Re:Fake books sold on Amazon could be used for money laundering
by emodendroket on Saturday April 28, 2018 @09:37AM
(#16947571)
I don't buy into the libertarian idea that your reputation is a sufficient substitute for proper regulation of commercial activities.
Re:Fake books sold on Amazon could be used for money laundering
by robotrout on Saturday April 28, 2018 @12:00PM
(#16948232)
I'm sure you have used reputation a thousand times in your life to decide whether or not to dine in a restaurant, take a class from a professor, or stay in a hotel.
Re:Fake books sold on Amazon could be used for money laundering
by tacomonstrous on Saturday April 28, 2018 @02:30PM
(#16948890)
In my college experience, many courses that came highly recommended by the student population were garbage. Students don't have the experience to judge the worth of all courses, and the same information and knowledge asymmetry extends to many other fields of human activity.
Re:Fake books sold on Amazon could be used for money laundering
by emodendroket on Saturday April 28, 2018 @06:53PM
(#16949861)
Mostly highly rated classes tend to be blow-off classes, rather than informative and engaging ones.
Re:Fake books sold on Amazon could be used for money laundering
by emodendroket on Saturday April 28, 2018 @06:52PM
(#16949858)
All of those things are subject to substantial regulation, meaning that it's not that much of a risk to eat at a restaurant I've never heard of before. And even with those lower stakes, plenty of highly-rated restaurants I've been to turned out not to be so good.
However, I am not able to trust you as a buyer on Ebay or Amazon. No matter what I do to cover my bases, there is a risk that Amazon and Ebay will reverse the transaction, and I will lose my money, time, and even my item.
Conversely, when you send me cash or a cash equivalent by mail, I am now 100% fulfilled, and any failure to deliver on my end should become public knowledge quite quickly. However, caveat emptor.