Posted on 01/22/2013 5:41:37 AM PST by rawhide
When James Labrecque listed an old safe—to which he did not have the combination—on eBay, the seller warned, "What you see is what you get, no returns, and no money back." A Tennessee man purchased it for $122.93, had a welder cut it open—and found $26,000 inside. The buyer shared the news with Labrecque via a positive review on the auction site, and Labrecque quickly attempted to convince the buyer to give him some of the cash, to no avail. In fact, WMC-TV reports, the buyer quoted Labrecque's own eBay disclaimer right back to him when turning him down.
"I made a mistake, you know, that's what it boils down to. And it cost me dearly," says Labrecque, who adds that he shook the safe and didn't think there was anything inside. "I feel like the stupidest idiot in the world. … I gave away a safe with $26,000 in it." He also insists that if he were in the buyer's place, he would have offered to split the cash 50/50 with the seller. "That's a chunk of change, you know. That's life-altering money."
I probably would not have bought a safe that had to be cut open in the first place!
I’d have given a tenth, or more............... to God’s work....
I know people that have portable imaging equipment, one phone call, a small exchange of courtesy monies and then I would definitely know if it was empty.
It could just have easily had a turd inside.....50/50....right?
Although I wouldn’t have an obligation to do so, because he did not demand anything I’d send the guy a thousand bucks (that’s less than half a “finder’s fee”) with a suggestion to use it to buy a couple bottles of a good single-malt to help him deal with his error.
I would have given half back, but he did say, “no returns,” so... legally, he’s not entitled to it.
Of course, I wouldn’t have been a doof and sold it unopened.
I know a guy in town here who bought house that use to be owned by a banker from the 1880’s. That house has a built-in vault with combination known. We keep telling him to get it opened, but he just shrugs and says he hasn’t gotten around to it yet.
First of all, I would not have informed the seller.
Second ... $26K isn't life altering money. It's a nice little windfall, but you would still have to get up and go to work the next day.
$123 to buy an old safe that might have been empty, and needed to be cut open, is a big risk of money.
Maybe the buyer felt he could crack the safe and had money to play with?
Be that as it may, would you keep all the money?
he wasnt willing to give back $122.93 to the buyer ...
so I doubt if he would have given him $13,000, one hundred times that...
Yeah sure he would have shared...
The buyer doesnt owe him a penny...
......oh yea!
I would have done exactly what the buyer did. Seller was to cheap to pay someone to open the safe, he loses. Mr. Labrecque you are an idiot.
I would have kept the money as per the terms, “no returns”. I think the seller is indulging when he says that HE would have returned half the money. He would have done no such thing. This is the same situation as when someone buys a storage locker’s contents at auction for a thousand dollars or less and then finds a small fortune inside. No one should expect him to return any part of this unless he wants to do so as an act of personal generosity. When you sell a locked safe under those terms it is pure foolishness to ask for a return when you stated “no returns” in your ad. Next time he should say no returns...UNLESS there is something inside that I would want to have.
Why do folks who find free money set themselves up to be victimized by crooks and the government?
...but I repeat myself...
They need to SHUT UP!
The buyer was obviously thinking of the show “Storage Wars” when he bought the safe because it had to be destroyed to get in. Why share the money when he bought the safe ONLY to see what was inside? He took the risk with $122. The seller was probably thrilled when he got the $122. Simple.
What would I have done? Shop, shuffle and shut up, I guess. Certainly wouldn’t tell ebay, preypal, seller, and the whole darn internet. The IRS is probably on their way.
Always reading about people finding construction trash bags full of cash by the side of the road.
Still waiting to find my bag-o-bucks...
$13k is not life altering, except maybe in the very short run.
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