RE: [Leica] Leica Bargin BAH!

["bdcolen" <bdcolen@earthlink.net>]

I think the bottom line here is that you are apparently an extremely
ethical, kind person - at least when it comes to buying things on the
cheap! :-) But the fact that you chose to behave in this way does not
mean that people who do not are somehow "bad" people. In fact, if
everyone behaved as you do there would be no garage sales or Salvation
Army stores, because they would only be selling crap - the stuff that's
left at the end of the garage sale and the stuff that the Army
ultimately gives away. After all, why go bargain hunting if there are no
bargains? 

B. D.

- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
[mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us] On Behalf Of
Teresa299@aol.com
Sent: Wednesday, June 04, 2003 11:11 PM
To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject: Re: [Leica] Leica Bargin BAH!



In a message dated 6/4/03 5:06:54 PM, sonc@sonc.com writes:

<< I think we are bashing a guy for getting a bargain.


I gave a motorhome to Goodwill, and I thought it was worth at least
$8000.

They ended up selling it for $1000.  Is that my problem?  Should the guy
who

bought it go to confession because he got a bargain?


My daughter who lives in NYC, loves to come to the Goodwill in
Natchitoches.

She stuck her hand into a barrel of scarves, and plucked out a silk one
and

proudly paid the $2.


The point at Salvation Army and Goodwill, and all those stores (for us
the

donors) is the giving.  What Salvation and Goodwill does with it is not
our

affair.


Good on the guy for making a bargain. He will be predisposed to share
his

mite with the Salvation Army when he is giving.  (And we don't know how
much

he has given them in the past, nor do we know the condition of the
camera.)


Sonny >>

Well Sonny, I'm the one who came down hard on the guy.  

No one likes a bargain better than I....I probably, other than a few
lurking 
students on this list make the least amount of money than anyone else on
the 
LUG.

If the point of a charitable organization is let's say, to feed the
starving 
people, then the more money they make, the more people they feed.  I
admit 
that if the story was that the guy scored a $800 item for $5 from a
Halliburton 
fire sale, I might not feel the same or if the thrift store was to
restore 
someone's Cadillac collection I might feel different.  But it's the
salvation 
army, the point of them existing is not to provide a depository for
people's old 
shoes (I honestly don't think that's the purpose of Salvation Army's
existence) 
but to make money from their sale of the shoes and then to use that
money to 
provide services that the government isn't providing as much of even
though 
there's a huge need right now.

Maybe it's how you view a bargain.  I've had (still do) this fantasy of 
trying to replicate turn of the century to 1930's pictoral and Hollywood
glamour 
images.  I've studied up on the classic 4x5 and 8x10 soft focus lenses
(as well 
as films/processing,etc).  Alas, I can't currently afford any of the
lenses.  
Two years ago I happened upon an "estate" sale.  It was pretty much a
garage 
sale set up so that the widow of the guy who died would at least be able
to 
have some spending money at the "care" facility she was going to be
shipped off 
to.  I came across a box of stuff and in the box (amongst other things)
was 
something one of the old guys that was helping out called the front of
an old 
"telescope" which I could have for $10.  Well it wasn't the front of an
old 
telescope it was a (9" -11"?) Wollensak Verito.  Not the best of shape
but the lens 
was clear and who cares, it was worth more than $10.  I had it in my
hands 
for at least 5 minutes before I told them what it was and gave them the
name of 
some places they should shop it around to.  Sure I could have bought it
for 
$10.   And if after telling the guy what it was worth,he shrugged his
shoulders 
and told me I could have it for $10 anyway, I would have got it.   Was I
an 
idiot for not quickly and quietly taking advantage of this bargain that
landed 
in my lap?  Given the tenor of this newsgroup, probably.   But
personally, I 
just couldn't stand the thought of thinking about the old lady in the
nursing 
home every time I shot some glamourous looking babe with it.  

But that's just me.  Obviously the personal mileage on the LUG may vary.

Kim
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