I selected the brand & model of vac' cleaner I wanted, looked up the best price on ebay & other sites, then went to Hardly Normal with a wad of notes. I won't go into all the detail...just the final outcome.

My selection was on the floor for $789.oo. After about half an hour of having the salesman run to see his "boss" every few minutes with my latest information & request...I walked out with the v/c under my arm for $595.oo. This was $50.oo better than the best price on the 'net.

You have to pity the poor people who walk in & take the "generous" salesperson's offer of a $40.oo discount from the floor price for cash. You MUST do your homework before you buy anything of value.

Another case was a new watch I selected some years ago. Once again I checked ebay & other sites, then went to a well known jewelers who had it in their window at $260.oo. When I offered cash, the salesperson immediately took 60 bucks off, this still made it dearer than the best price on the 'net, so I persisted, & eventually walked out with the watch for $125.oo. I've been told by a friend who worked for many years in the jeweler's trade that those stores have anything up to a 400% mark-up, so that's a lot of "room to move".

Most ebay sellers now use a "Buy it Now" sales pitch, which became common when the "reserve price" option was removed from auctions some years ago. Probably the most stupid thing ebay ever did, as "reserve" is the whole basis of an "auction".

The buyer will, (or should), always determine the true value of any item...not the seller. An auction with a reserve that covers seller's costs only + delivery proves this system by determining the true value of anything.