If I as a buyer agree with a seller that a Mac LC II with a yellowed case is worth $400, then I don't think that it's within anybody's rights to insult either myself or the buyer.
What 68Kmla decides to do is entirely up to those responsible for such decisions. We as humble and grateful participants will of course abide by that decision. However, at least in the United States of America, the right to express one's opinion, even if it's insulting (as long as it is not defamatory in nature), is guaranteed by the constitution – not that I necessarily agree with that sort of behavior, or intend to express myself in that manner. Of course, Cory5412, you are entitled to think differently, but is does not change the constitutional guarantees. Certainly I agree a certain amount of civility should be exercised in any thread.
However, anyone who has ever expressed that, Bill Gates is evil, is just as guilty ... equally so, those who have said ATT sucks, the iPhone is dumb, Steve Jobs blows, or PC users are idiots. Perhaps these thoughts are all insulting, but it reflects more about the person conveying them than the person being insulted. Further if those are the rules of 68Kmla, they should be part of the official policies and uniformly enforced. If it is the intent to protect the feelings of all who may read this forum, then a great many threads will have to be removed.
In the end, if I personally feel it is "stupid" for someone to make a specific purchase, or charge a certain price, then I am well within my rights to say so. It happens everyday on WallStreet, analysts looking at a company's purchase of assets and rating their credit accordingly. Reporting that a company made a mistake in acquiring a particular company is just a more polite way of saying, it was a stupid decision and certainly carries a lot more negative consequences than the personal opinion of a random anonymous member on this forum.
This post is a perfect example, as if making my point for me – how insulting, it should be removed from the internet. To aspire to a higher level of self-expression is certainly preferred, but censoring over the choice of words seems unfortunate. It is a far more cogent argument that there is some threat of liable underlying the removal of the thread, than simply thin skinned readers, but as I mentioned earlier, it's totally the owner's decision.
I disagree that trying to set a price guide is misguided. The entire collectable/antique business is based on exactly this, appraising items for their worth. I would disagree entirely that prices cannot be set for a wide range of items, nor that these old systems cannot be appraised for their general market value, regardless of what two people agree to purchase individual items for. We're talking about what a novice looking for guidance should expect to pay. In that regard, eBay is EXTREMELY helpful since individual systems can be tracked based on their condition and what actual auctions by "non-pros" are fetching (vs. Buy It Now pricing), which is how prices are similarly set in the collectable world. And just like in that world there are many wealthy persons who overpay and always will (and arguably, mostly because they are uneducated). I overpay for things everyday and I have friends tell me to my face that I was stupid to pay that much. Sometimes I agree, because I wanted or needed the thing at that moment, or simply did not want to put in the effort that my friends would. And who hasn't heard "Paying retail is for suckers" or similar phrase. There have been bestsellers written with these titles. Should I be insulted or perhaps buy the book and find out why the author thinks I am a sucker?
Right on istar1018!
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