Why you call it "stupidity"? Probably he's bragging about how some #$%* bought a heap of crap for 150 bucks...
Probably you would have paid much more for it, but surely it was almost worthless for him. I can't understand why people complain when prices skyrocket, and brag when they screw somebody -not talking about you-. The seller sets the price as long as there is somebody willing to part with the money. I bought some years ago a bicycle for 6 euros. It was the same I had on my childhood; I would have paid ten times that, but the seller told me he was about to throw it away but decided to sell if for a symbolic price. He was happy and I was happy, end of the story.
Don't want to start a discussion but, who of you would advise a potential seller in such a way as "hey, tell you what, instead of 150 bucks I'm going to pay you 200 bucks because the bike is worth it"?
In Spain is still common that people picks up things besides trash bins. It used to amaze me but not anymore. Something besides a thrash bin means that, for the previous owner, the item was worth nothing. But it doesn't have to mean that for somebody else the item is trash. If he would be willing to pay for it but can get it free, what's wrong with it? What if people, apart from regular trash, could take things they no longer want to a given place, where everything would be free for the taking? I bet you it would be an empty place.
I recently gave away about 50 l.p's. Had sold some on eBay but the profit was not worth the time. Probably my friend will put them for sale and maybe some of them will sell for 100 or 200 bucks, who knows. My friend will wonder if I was stupid for not knowing what I had. But for me they were nothing more than a bunch of L.P.'s I already have on CD or no longer listen to.
Raul
Raul