I really hate to see an honest discussion degenerate into anger with loaded, judgmental stuff. Everyone is entitled to their $0.02 on how to handle a walk-in and as long as no one is doing anything illegal, no one is right or wrong per se, so let's dial down the contempt, shall we, and really dig into the issue as friends and fellow hobbyists.
So much of this depends on your perspective. I happen to think that anyone who relies on a complete stranger to do their homework for them is making a mistake. Taking a collectible you do not understand to a trade show and asking for offers on it from the first people you see inside the door rather than taking time at least to walk around at see whether the items you want to sell are there and what they sell for is just not a reasonable thing to do. My view, unapologetically, is that if someone asks me for an offer and I make it and they take it, that's the end of it. They are free to say no and ask the next guy for an offer. Every transaction is made because both parties think they got the better of it. The couple in the story probably found the cards in a box and were thrilled to pocket $8K in cash. We don't know.
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