william-james88 wrote:You didnt lie, ever. They didnt even ask you what it was worth. Its not like the price of the trumpet was $700 and you said "well, in this condition, its worth way less, and with the costs of repair that would be close to $400, you'd be lucky to sell this for more than $300 so thats the best I can do".
I probably should have elaborated the story a little more (like it wasn't long enough! )
I was in a couple of mindsets about this. First, when she offered $300, it occurred to me that for her to offer this amount, she'd obviously offered the original seller a LOT less. I would take a stab at anywhere between $50-$100. So in that regard, she was already ripping someone off (the original seller would later contact her (after the cheque had cleared) wanting a number of items (including the Trumpet) back) and I had no hesitation in doing the same to her.
I also explained to her about the repairs required and how much they may cost. That actually helped to justify the $300. The stuck slides could have been an easy job (bit of lubricant and heat), or they could have been a difficult job (complete disassembly of the Trumpet) at which point it all becomes a gamble of how much you want to invest (I've been previously screwed over in a massive way when it comes to instrument repair).
As for the parallels between this scenario and the OP, it was more for the morality discussion. I could also pose the similar question to you Will in regards to your thrift shop finds. I think it would be every collectors dream to walk in and find a near mint original G1 Fortress Maximus with a price tag of $20. No one is going to hesitate to snap that up knowing it's worth 10 times that. Do you grab a bargain knowing all too well a charity could be earning a lot more money? Or do you tell the charity organisation about what they have and how they could get a lot more?
Can pretty much guarantee most will grab him and not say anything. I would, but to help ease my conscience I'd also probably make an anonymous donation.