Ripped off is a perception of a transaction and there will always be at least three perceptions - the seller's, the buyer's and anyone else who is aware of the specifics of the transaction. Here is a case that would suggest to people, even me, that I ripped a lady off.

When offered a 1971 Masi for free, I did not tell the offering lady that the bicycle was valuable. In fact, I said nothing at the time because she had left the bicycle outside for me to pick up. However, a day or so later I was convinced that the bicycle was a Masi and worth quite a bit of money.

What should I have done? Return the bicycle and offer to pay a thousand dollars or more? Keep the bike and brag to my friends about what a great deal I got(yup, that's pretty close to the reality mark). My guess is that the lady, of which we speak in this thread, sees the dilemma from the other side.

Or, how about this scenario? I listed an entry level Torpado for $9.99 USD hoping to get between $100 and $150 for the bike. It sold for a whopping $1225.00 USD. The bike was not worth nearly that much to me but it certainly was to the person who bought it. Should I have told the person that he paid way too much for the bicycle and then offer him a refund? Well, I did not do that but I did offer him another Torpada for a reasonable price. He jumped at the second opportunity and I felt a little better about the whole thing. But the fellow still paid way too much for the first Torpado.

It would not surprise me that the Torpado buyer might one day feel that he had been ripped off even though he competed with other buyers for the bicycle. I will always feel a bit uncomfortable about this and similar situations.

Now for those of us who wish to wait until it is convenient for us to go and pick up a bicycle - forget it! Strike when the iron is hot or be prepared to be disappointed.

All that said, the first response to this thread was vehement, to say the least. I hope this toned down version does not offend.