[Boatanchors] Heres one for ya

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

On 1/23/06, Duane Fischer, W8DBF <dfischer at usol.com> wrote:
> Did you tell the seller the truth about the item and then make him a fair
> offer or just remain silent and take advantage of the situation?

This is the old argument heard many times on here that if someone got
a 'deal', someone else got ripped off. It's just not so.

*Rant mode ON*

While I don't encourage anyone to steal or be dishonest with anyone, I
think the money aspect of old radio gear is way overblown. It's a
hobby for the vast majority, not a living. I'm happy to spend my time
with someone who honestly wants to learn, but I don't see it as my job
to educate everyone - especially in today's world of fingertip access
via the 'net. "Priced wrong" is a pretty relative term when it comes
to used items and open to opinion. Someone getting rid on an old radio
they're sick of tripping over or moving around isn't the same as an
old widow trying to supplement her social security check by selling
her dead husband's radio gear.

Like Gary, I sell items now and then but I also give a lot away. Sure,
I could auction it on ebay for max profit, and if I have a particular
need, I do just that. I could also go out and pay top dollar if all I
wanted to do was buy a collection. I don't. It's an interest, a hobby,
something I used to enjoy doing when I had something called spare
time.

I often wonder about the folks who use this argument: did they pay top
dollar for their house, or insist that the seller take more money
because of what comparable property sold for? Do they go specifically
to the stores that sell the same product for more money than, say -
WalMart? Do they insist on paying the car salesman more than the sale
price of a car, because it retails for more?

I've had a lot of gear given to me over the years, most of which I
still have. Maybe because someone wanted to encourage a newbie kid, or
later because they knew the gear would be appreciated, taken care of,
or sent to a new home where it would be enjoyed. I've told people the
'truth' in terms of what they might get for a piece of gear if they
want to do the leg work. Most all want it *gone*, end of story. The
"truth" of what an item is worth comes down to what a seller is
willing to take and what a buyer is willing to pay. We're talking
about material possessions here, not life sustaining items like food
and water in a desperate time.

Just as an aside, Gary had a nice radio at the Hosstraders hamfest
last fall that I liked the looks of. His price was very reasonable,
but he offered it to me for even less. I liked it, but didn't really
need it or want it simply due to lacking the time to enjoy it. Gary
didn't really want to take it back home, he wanted it gone, so he even
offered to give it to me, along with some other items. Yes, FREE, even
though he had money in it. I ended up paying him the reduced price for
the radio only, took it home and played with it a bit, then passed it
on to someone else for what I had paid for it because I had another
project that needed the money.

"Let your conscience be your guide" applies equally with "Never look a
gift horse in the mouth". Accepting something from a person who offers
it to you is not the same as intentionally swindling someone out of
something they have, by misleading them. Paying someones asking price
at a hamfest isn't the same as trying to tell them their $500 radio is
worthless and they should sell it to you for $5, either. Getting a
nice gift or a good deal on something doesn't make anyone a crook.

*Rant mode OFF*

It's funny how something seen as a piece of junk by one person can be
so valuable in the eyes of someone else. In the end, it's still just
'stuff'.

de Todd/'Boomer'  KA1KAQ