[Hallicrafters] A*ction Scene

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

On 7/7/05, Dan Arney <hankarn at pacbell.net> wrote:
> Alan, Very good.
> We all know money talks and we all know what walks.
> Put up or shut up.

Absolutely, Hank. But I gotta say Alan, I think that's the longest
continuous sentence I've ever read. (o:

Surprising to see this thread rearing its ugly head again so soon,
didn't we flog the hell out of it just a month or so back?

Grant, I agree with what you're saying and believe that the issue
comes up when one person's view of what should be paid conflicts with
anothers(seems obvious, eh?). We all know of at least a few unsavory
types who will stop at nothing to make a buck or get some piece of
gear they want. While I don't know of anyone who goes out seeking to
pay as much as they can for something, I do know many who will pay
what others would consider "a lot" for a radio they want. I do it
myself, when I want something badly enough and can afford it. I used
to get a lot of great deals and freebies years ago when folks just
wanted to rid themselves of heavy gear, but came to realize some years
later that the supply was dwindling while demand was rising and I no
longer had the "crazy fool who likes old radios" market cornered. My
thinking changed from 'I can probably find one cheaper' to 'that's
really not a bad deal in today's world, considering what I'm getting
for my money'. Of course, my money is always the limiting factor.

My biggest rub is with the extremes. One side says ebay represents
*the* market value or that people need to pay at least $XXXX for
something or they are ripping someone off. The other side being the
crooks who take advantage of widows or those not in radio or able to
find out a value for themselves. And the ones who constantly P&M about
so and so charging way too much for something, this radio isn't worth
that amount and so on. If it really is too expensive, no one will buy
it. Simple. But I don't think it's up to anyone to decide what
something should sell for other than the buyer and seller, the
exception being intentional, dishonest behavior..

We need to keep in mind that people generally want to sell, not keep
things that they have for sale. To this end they will put a price on
it that they believe to be fair, for whatever reason. While I wouldn't
intentionally try to mislead anyone to get a better deal, I also don't
think it's my job to wet-nurse every ham at a hamfest as to what he
should be selling his gear for or what he could get it. If it's that
important and with all the means available today, they can know what
they want to get for an item. Having given examples before, there's no
need to belabor the point.

It's about self-responsibility all around. We'll never be able to stop
all of the crooked bottom feeders who will deliberately lie to anyone
to get themselves a better deal (just check ebay for everyone's pal
'mart'). That doesn't mean we should add a layer of 'upper priced
police' either.

Generally-speaking, if you want something and don't mind paying the
asking price - buy it. If you don't want to pay that much, don't
complain when someone else does. Conversely, if someone gets something
you would've gladly paid more for, don't try to make them into a
criminal for it. There's a big difference between intentionally
ripping someone off and purchasing something for a good price.

~ Todd,  KA1KAQ