> I've never been called Gullible before.

> Maybe "Off the Wall", "Loose Cannon" (with a short
> wick) or somebody with an "Attitude" but never
> gullible.

Did you hear the one about the word "gullible" isn't even in the dictionary? (It's a joke; don't go running to the dictionary, because if you do, you'll demonstrate that you're gullible - get it?)

> So Vic is a Troll, does he have that rainbow
> hair

Beats me. The term "troll" is used to describe a person who posts a deliberately inflammatory or provocative message to an Internet message board just to see the reaction, rather than to engage in discussion. That's what Vic's motive has been lately. The problem is, when he does it, he opens the door to frank and honest discussions about his own reputation as someone who has unashamedly swindled other members of CC+TGSS, yet who uses the same board to solicit new "suckers" for trading partners or customers.

> How can you ship 9 chips for $1.29?

The short answer is "USPS, first class."

Each standard chip is about 11.5 grams, and nine would be a total of 103.5 grams. Converting to ounces (multiplying 103.5 grams by the conversion factor of 0.0353 ounces per gram) gives 3.65355 ounces. The envelope itself, combined with an invoice, weighs about a half-ounce. The USPS first-class rate for a five-ounce letter is $1.29.

So Vic had the stones, the cajones, to charge me $16.65 for first-class postage. He claimed that he did not combine shipping charges ($1.85 per chip, no discount for multiple purchase) so I asked him to ship them in nine different envelopes if that was in fact his policy. For whatever reason, most likely Vic's confusion in counting as high as "nine", he shipped them all in the same envelope at the above first-class rates. He combined shipping, but refused to combine the shipping costs. When asked why he did that, his only answer was "Profit, pure and simple." He attempted an explanation of how he was trying to recoup his gasoline costs to get to the casino to acquire the chips for sale - which makes me glad he didn't take a private helicopter, or a rented limousine - but that fell flat on its face. Clearly, he was price-gouging on chips which didn't get bids as high as he had hoped, so he attempted a low-level swindle. He's begged for others to "get over it," refusing to make good on his previous scams, but no such luck. "We screw the other guy, and pass the savings on to you" isn't a very popular business strategy among the CC+GTSS members around here.

There are plenty of more reputable and honest dealers and traders on this board - actually, in fact, everyone would be more reputable and honest than Vic ever dreamed of being. He's got a few screws loose, and no idea he needs a good socket job on his motor mounts. If you've had a previous good trade with him, fine! But keep an eye on your watch and wallet, because with him it's just a matter of time. For some reason, he needs to make a couple of bucks at the expense of his own reputation, which evidently isn't worth the couple of bucks to him.

Best,
WMD