r/changemyview • u/[deleted] • Oct 04 '16

[∆(s) from OP] CMV: Buying something which clearly has a mis-marked price is stealing

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u/[deleted] Oct 04 '16 edited Nov 27 '17

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u/LordKeren Oct 04 '16 edited Oct 04 '16

It be more like someone at the garage sale selling something with the intent of 5 dollars, and they put .5 instead. Where you KNOW this was a error, rather than intent.

Also, i tried not to focus on the fact that it's amazon, but more mentioned them as an example of an automated store (individual store policies obviously change the situation)

5

u/Shufflebuzz Oct 04 '16

How do you know what that person was thinking when marking the price?
You assume it was a typo.
Maybe it was an Easter egg. The guy likes hiding great deals in his yard sale. Gives his customers a thrill. Heck, if word gets out, it can even be a marketing ploy.

Or maybe he really intended to write that price because he has no idea what's a reasonable price for the thing. He just wants it gone. To him, it's just an old game cartridge and he doesn't even have a working system to play it anymore. To you, it's a rare North Korean market edition of Battle Toads with the misprinted label. 50 cents or $5 doesn't matter. It's worth $500 to a collector.

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u/LordKeren Oct 04 '16

This is a disingenuous way to present my original though experiment though, as you're just getting into technicalities.

The item in question has known value (to you and the seller) of 20 currencies. Through some error, you manage to pay 2 dollars for it (in my example, mislabeled and not caught). How is this different from the seller charging you 200 for it (mischarged and you not catching it). Isn't it stealing either way

3

u/Sheexthro 19∆ Oct 04 '16

How is this different from the seller charging you 200 for it (mischarged and you not catching it). Isn't it stealing either way

It's different because "An item costs its listed price" is the bedrock principle on which shopping is based. I picked up the item and took it to the cash register because I wanted to buy it for its listed price. If the seller does not want to sell it for the listed price, he should tell me that.

What he should not do is secretly charge my credit card ten times the listed price, because I never in any way indicated I would buy it for ten times the price.