If you have paypal make 13 bucks free

[jhartt3]

http://slickdeals.net/f/6810500-paypal-here-credit-card-reader-free-after-rebate-free-shipping-potential-12-mm

plus you can sell them for 5 bucks on CL usually for an extra 15 ... 28 bucks for doing practically nothing

[Daley]

How is this even remotely mustachian?

Are you seriously suggesting that people here should spend money on a PayPal credit card reader that nearly nobody here even needs just to try and make four bucks on a rebate that you may or may not be able to get due to poor print quality on the insert that you have to use to claim it, and then turn around and continue to flood the aftermarket with these worthless little crap electronics trying to sell 'em on Craigslist for $5? What happens when several people do this all at once and drive the price lower due to used market saturation for a near worthless device? Where do the ethics of the added generation of pollutants factor into this brilliant idea from the continued overinflated manufacturing demand for electronics very few people actually need?

This is not a badass side hustle, it's churning useless crap as a middle-man.

[jhartt3]

its free money... took you longer to write up that statement slamming free dollars than to just buy 3 of them and get the rebates and toss them in the trash.

[matchewed]

its free money... took you longer to write up that statement slamming free dollars than to just buy 3 of them and get the rebates and toss them in the trash.

I think you may be missing Daley's point. It's not free money you're getting 13 bucks to move around plastic crap. And that plastic crap took money and resources to make. It's "free money" to exacerbate the problem of consumerism.

[jhartt3]

not my job to help other people run their business profitably.  if they want to sell me something and hand me cash simultaneously i'll take it.  This isnt much different than credit card churn.  its practically the same thing. 

[matchewed]

not my job to help other people run their business profitably.  if they want to sell me something and hand me cash simultaneously i'll take it.  This isnt much different than credit card churn.  its practically the same thing.

Again missing the point. I didn't say you're making the company who makes the card readers less profitable. I said you're making the world more filled with plastic crap. :)

I see this doesn't bother you in the slightest. But I do strongly question the "Badassity" of it.

[jhartt3]

yes buying and reselling things for profit and finding gaps in systems to make more money does not bother me. 

Gaps in the tax code allow people on this site to retire earlier and pay no taxes if they do it correctly.  Taking advantage of certain systems and not other apparently affects some people on this sites morality.  if its legal and it makes me money or saves me money with little impact to my overall health well being and standard of living.  i dont see an issue with it.  i now understand many of you cherry pick what is moral and immoral in different circumstances.  thats fine.

but bottom line i made 13 bucks in 3minutes time and was sharing it with others so they could do the same. 

[matchewed]

yes buying and reselling things for profit and finding gaps in systems to make more money does not bother me. 

Gaps in the tax code allow people on this site to retire earlier and pay no taxes if they do it correctly.  Taking advantage of certain systems and not other apparently affects some people on this sites morality.  if its legal and it makes me money or saves me money with little impact to my overall health well being and standard of living.  i dont see an issue with it.  i now understand many of you cherry pick what is moral and immoral in different circumstances.  thats fine.

but bottom line i made 13 bucks in 3minutes time and was sharing it with others so they could do the same.

You still seem to miss the point. And I just will have to chalk it up to talking past each other, but I'll make another attempt to get you to at least understand what I'm saying. I have no problems with people taking advantage of systems within legal constraints. There is nothing inherently wrong with that. I never said that was the problem. I'm saying you're looking to make 13 bucks via adding plastic crap to the general world. It's making 13 bucks to throw some shit onto a landfill. That isn't me cherry picking when it's right or wrong to work a system, that's me saying you shouldn't pay yourself for being wasteful. That the mere action of receiving something to essentially throw it out, or sell it to someone who will throw it out, for the sake of profit is the antithesis of badassity and frugality. It is just a nice example of rampant consumerism gone stupid.

