Ever felt guilty about a deal?

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copaup

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I got a friend I work with who needs to get rid of some pistols for personal reasons. I've done him some favors in the past so he said he'd give me a good deal on a SW 3953, one of my all time favorite carry guns. I say, great. Bring it up here, give me a price, and I'll take it off your hands. He brings it up and the thing looks brand new except some very minor bright marks on the edge of the dustcover from holster wear. And I mean very minor, as in the sun has to hit it just right to see them. Then he tosses in the special bonus. A SW model 10 with a 2 inch barrel. The blueing is almost worn away, but it is good honest holster wear. The thing oozes character and is as solid as can be mechanically. I get all excited and ask for a number. $250 he says. Each? No, just $250. I tried to negotiate the price up to no avail. This is absolutely bar none the best deal I have ever come across and it has automatically put these two into the never get rid of for any reason category. I'll pass these on to my kids along with stories of my friend's escapades. I almost feel bad about taking advantage of him. Almost...
 
...that's just my sense of fair play.

I wouldn't make a deal that would make me feel guilty, but that's just my sense of fair play.


Respectfully,

jdkelly
 
Yea i've felt guilt on a few occassions. It was usally because I bought somthing and found out it blew then tried to get as much of my money back as possible. I felt guilt for buying it while I was getting screwed selling it. The price i've paid for knowledge.
 
I bought my first gun a Davis .380 for $79. It jammed every other time you shot it. Awful gun - I sold it to a "friend" I worked with for $95. Some friend I was. Still feel bad once and awhile.
 
I tried to negotiate the price up to no avail.
Click to expand...

There you go.

You tried to pay him more money, and he wouldn't let you. He probably wants to get rid of the guns more than make money off of them, and probably is glad that it's you that's getting them.

If you feel guilty, buy him a really expensive steak dinner to thank him for the deal.

.
 
No reason to feel guilty...

the key is in this: "I've done him some favors in the past.." It's likely your friend saw this transaction as part of a bigger situation. The price was set taking into account those past times when he was unable to adequately thank you for your help. Sounds like both parties are honorable men.

migoi
 
Here lately, I find good deals all the time. Just ask my credit
card company's. Like everyone else, from time to time I run
a little short on cash, and that small piece of plastic has on
many occassions saved my rear end. Thankfully, I now have
repaid every dime charged; and I owe nothing to credit card
company's. Feel guilty? Yes, a wee bit cuz I just wish that
everyone could share in my prosperity~!
 
I've done it quite a few times but I do feel better that I have not ever lied to or really misled someone to get a deal. If they don't like the price I offer, they don't have to accept it. I have had hard luck stories though or family heirloom deals I felt bad about.

One involved a guy forced to sell a collection due to domestic violence conviction(he came with his wife to sell to me!) Local shop offered him much less(they are real vultures as well as the gunsmith). I paid like around $700 or so for five guns but I had to eat some trash to get the good stuff.

Trash was like a Rossi 511 22lr revolver and a slightly beat Rem 870 Wingmaster. Treasure included a Beretta 92fs, S&W 4" 29-5 and a Colt 1991 A1.

Also my dad is more of a bleeding heart than me! He once wanted to give a guy $175 instead or $150 for a S&W 15-6 38spl but I told him only to do $150 as there was some minor blue wear and he was forcing us to buy other trash to do the deal(beat up Moss 500 and a Rossi 68 38spl)$50 each I let a friend buy those!

Also he got a few years back a Colt commercial 1911 circa 1919 mfg. Appears to have been reblued and I ended up replacing the barrel too as it had corrosive ammo fired in it w/o cleanup. Wrong grips too. But get this, it was a family gun brought back from the Philippines years ago. Great uncle dies and no one in family wanted it or had kids around and were scared to take it.

The original deal was $150 but my dad felt bad and I think he gave $175 or $200.
 
Never. Wish I could. I've gotten some great deals, but never that S&W 41 that was "my husband's and he'd probably want me to get at least $150 for it" or that old Luger sitting around collecting dust and "I'll take $200 for it just to get rid of it." A buddy of mine found an AR-15 with 4000 rounds of .223 for $500. Should say he beat me to it. Another found a Detonics Scoremaster for $300, which I would have jumped all over, also. Alas, day late and dollar short...........

