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To: ozzymandus; advertising guy
If I'm insane and delusional, why do you keep haranguing me? And why are you so defensive about pawn shops? Is that your business? My business is farming. It does not involve a lot of haggling and game-playing. I am forced to take what the markets offer for my goods. I find niggling over prices distasteful and cheap. And what is your fixation with Rick Harrison? Give your caps key a rest, go watch some "Pawn Stars" re-runs, and cheer for your idol. I know all I want to know about you, and it isn't flattering.

Farming exists in a market of government controlled pricing. It is not a free market and has not been for years. You do not buy and sell a product to make a profit. You do not sell to the general public multiple disparate items. Your experience is wanting, ozzymandus. That said, I do admire you for surviving in that climate. Congratulations. My hat is off to you.

If you do not haggle with your suppliers, you are paying too much. My grandfather was a farmer and he haggled over everything and got the best prices he could. . . but that was an era where the free market reigned in farming.

I am not, and never have been a pawn broker. I have bought and sold new and used items in retail in my varied careers and I know what I am talking about. YOU obviously do not. You reek of fear of haggling for the best agreement in an open market. . . but that is what a free and open choice in an unfettered economy is about. Willing sellers and willing buyers coming to an agreement of minds about what is best for both of them, whether or not a transaction occurs or not.

If you watch Pawn Stars or not (I suspect you really have not watched much), about 40% of the time, no transaction takes place because the seller and buyer do not come to a satisfactory agreement on the value the mutually agree would be pleasing to both. That is the way of the market. The other times, both go away happy, one with cash in hand, the other with another item to sell to a willing buyer at some time in the future.

Watching Pawn Stars is mostly educational about the items themselves which was usually quite interesting, no matter what the item. I always disagreed with the idea that an antique gun's value was enhanced if it could still be shot. That is absolutely WRONG because some antiques should never be fired again, at all. Among those are any guns with spiral wound Damascus welded barrels and I have seen them shoot them on the show to "prove their value." Such guns, no matter how good they look, due to the method of manufacture which has a tendency to incorporate oxygen and impurities in the welding technique, spontaneous failure can occur in old ones at any time. I've seen too many burst chambers to ever recommend firing one. I have also disagreed at times with the identification made to some of the guns their experts have made.

There are other pawn shops in Las Vegas, some right down the street from the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop run by Rick Harrison and his family. He is competition with those shops to buy the items brought in by these people. If he does not offer enough, they will take their items to his competitors and they will buy them. Rick has to consider that in his offers as well. When I was running the gun shop, there were five similar gun shops within a mile of my shop who would also buy used and antique guns with similar ability to make offers. . . and they would like nothing better than to have to opportunity to buy the gun I was making an offer on.

Rick Harrison is not "my idol". He is, however, a person I understand and admire as a good, and honest, businessman who gives value for what he does. You attacked him in a thread that had absolutely NOTHING to do with him, making ignorant comments about his business that had no basis in fact. I corrected your impression and you attacked me. I have been trying to educate you about the truths of such a business, of which I have had a similar but different experience. You, however, choose to remain pig headed and hide bound in your ignorance. Fine.

I've told you the facts of a retail business involved with buying from the public and selling to the public. Yet you've chosen to ignore those facts. Instead, you reply with insults and show that you ignore what I wrote. . . "pawn shop?" Did you not read I operated a gun shop? Both new and used, dealing in antiques and more modern? Apparently not. That I have expertise in appraising their values and management? Also apparently not. So you repeatedly choose to denigrate me, a form of ad hominem attack. I also have a degree in economics. . . which goes into quite a bit more depth on all of this. I've also been a CEO of an entirely different kind of business. No, I told you I don't idolize Rick Harrison. But he does know what is necessary to run a business that depends on repeat business and keeping his customers happy. You don't.

You are welcome to ignore the benefit of knowledge from people who have walked the walk, know far more than do you about something you obviously do not, and remain in your dark and gloomy place. You live in dark bubble.

76 posted on 11/29/2016 1:06:31 AM PST by Swordmaker (This tag line is a Microsoft insult free zone... but if the insults to Mac users continue...)
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To: Swordmaker

That is everythin but confessions,then passin the collection plate


77 posted on 11/29/2016 1:18:30 AM PST by advertising guy (I cannot wait for the book KILLING O'REILLY)
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To: Swordmaker

God, you’re a gasbag.


78 posted on 11/29/2016 1:45:39 AM PST by ozzymandus
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