Scalping Tirade

>>A secondary market provides a service, which costs money. The same 
>>could be said of Mark Leaman's CD store. I know he is buying CD's at a 
>>lower would charge me. I think that is outrageous, 
>>adn should be stopped. Let's put Mark out of business to help us 
>>consumers. Then I could buy used CD's directly from the seller at a 
>>lower cost, and avoid paying for his "additional layer of complexity 
>>and administrative expense."  
>>Hmmm....How will I find those people who people who have the CD's I 
>>want? Maybe Mark is providing avaluable service after all? 

Whoa! I missed this the first time around!
Forget about me making a profit...I'm not yet, although the fact that I'm
making as much as I was in my last job (which wasn't all that much, but
anyway) is IMHO "making a profit." Mainly because the other way I look at it
is that I am now free to do as I please all day (after all, I'd be listening
to music and doing computer or reading at home if I weren't working...it's
like I retired) and am no longer in an incredibly bad mood for seven months
of the year due to the job and stupid employees I had to deal with and the
hours...my family now has more of my time, and that's important to me.
But I DO have to pay the bills here. And I'm not making much per CD...$2,
and half that when selling them to friends or regular customers or to
someone on this list. I think that's humble enough. Fortunately, my overhead
is very low.

The point of this is: scalpers DO make a profit. A big one. It would be one
thing if they made a little on the deal...fair enough. But when they charge
$250 for a ticket they paid (perhaps) $65 for...that's profiteering. Me, I'm
content to make enough to get by...making me a poor capitalist I suppose,
but remember that I used to be a Marxist (see Paul, all that political stuff
did have a point after all).
I will say that seeing someone find a CD that they've wanted for a long time
and isn't available from the "Mall stores" in this area is what makes me
happiest. I'm glad to share the music, recommending new music for people
(and having them come back to say how much they liked it)...that, apart from
recycling, validates my store more than anything else.
So I don't think Generations is a good comparison to scalpers...we come at
the idea of "making money" from different areas. I think like a consumer
rather than a business owner...and my customers appreciate that, which makes
it a good way to run the store I think. At least, it has worked so far. IF I
were a ticket scalper, I would charge JUST a service charge...enough to keep
me operating and eating. The store I used to work in had a 200% mark
up...and mine is just under 30%. I wouldn't be comfortable doing more than that.

"I may be the Mayor Of Simpleton..." but I DO sleep very well at night.



                   Cheers                   ML

"I think you should keep on playing Rock as long as you have an axe to grind
and then if you haven't got an axe to grind you should go into cabaret."
                                                                 Pete Townshend