Michael Coslo wrote:
Steve Bonine wrote:

I've had two experiences on Ebay. One buying, and one selling. Both were
bad. When buying, the stuff wasn't as advertised, and under selling, the
buyer never showed up. Leaving bad feedback isn't much in compensation.

I'm sorry to hear this. I've had perhaps a half dozen experiences with
eBay, all buying, and not all fo this was ham gear. I've never been
disappointed. I picked up an absolutely gorgeous Vibroplex bug, and the
seller packed it such that it could have been delivered by catapult and
would have arrived intact.

The moral of the story, I think, is that there are both good and bad
experiences to be had any time you buy anything. I've had bad
experiences related to buying new stuff, too. There's a lot you can do
to reduce the probability of getting burned, but it can never be reduced
to zero. The alternative is to never buy anything, and that's no fun
either.

I simply love going to Hamfests. The socializing is fun. Lots of bad
food to eat too! Lots of interesting people to watch.

You mean the guys who have more radios hanging from various parts of
their body than I even own? grin

The one thing that depresses me about attending hamfests is observing
the aging ham population and the lack of diversity. I can't shake the
thought that these events won't be around in another decade because so
many of the attendees will be too old to be there.

My XYL has a rule that I like. "On presently manufactured radios, if
it isn't 50 percent off new, buy new."

I like that. I continue to be amazed at some of the items that sell on
eBay for more money than it would cost to buy them new. Not ham gear so
much, but with beekeeping equipment it is truly amazing. I've checked
some completed sales and compared prices for known items with the price
listed in the current catalog, leaving me just shaking my head.

On older stuff, if you can't see
and touch it, let someone else have it. Nothing like that warranty for me.

The warranty is certainly worth a lot, as is the simple fact that the
gear is coming directly from the factory and you know it hasn't been
abused. But sometimes with the older stuff, seeing doesn't really help
that much since it's unlikely you'll actually be able to apply power and
do a smoke test. I'm never enthusiastic about buying a piece of gear at
a hamfest (for other than parts) after hearing the seller utter those
magic words, "Oh, it works great."

Your point about Eham is excellent, Steve. In fact, I would suggest
anyone who is interested in getting equipment should browse through
their reviews. I've spent more than a few entire evenings at their site.
I would note to the prospective buyers that they read the reviews in
addition to looking at overall ratings. There are some Hams out there
who never met a radio they didn't like! ;^) And a few who are really picky.

Oh, absolutely. The individual reviews are by far the most valuable,
but you do have to read with a grain of salt. You have to judge whether
the specific piece of equipment might have been a lemon, or perhaps the
person who wrote the review was the lemon. And you're right; some
people never met a radio that they didn't like. But nothing beats the
real-world experience.

The Hamfest also has one experience that I really love - even if
some don't - the discussion driving the sale. I just love that give and
take with the person selling the equipment. Unfortunately, some sellers
don't do this, but when I "lock horns" with a seller that knows how to
deal, we both have a great time.

Yep, I understand, having watched my wife enjoy that experience many
times, especially in foreign countries. But it's not one that I enjoy.
Different strokes for different folks.

One of the options I didn't think about until after I submitted the
original article is buying used gear at a commercial ham radio store.
If I did that, I would insist on the right to bring back the specific
piece of equipment for full credit on another purchase within some
period of time, perhaps 90 days. I don't know if the stores do that
these days, but it seems reasonable to me, and would provide an
advantage to buying the gear through the store as opposed to directly
from the owner.

73, Steve KB9X