Paul, at 23:38 on May 16 1996, you wrote to Bill Grimsley...

BG> Using local prices in patently unfair, Paul.  

PE> Bill, that is the ONLY FAIR price to use.  Not what you get if you
PE> trade in your modem, break the law, avoid the customs officials, 

BG> Nope, that's what *I* paid, so as far as I'm concerned, the price is valid.

PE> It's as fair as the price quoted to me by the chap who broke
PE> into Dave Hatch's place.  It cost him $0.  You're out of your
PE> tree, Bill.  Or more to the point, it's just zealotry talking.

Nope, my previous answer was tongue-in-cheek, and just as stupid as your
claim that I broke the law because customs decided not to charge me sales
tax.  The only law I break is when I actually use the modem here (do you
really think that I give a fuck?).  And I'm not Robinson Crusoe either.

PE> I can't even get it SYSOP for less than $675 in Sydney.

BG> Jeeze Paul, I can buy a Courier off the street up here for $600, so you're 
BG> obviously not trying too hard, are you?

PE> I don't know.

Well it's pretty damned obvious from where I'm sitting.  The Courier has an
RRP of $799, but that's just a guide, and nobody should ever pay that.  And
what's more, only complete and utter fuckwits pay the advertised price for
something like modems or PC peripherals.  There is ALWAYS room for
haggling, and I suspect that had I pushed it, I could have bought that
Courier for even less than $600 (it a big advantage if you know their
buying price too).  :)

Regards, Bill

--- Msgedsq/2 3.20