[Elecraft] Sad News - the danger might be closer to home

[Chris Wagner]

Hi,
ham spirit is alive and well in a not so good world. Take Elecraft builders
and others here who always help
others. Some elaborate scheme to get a module worth $ 79.90? Mmh. But let me
tell you how I was suckered
out of the whole shack and had a K2 stolen by the same guy.

The individual came by and took a K2 which was kept in a closet. Fool I am,
I had shown it to him in the past.
Then he agreed to buy the whole shack, an old TS-520, lots of QRP kits built
and unbuild, including some rare white Mountain SSB and a brand new Yaesu
etc. etc. I was selling a house and had to get rid of it all. And rather
than selling it to 10 different people, I was okay with him making a killing
(he said he would sell the gear in his native Romania). He also liked the
furniture so I drove a truck to his QTH full of massive wood "Schiller"
design furniture plus the radios.

No contract, no witnesses => no payment. And the guy keeps doing that: Ernst
DH1HE lost an oldie Kenwood transceiver. And there are more victims out
there. But Uwe Eremie changed his callsign. Has a missing finger, countless
crater like scars in his face and lives in 73525 Schwaebisch Gmuend. With
the economy as it is, I fear others might make similar unpleasant
experiences.

Low value items like a used Bencher key needs to be paid by MO or a
cashier's check etc. Many absolutely refuse to sell to overseas buyers. But
there might be danger closer to home. So when you sell expensive gear, treat
it as a business transaction and do your due dilligence. Make a contract,
photocopy ID, collect the payment in full even if it is someone in town you
have known for years.

73 de Chris