On Thu, 20 May 2004 13:45:46 +0100, "Keith G"
wrote:


"Don Pearce" wrote

snip


Full marks to this seller from me.


Not from me. I think he's a clever little cookie who achieved exactly
what
he set out to do - caught an eager-beaver dummy with a Famous Name (which
ain't hard to do, check the bids - there's plenty of them out there!) and
the rest of us with a description wording where clarity makes the
omission
and obfuscation difficult to spot.....

No, I don't believe he intended any such thing. I think he was
described exactly what he was selling,


I disagree. He was selling an *empty box* - nowhere does he use that phrase.


The why did he say you could use it to pretend you really had an Xbox?
That would be a strange thing to say if he was trying to make you
think you were actually getting the unit too.


and was expecting either no
bids, or something barely above his starting bid.


Where do you get that from? You are 'reading in to it' like echowotsit seems
to have done and exactly what I think the seller was hoping might happen (to
a degree).....

No, I just read it the way it was written - no "reading-in" at all.


snip 2


It has been said that you can't con an honest man.


I would argue the opposite is more likely to be true and would offer 'you
can't kid a kidder'.......??

I think the general point was that in order to get the mark to accept
the con, he must feel he is getting something for less than its true
worth.



(I have to say my own interest in 'computer games' ended with a weekend
lost
to 'Pogo Joe' on the kid's Commodore 64 a long time ago! :-)



My interest ended with Robot Nim, on the Video Genie.


Int sinnit.





Pearce Consulting
http://www.pearce.uk.com