[Milsurplus] Saving stuff

[David Stinson]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Todd, KA1KAQ" <ka1kaq at gmail.com>

> Some years back I was sharing a story online through another list about an
> old transmitter I'd picked up in 1988 and had very little money in, but 
> had
> since gone up in value to the collectors. One of the guys asked me if I 
> was
> the kind of guy who "ripped off widows and old people". When I asked him
> what he based that on, he replied "Sorry, but if someone got a good deal,
> that means someone else got screwed". Total BS,....

Sadly, there is a great deal of childish, spiteful envy-based horse manure
like that around.   There's no logic to it, just jealousy and covetousness.

The family has no idea how, where or for what to sell the "MacGuffin."
The buyer has no certainty that his estimate of the market (or price for
himself) will turn out to be "fair and correct (in who's opinion??)."
The buyer risks his capital, time and assets.  The family is relieve of
a burden they might otherwise have resolved with a dumpster.
Both parties agreed on a price, which by definition makes it "correct."
It can't work any other way unless you want to set-up a big
committee of OOFs (Official Old Farts) to dictate a "fair" price for
everything.  They will be bought and corrupted in short order
because Mankind can corrupt a sunny day.

A wise buyer knows there is a broad territory of pricing
on commonly-seen items and if he pushes things too far "his way"
on too many occasions, word will "get around" and he'll be frozen-out.
There are more rare items for which there are no reliable
historic pricings.  In such a case, only the buyer's and
seller's honest attempts and "dickering" can find a price.

Assuming a buyer is making an effort to "do right," the price
he and seller agree upon is no one else's damn business
and any "cracks" about it are just childish sand-kicking.

73 D.S.