Yes, we all know that you can sell anything you want at any price the market will bear. That wasn't the point Kevin was making, and that seems to go over everyone's head apparently.

The point is, the guy was selling a mask at 3 to 4 times what it was worth, which is truly indeed ripping people off, no matter how you armchair, wannabe economists try to spin it. Kevin would have, at the very most, sold it for what it was worth and not a penny more. I know this because I know of his character personally.

You can call it "gouging" or any other term you want, or maybe that term is not technically correct. Who cares. And yes, there was someone stupid enough to buy it at the high price, which proves, as Mr. Umpire and someone other than P. T. said, there indeed is a sucker born every minute. But the guy who sold it was the "suckee."

~sigh~
 

Steve:

While you have the right to have your opinion I can respectfully disagree.

"If" this mask was a piece of art and was on auction @ Christies Fine Art it could go for a price more than "what it was worth" and it would simply be a news item in tomorrow's fish wrapper.

I just can't buy into your philosophy that people should not profit (no matter how greatly).

I am certainly not a "wannabe economist" (nor did I stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night) but I would expect that if I auctioned off my Carlucci Original Chest Protector and Leg Guards I would certainly get more than I paid for them and possibly more than their "worth." ("Worth" is an interesting issue in itself -- how can you establish "worth" for someone else's need or desire.)

Although I greatly respect both you and Kevin I just can't agree with you on this specific issue.

T

Yes, you probably would expect more money than you paid for your Carlucci gear, since it is no longer available unfortunately. The Mizuno mask is still readily available in Japan and Korea. You can get them from anyone who lives over there. They are already overpriced to start with. Again, the guy has every right to get all he can from the sale of his mask. That doesn't make it right. It's not a piece of art, it's umpire gear.

Steve
 

If you ever get a chance watch the movie:

"Who the #%&*^* is Jackson Pollock

It is a great study in placing a value on a questionable item. The movie itself is a piece of art.

As I have sold several pieces of my own work I am too sometimes surprised at the value some people attach to objects.

T

Even wannabe economists understand that the price for something in Japan can be very different than the price for that item in the United States.

In Minnesota, Comcast just came out with what ties for the fastest in the US at 101Mbps speeds for $370 per month. In Japan one can get 160Mbps for $60 per month.