[jhartt3]

i mean if you're honestly telling if this post said make 1MM dollars in 3 minutes time but you have to buy 1MM/4 = 250k give or take card readers you would stub your nose at it b/c of plastic waste, more power too you.  but thats just a large scale.  that would allow me to retire today... would i do it... in a heart beat.

[matchewed]

i mean if you're honestly telling if this post said make 1MM dollars in 3 minutes time but you have to buy 1MM/4 = 250k give or take card readers you would stub your nose at it b/c of plastic waste, more power too you.  but thats just a large scale.  that would allow me to retire today... would i do it... in a heart beat.

I think you do understand my point this time.

Your hyperbolic example does indeed show your view on the large scale, but we no longer need that information. We've already determined your price tag. $13

Now if you're asking me would I spend $250k to make $1mil but would have to take $250k worth of garbage for it? No I wouldn't take that deal.

Having the money to be FIRE isn't the only aspect of all this. It isn't the end which justifies the means. There are several components to it. It's "Financial Freedom Through Badassity", the "hidden agenda" of the blog, making yourself into a resourceful person not a wasteful one, and for the sake of repetition being a badass. It may seem judgmental to you but badass this is not. Self sufficiency as far as it goes in this day and age doesn't include generating waste for the sake of 13 bucks.

But hey if you value $13 bucks that highly and it is that important to you, well congratulations, you've earned it.

[Daley]

i mean if you're honestly telling if this post said make 1MM dollars in 3 minutes time but you have to buy 1MM/4 = 250k give or take card readers you would stub your nose at it b/c of plastic waste, more power too you.  but thats just a large scale.  that would allow me to retire today... would i do it... in a heart beat.

And this embodies the underlying problem of your entire ethical framework, and why you caught so much flack for your ticket scalping thread. You would rather burn the world just to make a tiny profit.

"What's it matter? It's just a small scale!" Small actions add up quickly, and you're advocating fueling the very wanton unbridled consumerism that is destroying our economy and our environment just so you can line your pockets with a few extra bucks. You aren't creating value, you aren't improving the world, you're exploiting the system for your own personal gain, damn the consequences. Nothing matters but your own bottom line.

That is an incredibly selfish and lazy attitude, and the very antithesis of badassity.

[jhartt3]

i will no longer be sharing my tips or tricks for making money in this forum.  good bye.   

[Daley]

Jhartt, instead of going off to sulk in the corner, you should actually try to learn a few things from this exchange like a grown man. Perhaps you should start with better understanding the values of the community you're trying to take part in, or a bit of introspection on why your choices in how you earn money and your behavior towards others might earn such ire from those around you.

It's not that we dislike having you around... but you're a grownup. Logically, you should know better than to expect a community focused more on the ethical parts of FIRE and so firmly anti-consumerist and minimalistically entrenched to pat you on the back for making what's effectively chump change off of being a consumerist whore-bastard to the environment.

If all you're looking for is validation for your money-making schemes, you should look elsewhere. If you actually want to improve yourself and those around you while seeking financial freedom, I suggest you open your eyes and mind, and start listening to what others here have to say to you.

[zinethstache]

I got Paypal here when it first started, unfortunately that little plastic gizmo ONLY works for me on my iPod touch, so, instead I use the take a picture of the credit card feature to capture the CC info, no need for Paypal here plastic thingy for me.

Im just sayin...

Doesn't seem worth the effort to me....

Perhaps I should sell my blue plastic gizmo for a profit then?

On a side note about this payment method in general, it rocks, I feel empowered to peddle my wares at any time, any place my phone works! I used to use the Intuit solution and before that I had a spendy merchant account with a cc reader unit that I paid $75 (off ebay). This solution is the slickest and costs the least amount.

[Guizmo]

Most people on here have jobs that make crap that people don't need. What is so wrong with what this guy is doing? At least this guy doesn't pretend like he is the most moral person in the universe. Respect.

[Daley]

At least this guy doesn't pretend like he is the most moral person in the universe.

morals =/= ethics

[Fireman]

Most people on here have jobs that make crap that people don't need.

