Dealing with stupid people.

I’ve had some interesting experiences dealing with people online. You sell things online and you run across all kinds, one would like to assume the people of this world have a modicum of intelligence but a person would be mistaken in assuming that.

Tonight when I got home, this interesting missive was awaiting me for a CD boxed set I have for sale:

There are a lot of bootlegs out there, can you guarantee this is an original?

Let’s think about this for a second if you will and the logic behind the question. If I was someone selling bootlegs, would I necessarily volunteer they were bootlegs? If they were bootlegs wouldn’t it be a question of me looking to make a quick buck? So, isn’t this question akin to asking a crook if he is going to rob you when he has a gun pointed at you?

Where do people come up with this stuff?

Maybe that’s why con men have such an easy time of it, people ask them dumb questions like this and they answer in the negative, “No! I’m not a con man!”

WTF!

I wrote the guy back and immediately blocked him from participating in my auctions – what a tool.

Think about the question you just asked... If I was selling bootlegs and looking to make a quick buck - WOULD I TELL YOU?!? And if I'm on the up and up you realize just how insulting your question is? Did you read the description? Do me a favor find it somewhere else.

Idiot replies thusly:

For your information, there are a lot bootleg copies being sold on e-bay and since you can’t guarantee that your’s is not, I'll take your advice and buy it from someone else.

My parting response:

Good, don’t go away mad... just go away.

Now, some may think that harsh but over the last few months I’ve dealt with the very good and I’ve dealt with the very bad. I tend to go by the golden rule of treating others the way I want to be treated and consequently I undersell. I don’t hype anything I offer up, if anything I actually mark it as lower in condition so I don’t run into problems later but, it’s been my experience there are people out there who are just problem children and I really have lost my patience for dealing with the stupid and the inane (as opposed to the sacred and the profane).

And I get the sense if it wasn’t this it would be something else with this person so before going any further, just get rid of him like scraping annoying gum on the heel of your shoe on the curb - a nuisance you want to rid yourself of as quickly as you can and then proceed along your path.

Lord, save me from the morons at the very least I can block them on eBay and that’s worth something.