A sovereign social network
powered by Bitcoin

bie1: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

Today, the spotlight is on these toy watches—which I believe date back to the 80s. They are small objects, yet they carry a lot of history.

It’s interesting to see the different reactions these items draw out. Some people see a cherished memory, others see a piece for their collection, and then there are those who simply see a chance to buy them for peanuts and resell them at a massive markup.

I don’t have a problem with buying and reselling in principle. What bothers me is when people try to secure that profit margin by disparaging the item, withholding what they know, or treating the owner like they’re clueless.

When they run into someone who does this as a hobby—someone who enjoys researching and restoring their pieces and feels no rush or need to sell—the negotiation becomes quite comical.
They are the ones in a hurry to close the "deal." I can simply put the watch away and keep enjoying it.

These situations reveal, with uncomfortable clarity, a petty side of human nature: the desire to take advantage of someone else's lack of knowledge, even in something as simple as a hobby.

In the end, I think I’ll set up my own website using Shopify: gathering the items, telling their stories, and setting a price I consider fair. I want the buyer to appreciate what they’re getting and for everything to be transparent from the start. Of course, having your own store doesn't automatically make you more ethical; that depends on how you sell.

Does anyone here use Shopify? How does it work for a varied catalog of watches, video games, consoles, and other collectibles managed from a mobile phone?

I’d also like to open up the discussion: where do you draw the line between collecting, investing, and speculating? Is it the profit margin, the intent behind the purchase, or the way the seller is treated?