Just once I'd like to feel guilty.;)

I did feel guilty about selling my AMT. But since I sold it to a dealer, I'm sure he knew what he was getting, so my guilt was short-lived.:D
 
guilt

ANYONE GOT A GOOD DEAL THEY WOULD FEEL GUILTY ABOUT GIVNG AWAY (SSelling CHEAP) ON A GUN LET ME KNOW....HAHAHA:neener:

Then I can add one to my list ;)
 
Rockstar.Esq regularly expresses his disgust at me for withholding the .22 mag cylinder when I sold my single six (to a pawnshop, I might add). My opinion is is that had they asked for it, I would have given it up (maybe, since I might have also just kept the gun), but since they didn't, I kept it. I suppose you could debate the morality of this manuever, but I was selling the gun as it was, and they took it that way. I don't necessarily feel guilty about it, as I say Buyer Beware, but Rockstar seems to think I am an A-hole (at least in this particular transaction), so call it guilt by association. Also, a long time ago I bought a 22/45 from a hippy that lived in a camper right after our town had a major flood. He lived in the camper before the flood, and by his own admission, the flood hadn't impacted his life whatsoever, but I still felt a little guilty buying it for what he was asking for it (it was one hundred dollars even) given the flood.
 
maybe a little. during the ban i bought a pre-ban, never fired, NIB colt sp-1 (ar) and a pre-ban, never fired, NIB mini-14 both originally purchased in 1986 for $1000. maybe not a screaming deal but definitely way less than they were worth. i told him so and he said that was fine so i didn't feel all that guilty. at least if there was any it wore off after about three rounds.:D

never gotten a great deal on a handgun, though.
 
If I feel guilty, it's only until I OVERPAY for something!

It all evens out in the end.
 
I generally take pride in my deals... Is pride a symptom of guilt?

Guess if I had a conscience I'd know, eh? ;)
 
For guns, no. For my new car, yes. I had done my homework, chose good timing, and beat them down hard, so the dealership really hated me by the end of the negotiations. They still made money, of course, but not as much as they wanted/expected/were accustomed to. Since then, whenever I go for checkup etc., the dealership director always gives me the evil eye. :p

That being said, I am always very generous to friends - different rules apply.
 
I won't explot a seller. It just frosts me when I see posts bragging about getting a great deal on a gun and then come to find out they guy bought the gun from some widow who didn't know what she had or what it was worth. That's pure crap. I also won't snap something up that's grossly underpriced by a seller who is ignorant on values. Yes, he should find out before offering it but I can't buy it like that.

Now, a professional dealer offering a gun at auction with a low starting price to encourage bidding is another matter. He knows what he's doing and is playing the game.

So, to answer the question, no, I have never felt guilty.
 
a friend and his wife was over at a widow's house. she was recently widowed and she was slowly selling off her departed husband's stuff. anyway she drug out this pristeen ruger blackhawk in .45 colt. she asked him if he would be interested in buying it. he said "how much do you want for it?" she said she would take $100.00 for it. he bought it and was very pleased he had gotten such a good deal. he did not try to talk her down on the price, but he did not tell her the true value of the gun.

it was none of my business. yet this bothered me. she was selling her dead husbands stuff to raise money to take care of a multitude of final expenses. i felt he should have at least told her the honest value of the gun. if she still wanted to sell the gun for $100.00 then well...cool. but, i felt he took advantage of the lady and her ignorance.

do not get me wrong. this is one of the more honest men i know. i trust him as much as any man i have ever known. i just felt that he should have been more upfront with her.
 
I see no reason for guilt as he set the price and understands the worth of the handguns. Even in his times of hardship he's trying to repay a friend for past deeds he appreciated. Rather than feel guilty feel proud of your friend as that was an honorable gesture because he could have gotten more money selling the handguns elsewhere.
 
The only reason one should feel guilty about a deal is if they are taking advantage of someone. The guy seems to know that his stuff is worth more than he is asking. If he is OK with that, then I see no reason why you shouldnt enjoy the good fortune.
 
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