EBAY and Emotions

[WA6MHZ]

Before Ebay, my life was simple. I would go to work, come home and work some DX, watch TV and then repeat the same thing the next day. SInce the advent of Ebay, my life has forever changed, where it has engrossed my every moment, and controlled my life to the point of getting a Internet Cellphone so as I am never out of contact with the NET! Ebay is worse than any drug, or gambling addiction. Ebay destroys lives by draining all the money a person makes. It is just so easy to type a couple of numbers and click on enter, and suddenly your bank account goes to hell! I looked over my past bank statements, and most of the entries are from Paypal. $20 here, $30 there, day after day week after week adds up to Hundreds and thousands. It matters not what we buy, just that we DO buy. It may just be a simple manual or trinket for a rig. But we pay too much for it. That manual that really is worth only $2 winds up going for $30 or more!!! I recently saw a National NC400 manual go to the very rich RADIOKIDS for over $119!!! Can you imagine that? All with the click of a mouse. But the thing I hate seeing im me developed is the emotion of HATRED. That is a feeling I am just not used to. In past years, I was so happy to HELP other hams, share and do want I could do to make friends and enjoy common interests. Now, with Ebay, I am PITTED against other Hams, who probably are just as good of people. Ebay is run much the way they conduct DOG or #### fights. Thoughout the course of an auction, I claw, stab and wrestle with these other hams for the prize. Is it rare? No, but I want it. So do they. We bid and bid and the only true winner is the SELLER! We try to outdo the other, showing we are willing to pay completely unreasonable and outrageous sums for something that most people would GIVE away to a fellow ham. This has driven up the prices of rigs and accessories to incredible levels. As pointed out in other threads, it has DECIMATED great events like Hamfests and conventions!!! It has made Millionaires out of complete SCOUNDRELS and SCHISTERS!! It causes good hams to Butcher perfectly good rigs just to harvest valuable components out of them. But it is the element of HATE that is the worst. I, right now, HATE several unknown people out there for what they have done to me. It is like they have come and STOLEN my Firstborn son from me!!! The worst offender is this Rat Bastard named SAVAGE. He is some ham, a Radio manual Reprinter who continously follows me around and snipes manuals I need badly away from me, no matter what the price it takes. If he pays $100 or $200, it is not a problem, because he is a Business and he just writes it off as an expense of doing business. Then there are the UltraRich Collectors who think nothing of dropping several THOUSAND for anything they fancy. One guy I know spent $700 for a single dinner, so what is a few Hundred for a radio? The emotions really come into play when bidding. Numbers completely insane will be punched in, not to GET the item, but to DENY the bastard on the other end from getting it!!! Once the item comes in, it is tossed in the pile and never looked at again. WHY was it bought? Not to have, but to keep the OTHER person from having!!! This happens day and night on Ebay, and the Sellers just love it!! EBAY just loves it!!! EVERYONE loves it but the impoverished buyers, who slowly go broke. Yes, it is worse than gambling. I used to chide co-workers who go to the Casinos and completely squander their paycheck on silly bets. But how is Ebay any different? Atleast when you WIN, you have something to show for it, which may or may not be worth as much if it is ever sold. That all depends on if there are rich buyers around when it goes on the block. That same manual which I might have paid $50 for goes for 99cents because only one person bid. Quite a loss there. But it is a cycle I cannot break, Every time I come to a computer, I have to check my bids. Right now, there is a Heathkit something I have a bid on, coming due in a few hours. The item, at a hamfest, would probably go for $10 if I weasled the seller down. Tonight, it will probably go for $100 or more by the time the richest of the rich bastards out there hack it out in the final 3 seconds. I will be blown away, as usual, because I cannot compete with the Ultrarich. BUt if I was Ultrarich, I think the same thing would happen. I would be bidding $1000 to get it instead of $50. But then, another RICH SOB would bid $1500 and the seller would be dancing around the room and doing Cartwheels across the carpet. EBAY IS EVIL!!!! Thats it. JUST PLAIN EVIL!!!
I almost wish I had taken up DRUGS! My life would be so much smipler and I wouldn't be BROKE!

[W4BD]

Well I wonder if there is such a thing as EBAY ANON. I guess I have the WILL POWER to stay off Flea-Bay or set a top price and go no higher. I always figure the S&H as part of the top $ I will bid.

