[Hallicrafters] Appeal for help with selling rules

[Glen Zook]

It is definitely appropriate for the seller to take
the first cash offer made, especially when he/she has
a set price.  Possibly, if you had made a definite
offer with the provision that certain conditions be
met (i.e. "I'll definitely buy the receiver for $50 if
it is in at least 'such and such' condition"), and if
the seller had answered you giving you "X" amount of
time to make up your mind, then it is appropriate for
him/her to wait to hear from you provided that you do
reply in the time frame allotted.  

It is not the responsibility of the seller to
determine the shipping costs to you before you make up
your mind.  All you have to do to estimate these is to
look up his call on QRZ.com or other Internet callbook
to get his zip code and then go to UPS.com, Fedex.com,
or USPS.com to get an estimate of the shipping
charges.  

You can estimate the weight of the receiver if you
don't have the exact weight to get some idea as to
what the shipping charges will be (I always add at
least 5 pounds for packing materials and the box, 10
pounds if the item is over about 30 pounds).  On the
older equipment, most people who know what they are
buying have a pretty good idea as to what the weight
is.  If they don't, then they can either look it up in
various magazines, ARRL Handbooks, etc., or, if they
are seriously considering purchasing the item, by
asking the seller about how much it weighs while
making a tentative offer to buy ("I'll buy it if the
shipping charges are not more than $25.  Please let me
know how much it weighs so that I can estimate the
shipping cost.  Will let you know by 1:00 PM today if
I am going to buy it.")

However, that is completely up to the seller.  If they
want to take the first firm offer, that is certainly
up to them.  At least he took the time to tell you
what happened.  He definitely is not required to tell
you anything!

Unfortunately, there are all sorts of people who ask
questions and then never reply yea or nay to the deal.

I recently actually gave away something placing an
advertisement in a local publication.  After none of
the first five people who said that they were on their
way to get the item never showed up (this was over a 3
day period) and I had to tell people that the item was
spoken for, I started telling people that the first
one here got it, no matter who called first.  Someone
finally came.  Then, for the next four weeks I got
several calls a day asking about the item even though
the advertisement appeared only a single time.

The "breaks of the game" is that when an item is
"cheap" (and the price for the Howard receiver was
cheap no matter what the condition - I almost
contacted the person myself when I saw the post), you
take your chances.  If you don't like the item when
you get it, you trade it off or sell it to someone
else.  You cannot expect someone to hold an item while
you make up your mind while numerous other persons are
willing to purchase it immediately.

Glen, K9STH


--- GARDGORE at aol.com wrote:

The seller told me I was first to respond about the
Howard but later I told it was spoken for after I
tried to buy it. I learned about this after I sent my
address along with a few questions about the set.

He told me the next day "the Howard receiver has been
spoken for." His explanation two days later was "I
sold it to the first person who made an expressed commitment."

=====
Glen, K9STH

Web sites

http://home.attbi.com/~k9sth
http://home.attbi.com/~zcomco

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