those crazy garage sailors

you know, the ones who wish they lived in an Asian country so that they can argue with you at a purchase,

"you would never sell a puzzle at a garage sale for $1!"

"that table's missing a drawer, it's outrageously priced!"

so picky...

Something I've learned from reading "Harmony and Conflict" by Richard Hartzell (a book on comparing Chinese/Taiwanese culture with Western culture)

- selling products

In China/Taiwan - the seller has the right to decline to sell you something - this is because if the price you've offered is too low, lower than the value of the item, they'll decline.

In Western culture - the seller has no right to decline to sell you any thing, because we've grown up in a multi-ethnic culture, and historically this was perceived as racist and discriminatory.

PLUS, the seller is generally a large chain store, and they're selling plan is a long term plan, if they sell you an item which costs below the value, they can expect to make it up in selling other items. For example, I go to Walmart and then buy a microwave listed at $15, what a deal! But right next to it, is a better one for $24, well, I think I'll get that one because it's better, and only a little more. Or, I will certainly purchase other products on the same trip, and the loss is covered by those gains.

In China/Taiwan - if the listed price is wrong, you have to pay the real price. This is because the real value of the item you bought/consumed must be paid.

in Western culture - if the listed price is wrong, you get that price, the seller (or the part at fault) pays the difference. Because we people of the west love a good deal, and we freak out when we're asked to pay for the item at the real value.

In China/Taiwan - people know the real value of the foods they buy. Food is grown semi-locally, so if the price goes up due to a weather disaster or a hard year, they know that they have to pay more. Similarly, if a new seller comes into town, there's a dialog to determine the real value and the price may be brought down.

in Western culture - we don't know the real value of the foods we buy. Food is grown all over the place, and we don't know any thing about how it was grown, how much work it was to produce it, and how much we ought to pay for it. Even those farmer's markets, not everyone knows how much things are worth, and what affects our farmers, so prices could be higher or lower than the real value.

There are pros and cons to both ways of commerce. Just try and pay what the value is of the item you're buying. If you're not willing to pay it, maybe you don't really need it. If it's going to be a cheaply made item, maybe pay the real value on something that will last longer.

But lesson from these crazy garage sailors... it's best to buy used, you can recycle/reuse and help the planet, and you can frazzle those normal every day people with your outraged comments on their prices.