Selling A Laptop To A Lying Man, But His Dishonesty Didn't Matter

I recently had an interesting experience selling a laptop. It was a situation that challenged my expectations, revealed insights about trust, and even connected to some deep philosophical ideas. Here's what happened.


Some time ago, I made a video about a laptop reseller who gave me a reality check by being different from how I had imagined. When I met him in person to sell my laptop—after agreeing on a price online—he refused to honor the deal, showing a different side than expected. That experience made me wary of dealing with resellers.

Fast forward to recently, I was contacted by someone who wanted to buy the same laptop. This person had also been frustrated by resellers, describing them as unfriendly and uncommunicative. Many of them, understandably, give short responses because they deal with a lot of inquiries from people who are just curious rather than serious buyers. Unlike them, I had the time to explain everything properly, and the buyer appreciated that.

The Buyer: A Trusting but Dishonest Man

When we arranged to meet, I noticed something peculiar about the buyer. While he completely trusted me—barely checking the laptop before handing over the money—he was also dishonest in our conversation. Within the first three minutes, he told multiple lies. For instance, he claimed I gave him the wrong GPS location, but I knew he was familiar with the area due to his family ties there. It was a strange contrast: someone who lies often but still trusts others easily.

I was reminded of an idea from As a Man Thinketh: people often judge a rich man, saying he is wealthy because he is dishonest. But that’s an oversimplified view. We tend to judge someone based solely on one virtue they lack, rather than considering their other qualities. This buyer was dishonest, but he also had a positive outlook and a high level of trust in people.

Trust vs. Skepticism

As he handed me the money, I instinctively checked every bill. I was cautious, counting in batches of $100 and verifying the authenticity of the money. Meanwhile, he showed complete trust in me, making me question my own level of skepticism.

Curious, I asked him, "Do you always trust people like this?" He admitted that he did and that he had been scammed before. Yet, despite those experiences, he continued to trust people. This contrasted with my approach—while I wasn’t accusing him of dishonesty in this transaction, I was much more careful, verifying every aspect before proceeding.

This connected back to the idea of sampling and probability. Just as I didn't need to check every bill to ensure the money was real, he likely used a similar method in assessing me. He may have asked me key questions, already knowing the answers, to test my honesty. If my responses matched his expectations, he didn't need to verify everything else.

Lessons Learned

  1. Trust and honesty are not the same thing. This buyer was dishonest in conversation, yet he trusted me completely. Meanwhile, I was honest but skeptical.

  2. People develop behaviors based on experience. Resellers are often curt because they deal with too many inquiries from unserious buyers. This doesn’t necessarily make them bad sellers.

  3. Sampling is a useful tool in trust-building. Just as I checked a portion of the money to assess its authenticity, the buyer likely gauged my trustworthiness based on selective questions.

  4. Caution is necessary, but so is balance. While being careful in transactions is wise, excessive skepticism can sometimes be unnecessary.

Final Thoughts

Ironically, my refusal to deal with resellers—after my negative experience—led this buyer to choose me over them for the same reason. And in the end, despite his dishonesty, his trust in me made the transaction smooth.

If you ever engage in high-value transactions, a good rule of thumb is to count money in batches of $100 and periodically check for counterfeit bills. It’s a simple habit that ensures security without causing unnecessary delays.

Thanks for reading!

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