[Milsurplus] "Clean, Unhacked ARBs"

[David Stinson]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Hue Miller" <kargo_cult at msn.com>

> Not that this includes you, but when I see an ad requesting a "mint"
> condition item, it turns me off, and I reckon, no way am I going to
> do business with that person.

I certainly don't want to offend Jay or anyone else, but I can relate to 
this.
One can certianly ask for and buy anything for which he is willing to pay.
I usually steer clear of requests for anything "mint," because,
in my sad experiance, whatever you have
is never "mint" enough for the person requesting it.

"Mint" is too subjective a term;
I learned early, and to my grief, not to use it.
I've had people border on what I'd consider a mental problem,
nit-picking and whining over a miro-flea-speck here
or a 1 millimeter paint chip there in something 70 years old.
I don't know if they just enjoy inflicting guilt trips,
want to claim moral superiority, or if this is their way of working out
their buyer's remorse or what, but it's a pain in the butt.

NOTE: I've never had any such problem with Jay.
He's always been a gentleman in all our dealings.

So I try to stick to terms that are better understood.
They can also be somewhat subjective, but not like "mint."
Something is either "nice," meaning it's presentable for
the average collector, or it's not.
It's either "clean" or dirty/dusty.
It's either "rough" or not.
It's either "complete, unmodified" or it's not.
My rules about such things are simple:

1.  Tell the truth as you understand it,
     both in listing and in answering questions.
2.  Describe using terms generally understood and accepted;
     keep subjectivity to a minimum.
3.  Less is better than more.
     Say nothing more than is required to fulfill #1 and #2,
     not to hide things, but to prevent misunderstandings.
     When you say things that are unnecessary, someone
      will use them to beat you over the head.

Regards,
Dave S.