[K8MHZ]

Before Ebay, my life was simple. I would go to work, come home and work some DX, watch TV and then repeat the same thing the next day. SInce the advent of Ebay, my life has forever changed, where it has engrossed my every moment, and controlled my life to the point of getting a Internet Cellphone so as I am never out of contact with the NET! Ebay is worse than any drug, or gambling addiction. Ebay destroys lives by draining all the money a person makes. It is just so easy to type a couple of numbers and click on enter, and suddenly your bank account goes to hell! I looked over my past bank statements, and most of the entries are from Paypal. $20 here, $30 there, day after day week after week adds up to Hundreds and thousands. It matters not what we buy, just that we DO buy. It may just be a simple manual or trinket for a rig. But we pay too much for it. That manual that really is worth only $2 winds up going for $30 or more!!! I recently saw a National NC400 manual go to the very rich RADIOKIDS for over $119!!! Can you imagine that? All with the click of a mouse. But the thing I hate seeing im me developed is the emotion of HATRED. That is a feeling I am just not used to. In past years, I was so happy to HELP other hams, share and do want I could do to make friends and enjoy common interests. Now, with Ebay, I am PITTED against other Hams, who probably are just as good of people. Ebay is run much the way they conduct DOG or #### fights. Thoughout the course of an auction, I claw, stab and wrestle with these other hams for the prize. Is it rare? No, but I want it. So do they. We bid and bid and the only true winner is the SELLER! We try to outdo the other, showing we are willing to pay completely unreasonable and outrageous sums for something that most people would GIVE away to a fellow ham. This has driven up the prices of rigs and accessories to incredible levels. As pointed out in other threads, it has DECIMATED great events like Hamfests and conventions!!! It has made Millionaires out of complete SCOUNDRELS and SCHISTERS!! It causes good hams to Butcher perfectly good rigs just to harvest valuable components out of them. But it is the element of HATE that is the worst. I, right now, HATE several unknown people out there for what they have done to me. It is like they have come and STOLEN my Firstborn son from me!!! The worst offender is this Rat Bastard named SAVAGE. He is some ham, a Radio manual Reprinter who continously follows me around and snipes manuals I need badly away from me, no matter what the price it takes. If he pays $100 or $200, it is not a problem, because he is a Business and he just writes it off as an expense of doing business. Then there are the UltraRich Collectors who think nothing of dropping several THOUSAND for anything they fancy. One guy I know spent $700 for a single dinner, so what is a few Hundred for a radio? The emotions really come into play when bidding. Numbers completely insane will be punched in, not to GET the item, but to DENY the bastard on the other end from getting it!!! Once the item comes in, it is tossed in the pile and never looked at again. WHY was it bought? Not to have, but to keep the OTHER person from having!!! This happens day and night on Ebay, and the Sellers just love it!! EBAY just loves it!!! EVERYONE loves it but the impoverished buyers, who slowly go broke. Yes, it is worse than gambling. I used to chide co-workers who go to the Casinos and completely squander their paycheck on silly bets. But how is Ebay any different? Atleast when you WIN, you have something to show for it, which may or may not be worth as much if it is ever sold. That all depends on if there are rich buyers around when it goes on the block. That same manual which I might have paid $50 for goes for 99cents because only one person bid. Quite a loss there. But it is a cycle I cannot break, Every time I come to a computer, I have to check my bids. Right now, there is a Heathkit something I have a bid on, coming due in a few hours. The item, at a hamfest, would probably go for $10 if I weasled the seller down. Tonight, it will probably go for $100 or more by the time the richest of the rich bastards out there hack it out in the final 3 seconds. I will be blown away, as usual, because I cannot compete with the Ultrarich. BUt if I was Ultrarich, I think the same thing would happen. I would be bidding $1000 to get it instead of $50. But then, another RICH SOB would bid $1500 and the seller would be dancing around the room and doing Cartwheels across the carpet. EBAY IS EVIL!!!! Thats it. JUST PLAIN EVIL!!!
I almost wish I had taken up DRUGS! My life would be so much smipler and I wouldn't be BROKE!

You have just described capitalism and the American Way.

Need I say more??

[KE6SHJ]

Speaking of Ebay, I forgot I had registered back in 1999. Just out of couriosity, I pluged in my info after numerous attempts and guess what, I have a -1 LMFAO. I never even bid or tried to sell anything and some a$$hat gave me a -1. Now I dont know squat about ebay but I gather its not a good thing to be -1. He said something to the effect of "problem after problem and to avoid this one." Now I really dont give a rats tail about it but I find it kind of amusing to have a -1 for no good reason :p

[N9LCD]

Heck, you just described a typical fest. It seems that "Excuse me" isn't in most fest-goers vocabulary.

At least on eBay, you can't smell the other guy's BO and stale tobacco smoke!!!

