a question of morality.  I have to examine it.  I have to ask myself - what is 'excessive profit'?  What is a 'reasonable profit'?
Because I'm a Christian now.  Not perfect, far from it, still a sinner.
But different than before.
How can I possibly love my neighbor and take advantage of his ignorance?

Or let someone else take advantage of him, when all it might take to stop it are a few words?



Do you not feel you have a moral obligation to the store owner or clerk also? Afterall you would be interfering in their ability to earn a living. Condition determines worth, the offer could still have been too much or too little.In addition, if I pay the asking price for an item Iam within my rights to do so. I still say stay out of other's deals.

[SHOOTALL]

A question to those who said that they would not intrude on the deal.

Let's change the circumstances only slightly.  Let's say you arrive on seen just as a friend, relative or your next door neighbor is negotiating to sell or trade something and the store owner/clerk/individual seller offers them far less than what you know the item is worth.  Do you still keep out of it and allow your friend or relative to get shafted or do you speak up?



 

quite honest that's not a slight change but a very large one , then I would get involved. But would be ticked that I didn't get a shot at it first !

[Spirithawk]

A question to those who said that they would not intrude on the deal.

Let's change the circumstances only slightly.  Let's say you arrive on seen just as a friend, relative or your next door neighbor is negotiating to sell or trade something and the store owner/clerk/individual seller offers them far less than what you know the item is worth.  Do you still keep out of it and allow your friend or relative to get shafted or do you speak up?



 

quite honest that's not a slight change but a very large one , then I would get involved. But would be ticked that I didn't get a shot at it first !

+1 I think I'd feel the same.

[PowPow]

It appears to me there are two distinctly different scenarios being discussed:
 
1.) By jumping ahead of the store clerk to buy the gun, you are acting as a competitor of the store; you want the same thing they want and are competing for it. If its in the store, you are out of bounds.
 
2.) by offering advice with no intention of buying, you are acting as an agent or advisor for one party or the other.
Again, if you are in the store and advising the seller, you may find yourself unwelcome.
 
I believe how welcome you are and how morally appropriate your intervention is depends on where you are.
 
Same scenario, different location; your elderly neighbor has a gun broker come to his house to make an offer on his gun. You stop by to borrow a cup of sugar, hear the discussion, tell the neighbor about a better deal or offer a better price for your own purchase. You would surely be welcome in that setting, although you would probably not become life long friends with the broker.

[LONGTOM]

PowPow:  Agreed!!!
 
 
 
 
LONGTOM

[bulletstuffer]

Thanks to all for the thoughtful replies and many good points.  There is definitely a fine line here.  I think Pow Pow hit it on the head.  Most of the replies to my original post went through my head as I watched the transaction. 
 
If the person making the transaction would have been elderly, very young or someone that had no idea about the value of what they were selling ie appearing to be defenseless, I would have casually said something to make the person think about what was about to happen.  All we can do is what we think is the right thing to do and hope that the decisions we make are the right ones.
 
Thank you,
 
Bulletstuffer