eBay guilt

From: Marvin <marvin_at_rain.org>
Date: Wed May 10 13:44:26 2000

Bill Sudbrink wrote:
>
> Conversely, if you sell something that you just got for free to
> some speculating moron on ebay for $3000, didn't you steal from
> them?

Not necessarily. I sold one of my Altairs last year to pay for a trip to the
ARDF Championships up in Portland, OR. It closed around $1450; I had been
given that computer so I paid nothing for it ... or did I? I have spent many
years saving things from the dump, and the person who gave it to me was
going to dumpster it if I didn't take it. Two costs come to mind. The first
is storage costs which probably are minimal. The other? Short Story.

This guy had a chair he wanted to sell and was asking $100,000 for this
chair. It didn't look like much, and certainly didn't look to be worth that
much. His answer? It had cost him at least $100,000 sitting in that chair
instead of going out and doing something.

Opportunity costs.
Received on Wed May 10 2000 - 13:44:26 BST