this post was submitted on 06 Aug 2023
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Asklemmy
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Rome, Italy. rent for a small store is 800/mo where this store is, and an average salary is about 1200/mo. This antique/junk store sells like 2 things a day(with average price being 5โฌ) always takes unfavorable exchanges and generally isn't great business-wise, yet it's been here for 15 years, in a district where most - more reasonable - businesses fail within 2 years.
It doesn't take credits cards, only cash. There's a flight simulator controller from the 80s that didn't sell for a decade.
Maybe I'm just paranoid.
Edit: i still love that store, I'm addicted to collecting old junk (self promotion time: I founded a coin collecting community over at lemmy.ml,its called numismatics) and I go to that store every month or so, it helped me to get rid of some old vynil records from my grandfather in exchange for some cash (obv without receipt) but still, I think it either evades taxes (taking that from granted) or it's something bigger, like a front for a mafia or something else.
It's possible the store owner also owns the store location maybe. Massively reduces throughput necessary. Could also be a fence?
It's possible, there are 2 possibilities.
Either he only operates the store for fun, and barely breaks even. (and may be possible, he seems really interested in what he does)
But even then, he may operate the store for fun and launder money for some mafia
Or it's shady stuff period.
In the end, innocent until guilty.
Edit2: and maybe he's just rich from his family and just does what he likes.
Interesting person to meet, probably risky