JERRY

N9LCD

[K8MHZ]

Speaking of Ebay, I forgot I had registered back in 1999. Just out of couriosity, I pluged in my info after numerous attempts and guess what, I have a -1 LMFAO. I never even bid or tried to sell anything and some a$$hat gave me a -1. Now I dont know squat about ebay but I gather its not a good thing to be -1. He said something to the effect of "problem after problem and to avoid this one." Now I really dont give a rats tail about it but I find it kind of amusing to have a -1 for no good reason :p

I would be suspicious of this as feedback can only be given when a transaction is completed. Someone may have hijacked your user name and stiffed the person that left you the bad feedback.

I won't use eBay anymore as it has become a den of thieves. I'll take my chances at hamfests and yardsales....both of which I have had fairly good luck at.

PayPal sucks, too.

[kq9j]

Internet shopping in general has made me a very impatient person. Years ago, you would mail in a check with an order form for something and if you got it within 7 days you were truly amazed. Now, if I don't get something in two days or less I am royally peeved. I bought an item on E-pay last weekend and figured it would be here by this weekend so I could finish my project. Finally got an email Friday or Saturday that the guy had sent it out. Rather than being happy he notified me it shipped, I was mad as a hornet that it took so long. WTF? And ordering from a radio store..forget it. If it doesn't ship the same, or at least the next day, I will never do business with them again. I had ordered an MFJ item that should have been here before the weekend too, but I blame the storm in Milwaukee for that, I doubt I am the only one that had UPS delays.

[W6QT]

Agree with you WA6MHZ. All you've said in your post is true. We can't compete with folks who have huge sums of money to use to buy these items. I like to browse the listings for the hell of it and occasionally buy something. I've also discovered that some shippers don't pack as well as they should which results in some type of damage, so that kind of turns me off from buying this way. BTW, you have a GREAT museum.

[wb5ydk]

Agree with you WA6MHZ. All you've said in your post is true. We can't compete with folks who have huge sums of money to use to buy these items. I like to browse the listings for the hell of it and occasionally buy something. I've also discovered that some shippers don't pack as well as they should which results in some type of damage, so that kind of turns me off from buying this way. BTW, you have a GREAT museum.For me, clueless sellers who don't know how to properly pack equipment for shipping are the #1 problem. Like when a seller puts a radio into a box barely large enough to contain it, and then maybe (or maybe not) tosses a handful of styrofoam peanuts in for good measure.

[k9kjm]

There are a few things to remember about ANY auction sale.
Do some research on the item for sale. What is its new wholesale cost? Many times I see stuff sell on Ebay for MORE than what it can be bought brand new with warranty!!!!!! Hard to understand that!
DECIDE well ahead of time the MAXIMUM amount you will pay for the item.
Place your bid at the very last second. If you cannot be around at the auction close, Use one of the "sniper" programs.
Do NOT get into a "bidding war" long before the end of the auction!

Running out of "mad money" to finance your Ebay wins? Simply pick up stuff tossed out on the curb and drag it home and PUT IT ON EBAY yourself!
Become one of those horrible sellers who is raking in all the money!
(I am not kidding, As you have apparently already found out, Most everything sells on Ebay!)

And/Or, Do most of your buying of used items on the buy/sell/classifieds on sites like QRZ here or Eham. It may take longer for the item you are looking for to show up, But when it does there are no commissions involved, And you know you are buying from a fellow ham.

[WA6MHZ]

For me, clueless sellers who don't know how to properly pack equipment for shipping are the #1 problem. Like when a seller puts a radio into a box barely large enough to contain it, and then maybe (or maybe not) tosses a handful of styrofoam peanuts in for good measure.

Thank you Mike W6QT! I have run out of room at home but still have some space here at work in the West Wing. Hope I can keep it going.

Sellers who pack stuff are really brain dead sometimes. Like the National NC-88 I got. The clown just put it in a cardboard box the exact size of the radio with no padding or protection whatsoever, and wondered why it arrived with all the knobs smashed and controls wasted! And then there was this clod who packed a 50 lb Lafayette 2 meter rig in a box with some of those stupid air pillows which popped the first jolt it got. It arrived with the chassis all tweaked and everything bent up bad. I went to the post office to make a claim, but the said it was the buyers poor packing which caused the damage, not the GORRILLAS in the Post Office who toss these boxes around like Frisbees. The post office was going to accept the claiim, but they demanded I surrender the radio, the last one one EARTH!!! So I ate the damage and fixed what I could, with both the seller and post office flaking out and giving me a "tough luck!" Consequently, I bid like the thing will arrive all smashed up and am very pleasantly surprized when a seller DOES do a good job at packing, Some sellers are really good, too. They box and protect things like they were ready from RE-ENTRY from Space!!!!