Source? 

I found one thread about what job people have/had here and I remember there being a poll about members' career paths but I can't find it. 

I didn't see a lot of mustachians in that thread who make crap that people don't need.

[Guizmo]

I read that thread too. Doesn't change my mind. Most of those professions are not really needed. I mean game developer?!? Software engineer?!?! At least half of them support endless consumption. Heck, no disrespect, but many doctors now-a-days prefer to give people meds than to tell them to lose weight and eat better!

The problem is not with jhartt. It is with everyone that buys from him!!!

[zataks]

There are very few jobs that are truly essential now.  I used to have one.  Then I intentionally moved to the position I am now in that isn't necessarily essential but is helping reduce natural resource consumption.  I'm good with that. 

Interesting to me that game developer is something mentioned.  Isn't that kind of the idea at this point?  That, in the developed nations at least, life is so easy and everything taken care of that you can spend your time playing games.  Maybe that game is an MMO video game or maybe that game is surfing.  Either way, time, money, and resources went into developing it.  I'm not necessarily advocating this (although I do love both MMOs and surfing)--we should be doing things to reduce consumption and help others in need, near or distant. 

[Daley]

The problem is not with jhartt. It is with everyone that buys from him!!!

So the pushers and enablers should never have any moral or ethical obligation to their own actions within the system, eh?

"Your honor, I shouldn't be here on trial for selling crack, I was only fulfilling a demanded service in my community! Society's real problem is with all the crackheads who bought from me. It's them you should be arresting!"

That's the rub with free will, there are no scapegoats. Either you choose to be part of the problem, or you choose to be a part of the solution. Deliberately exploiting the problem for your own profiteering is not being a part of the solution.

[Herbert Derp]

So the pushers and enablers should never have any moral or ethical obligation to their own actions within the system, eh?

"Your honor, I shouldn't be here on trial for selling crack, I was only fulfilling a demanded service in my community! Society's real problem is with all the crackheads who bought from me. It's them you should be arresting!"

That's the rub with free will, there are no scapegoats. Either you choose to be part of the problem, or you choose to be a part of the solution. Deliberately exploiting the problem for your own profiteering is not being a part of the solution.

I work for a gigantic corporation whose sole purpose is to sell people things that they (probably) don't need. Every dollar they pay me brings in many more dollars of revenue to fuel a machine that is purposely driving the consumerism in our society. I estimate that through my actions, I have already brought in over a million dollars of revenue to this system. By the time I retire, it will be tens of millions of dollars. So does this mean I am doing the same thing as jhartt3, but on a grander scale? Does this make me a bad person?

[Daley]

So does that mean I am doing the same thing as jhartt3, but on a grander scale? Does this make me a bad person?

That's between you, your conscience and your maker.

There is a difference between laboring in ignorance towards evil and continuing to do evil after you know better. You should take a good long look at the value system you have in place and compare where it fits with the goals you intend with your life and the actions you practice today. At the end of the day, we are what we've practiced day in and day out. There is no, "I'll do it later once I get there." That day never comes because you've never practiced those values. If there's conflict between your values and your actions, you should try to resolve it without selling your soul in the process.

[Herbert Derp]

That's between you, your conscience and your maker.

There is a difference between laboring in ignorance towards evil and continuing to do evil after you know better. You should take a good long look at the value system you have in place and compare where it fits with the goals you intend with your life and the actions you practice today. At the end of the day, we are what we've practiced day in and day out. There is no, "I'll do it later once I get there." That day never comes because you've never practiced those values. If there's conflict between your values and your actions, you should try to resolve it without selling your soul in the process.

Personally, I don't have a problem with it. Our customers choose to participate in the culture of consumerism. Although we do our best to encourage them to do so, they, like me, could choose not to participate. I can't help but chuckle when I recognize that the same consumerist culture I despise is funding my early retirement.