The ultimate trade up

[PhillipAbbott79]

Originally Posted by EYECOLLECTVINTAGE

It's funny that people can't get the world old concept of trading. When a accountant does a landscapers taxes in return for lawn work, do they sit down and analyze "well I usually charge $3,000 a year for taxes, and you charge $2200 for lawns, so just give me $800 cash and we will call it even". No. Both parties win. The accountant usually charges 3K, however is not paying a penny out of his pocket for his lawn, so it's a clear win for him. While the landscaper is winning, he is still doing all the manual labor which is harder than accounting. In this case I am the landscaper. I am making off on the deal money wise, but people who are trading with me could care less because they are getting what they need. I then must put in the leg work and labor of selling the harder to sell cards.

The fact that I had to waste 10 minutes writing this is what annoys me. It's so obvious. It's trading. I said it once and I'll say it a million times.... A trade doesn't have to be fair if it makes sense.

Your analogy works for trading dissimilar items. Let's take a look at trading work. Bob and Joe are both plumbers who own their own business. Bob helps Joe out for 8 hours, Joe pays him 200 dollars for his time. Joe is asked to help Bob out for 8 hours and only gets 150 dollars for his time. Would they both consider that fair trade?

You are trading a baseball card, for many baseball cards. Ok. There is time, money, energy, liquidity, etc. Everybody understands that. However, you also would trade, 1 for 1, if the values were dissimilar. Generally also, not really an issue, for people that are not concerned about dollar value.

There are people here, that do care about dollar value, and those are the people that you are on here arguing with.

Their point is something like this: Examine both of these statements:
I really need a truck so I can make a living. I have no idea what it is worth, but that doesn't matter. I have a really great computer I would trade someone for a truck.

vs

I can't afford a truck that I really want because it is to expensive. Will you trade me your truck for my computer?

Your first inclination is to ask, what is the computer worth in both scenarios, but one emphasizes the money aspect, rather than the trade benefit aspect.

The problem is not what you are doing. It is how you went about presenting it, regardless of how sincere and innocent you thought you were being about it, and where you posted it at IMO.

For the record, I don't care either way. I am simply pointing out the sides of the equation.