awwhellnah:
I place $20 in a box.
So do you.
Now the box contains $40, and we both know it.
I sell the box to you for $30.
And we both walk away with a $10 profit.
WRONG. It’s a scam. Let’s explain this in simple terms;
Person A puts $20 in the box, person B puts $20 in the box, then person A sells the box to person B for $30.
Let’s break it down
Person A has spent $20. He sells the box to B for $30. He has made $10.
Person B has spent $20. He buys the box from A for $30, meaning he has now spent $50. He has a box containing $40. Overall, he spent $50, and got $40 back. He has $10 less than he started with.
Perhaps having to deal with logic problems like this all day long helps. Situations like this sew the seeds for classic scams. Person A would usually offer to sell the box to Person B.