Card Shows: Tech as a servant or master?

[notfast]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

When I am buying, I ask a specific and explicit question:

"What is the absolute lowest price you will take for this?"

I get a surprisingly large number of laughs and double takes. People are not used to a direct question. What's really fun is when the response is too high and I hand the cards back. Many of the sellers offer an additional discount as I start to walk away.

This is probably the most annoying thing a buyer can say. That’s why people are laughing at you.

So many people say the exact same thing (or a variation) to sellers, all day ever day.

[Exhibitman]

They can laugh all they want as long as they give me a sufficient discount.

[Keith H. Thompson]

but somewhat appropriate for this discussion:

buyer sees a Bob Shawkey card on a dealer's table, commonly valued at $100, but with no price and asks: "how much is this card?"
dealer: "$10,000."
buyer: "that is outrageous, this card is worth about a hundred bucks.
why are you asking me ten thousand?
dealer: "because you look like a guy who would like to brag about owning a
Bob Shawkey card worth ten thousand dollars."

Unfortunately, that guy could be me.