Originally posted by Mistlefoot Many won't feel guilty as you are comfortable with buying $1000 worth of lenses for $35. Hard to feel guilty screwing you over...... Just my 2 cents.
I'm a bit torn on this sort of thing. I do feel it is up to the seller to name his price when individuals are dealing with each other. There's nothing stopping him from going online, looking up prices, and trying to get maximum market value for it. If he just wants to be rid of it, then that's his decision. I don't think it should be up to the buyer to do all the work for the seller. I think the exception is when the seller is a kid selling his own stuff (and not sent in as a "cute representative" for some adult). It's really up to the adult to be the responsible party then.
Things change when one party is a dealer. I do think dealers are obligated to pay their normal offering price even when the seller doesn't know what he's got. The dealer's sole purpose is to make money and he is in a definite position of power in the transaction. When an individual buys an item in one of these submarket transactions, it will likely be for personal use or sold for funds which will buy something similar for personal use, so money isn't really made. Often times, the transaction enables the buyer to have something he may not be able to afford at market value, so the seller is getting one of the things he wants: the item to find a home (directly or indirectly) where it will be put to good use.
I'm also excluding straight dishonesty; someone has an item which is worth $100 and wants $80 for it. You convince him it is not really worth $100 and somehow convince him to sell it for $20. That's not ok.