They're called "gray market salesmen" in business/econ terms. Related to Unknowingly Possessing Stolen Goods, where a character gets in possession of items that are stolen, which can be sold from one of these dealers.Ĭompletely straight examples tend not to last long in Real Life, but we've probably all met one at least once. Only tangentially related to Richard Nixon, the Used Car Salesman, as that doesn't actually require characters to have this job, just a different one than in real life. See also Snake Oil Salesman, Shady Real Estate Agent, New Job as the Plot Demands, Crooked Contractor, Medicine Show, The Barnum, and Traveling Salesman. In a military setting, this trope is almost guaranteed to overlap with The Scrounger. May also overlap with a Shady Scalper, who generally will gain the items they sell legally, but in doing so inflate the prices to profit. You know, if he has to tell everyone he's honest.Ĭompare and Contrast Friend in the Black Market, who also sells items at a premium but at least guarantees he's giving you the good stuff. If he's primarily out to scam women out of their money rather than everyone, then he's a Sexist Used Car Salesman.ĭespite trying to appear as having Names to Trust Immediately, chances are fairly good that the "Honest" part makes it an Ironic Name in the same spirit as the People's Republic of Tyranny. Items for sale at Honest John's may include All-Natural Snake Oil, Asbestos-Free Cereal, the Brooklyn Bridge, and of course The Alleged Car. If this character is rendered as a Funny Animal, chances are quite high that he'll be a weasel or a fox. More likely he's just a Slimeball, but however you slice it, you're probably not coming out ahead on this deal.Įxpect him to wear an obnoxious outfit ( plaid polyester suit jackets seem to be popular), record Insane Proprietor advertisements and Kitschy Local Commercials, and say " But Wait, There's More!" every other sentence. If the "Honest John" character is genuine, pure evil, then you've got a Deal with the Devil on your hands. After all, selling malfunctioning blow-up dolls is a far more forgivable occupation than selling The Alleged Car that hates you with a passion or fake pharmaceuticals to orphanages.
Like its cousin trope, the Friend in the Black Market, Honest John can fit anywhere on the neutral or chaotic side of the Character Alignment spectrum: a good comparison would be the Loveable Rogue Jerk with a Heart of Gold 'Del Boy' Trotter or Mr. All in all, their main goal is quick money. Sometimes, there's there's a catch hidden on page 26 of the agreement. (The former usually catches more people out than the latter.) Sometimes there's big hidden fees and charges. The prices are usually dodgy too, either Too Good To Be True or obnoxiously overpriced. They sell anything that is just barely legal. The "gently used car" was probably an Uber or police car. The items may be off warranty, withdrawn by the manufacturer in your country, returned items that broke and got refurbished, salvaged from a wreck, or out-of-date models. These are the guys who'll attempt to sell you anything, mostly items that Fell Off the Back of a Truck. While this trope focuses on used cars, it covers anything sketchy that a pushy salesperson tries to sell you. If you're unlucky, you'll have to visit Honest John's Dealership. (It could be banned, rationed, expensive, from overseas or possibly just made in extremely limited quantities). You're in a sticky situation you need to get something and there doesn't seem to be a cheap or legal way of getting it.
0 kommentar(er)
