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> As a matter of course I just ask if there is a cash discount. Frequently there is. If it beats 2% I almost always take it.

For a meal, that's fine. For a $2000 computer from a shady seller on the streets of Hong Kong, I would gladly pay $40 as an insurance against fraud. Peace of mind is nice and good CC companies (American Express) got your back.

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Yea, I think I may live in a different world. I live on a small island in a smallish town. I routinely do thousands of dollars in business at a time either in cash because I have a relationship with that person or by check with a local bank.

Your reputation is worth more than anything else in a small community. If you start ripping people off its known very very quickly and scammers end up moving away, or just get well known enough that nobody sane does business with them. Eventually bad enough apples get encouraged by the local brutha's to stop being a problem or have their limbs broken.

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