Hypothetical Rant Against the Machine

Let’s say you have the following matching items that you would like to sell from the nursery set that your two daughters used: the comforter, crib skirt and bumper, two sets of sheets, three wall hangings, the lamp, the bouncy seat, the mobile, and one almost complete roll of matching wallpaper and a three foot segment from a second roll. Let’s go even further and mention that all of those items were clean and without stains or any signs of wear other than washing. You bring said items to a nation-wide baby/child clothing/contraption/toy reseller whose name brings about visions of fairy tales. Perhaps you are a greedy SOB, but you are anticipating a generous offer. After all, you saw the same exact set of only the comforter, skirt and bumper on sale at the same location a couple of years earlier while expecting your second child for $125. You kept that figure in your head for over two years because you knew that however sad you might be about it, you would bring your extensive set in for sale yourself. You bring your items to the counter and wait twenty good minutes while the young women look over everything and tap away at their computer. After you are quoted a price, you have to ask for them to repeat it in case you heard incorrectly. Nope. You heard right. You were indeed offended… er… offered $37.69 cents. You miss the rest of the schpeel because you are somewhat in shock. Not even $38? You pack your items back up and return them to your car. As you drive off, you realize you’re not as much of a capitalist as you imagined that you were. Maybe there is more to socialism, fascism, or communism than you have given credit. There was no way you would trade in your memories to a retail store for them to turn around and make what would probably be a whopping profit. Thank God for eBay.