Short-changed?

My earliest lesson on getting ripped off came when we had a neighborhood yard sale back in Richardson circa 1995. The neighborhood hosted a commune-wide yard sale to sell off everything at the same time. Being the packrat that Mama W is, she brought out all the wholesale stuff she bought from K-town/Harry Hines and put it out there.

To get to the point, my mom witnessed me getting duped. I was attending to a middle-aged latina lady, while the grandmother swiped a few bouncing balls with my back turned and put it in her shawl. Ye ole distract and steal strateg(er)y.

I should have stood behind the table of goods, but too eager to collect money, I went around the side to get the cash. My mother informed me that I was ripped off just as the latinos were getting into their van. I started toward them to demand payment for the stolen bouncing balls, when mama W stopped me. She said it wasn't worth the trouble. I fumed. Like all people, I hate getting gyped.

Having returned from London, Papa W commissioned me with the task to sell a ping pong table and a compact refrigerator. Unlike most mid-life crisis, men purchase a sports car, my dad bought a ping pong table. I utilized craigslist for the task. The ping pong table was going for $70, I was expecting to get $60. A low balling couple insisted it was worth only $50. I showed them the door.

Rule #22 to craigslist-ing: When listing at 50% at retail, people will come with better offers. Don't get lowballed.

Later that day, a lady arrives with a huge Dodge Dually, and offers to buy the ping pong table for $60. I agree; however, she can only pay with a check. I duly remember rule of acquisition #3: Accept a check at your own peril.

I went through my usual story about getting frauded with a check, and the lady gave me a list of how she's a credible christian lady who would never cheat anybody. Something felt suspicious, but the driver's license checked out with the check. Still though, my paranoia was running rampant. To trust or not to trust. I had already made a copy of her driver's license, but it could be a fake.

She claims that she had driven an hour and a half to get over here and she seemed like a really nice lady, but I had never heard of Alliance Bank nor did she have a debit card that I could check as well. I had forgotten to post on my ad rule #2: CASH ONLY.

I went with my rationale and I accepted the check, helped her load the pool table on the dually and off she went. I was nervous about the check all night. I didn't want to be played a fool. When I was living in London, I was always wary of getting ripped off. Store clerks would charge different people different things for their goods. A bag of onions would be anywhere between $1.50 to $3.00 depending on what you look like.

I had this notion that people were more decent over here in the US. Well... they are. The check cleared and despite my gut feelings, everything turned out just right. God Bless Americans.