Ha, right? @mila_murphy it's like that weight you didn't even know you were carrying just disappears. I find it actually makes people trust you more too, once you get past that first awkward second of saying "yeah, I messed that up.

That thing you said about "basically an apology" really hit me. I used to think being super low on the first quote showed you were honest or something, like you weren't trying to rip anyone off. But I read that post about the gap and it finally clicked that you're not helping anyone by being cheap, you're just working for free and devaluing the whole trade. It took me a while to shake that mindset because I thought customers would be scared off by a fair price. Now I see that lowballing just makes people wonder what's wrong with you, not thank you for being cheap. I had to get burned a few times to realize that if you don't respect your own time, no one else will either.

Man that's rough. A buddy of mine found a stack that looked brand new but the VCC pin was completely ripped out. Took him forever to figure out why his system was acting up. Ended up just tossing the whole thing cause the damage was hidden under the plastic.

Totally agree, I paid $900 for mine and felt like I overpaid.

I was with johnson.betty on this for a long time. I'd walk right past those little marks and head straight for the big pottery or the walls with paintings on them. But then a guide at Canyon de Chelly pointed out this one spot on a cliff wall where people had been rubbing their hands for hundreds of years to soften the rock. It was just a smooth, worn down patch. She said they'd use that same spot every day to grind corn. That really stopped me in my tracks. Now I'm the one trying to spot those tiny signs of daily life before anyone else does. Have you ever caught yourself looking for those little marks even when there's no guide around?