[WA6MHZ]

Last night was a classic example of what I am talking about. There was a Heathkit AC-1 listed, a little tuner for the AT-1 transmitter made back in the 50s. These are anything but rare, and usually 1 or 2 a week are listed. They usually go for around $30-$35, maybe a little less for beat up and modified ones. So I have bid and lost all the times before, and decided it was finally time to add one to the collection
No one bid a nickel except myself until the auction was almost over. Then, earlier in the day, a clown put in a $30 bid. OK, I dumped in a $67 bid, figuring no one would be that stupid to pay more than that. Sure enough, some unknown bastard came in and zipped in bids until he passed me, and I chickened out at $75. We are already well over Twice what the thing is worth. Then, at 3 seconds to go, the incredibly Wealthy W8AI sniped it from the unknown entity for $91!!!! EASILY THREE times what it is worth!!!!! He probably used one of these rotten Bid sniper services and put a maximum of $100-150 on it, since money is no object to him. Here is where the next emotion comes into play. ANGER!!! I am a very very calm and reserved person. No one has ever heard me yell (Except during a CHargers game!) or even raise my voice. My son has never been chewed out or my wife. But I was ready to put my FIST through the monitor, throw the mouse across the room and STAMP up and down on the keyboard!!!! THE DIRTY $%%&$ SOB!!!!!##^#^#^%#%$#$#!!!! Language that would make the Saltiest of Sailors BLUSH bright red!!!!! Why are these People doing this to me?!! WHY CAN'T I HAVE ONE TOO?!!!!! There are certainly enough to go around. I went out to have a pitcher of beer to drown my sorrow and try to forget about it all. Maybe another one will come on next week. Will I be outbid again? Most likely. But I will hang in there. It took me several years to finally nail a Heathkit CR-1 crystal set, after the Richest of the Rich scarfed up everyone one of them until they grew bored with them or weren't paying attention and I finally squeaked one through for about $75. So now I have a CR-1. It just was put on the shelf, never to be seen or touched again. It is the FUROR of the CHASE, and the CONQUEST! Once the prize is obtained, who cares?

[N6NQZ]

I was the successful bidder on one of this same fellow's sales. I hope that what I get is what I thought I bidded for (altho I don't have any reason to believe otherwise). However, it is possible that instead of a Flameproof, I might be getting a Chinese High Speed Bamboo Racer IV. Hmmmm, we'll see. Anyone own a hungry Panda?

[kf6rdn]

People, please... punctuation and paragraph spacing makes a long post readable..

Not trying to be a spelling rag, it's just very hard to read a huge block of text.

[kc9mav]

Your really into this whole ebay thing aren't you?


73
Dave

[kf4vgx]

Sue em, You may lose ,but if you win.
:).

[wa4brl]

Last night was a classic example of what I am talking about. There was a Heathkit AC-1 listed, a little tuner for the AT-1 transmitter made back in the 50s. These are anything but rare, and usually 1 or 2 a week are listed. They usually go for around $30-$35, maybe a little less for beat up and modified ones. So I have bid and lost all the times before, and decided it was finally time to add one to the collection
No one bid a nickel except myself until the auction was almost over. Then, earlier in the day, a clown put in a $30 bid. OK, I dumped in a $67 bid, figuring no one would be that stupid to pay more than that. Sure enough, some unknown bastard came in and zipped in bids until he passed me, and I chickened out at $75. We are already well over Twice what the thing is worth. Then, at 3 seconds to go, the incredibly Wealthy W8AI sniped it from the unknown entity for $91!!!! EASILY THREE times what it is worth!!!!! He probably used one of these rotten Bid sniper services and put a maximum of $100-150 on it, since money is no object to him. Here is where the next emotion comes into play. ANGER!!! I am a very very calm and reserved person. No one has ever heard me yell (Except during a CHargers game!) or even raise my voice. My son has never been chewed out or my wife. But I was ready to put my FIST through the monitor, throw the mouse across the room and STAMP up and down on the keyboard!!!! THE DIRTY $%%&$ SOB!!!!!##^#^#^%#%$#$#!!!! Language that would make the Saltiest of Sailors BLUSH bright red!!!!! Why are these People doing this to me?!! WHY CAN'T I HAVE ONE TOO?!!!!! There are certainly enough to go around. I went out to have a pitcher of beer to drown my sorrow and try to forget about it all. Maybe another one will come on next week. Will I be outbid again? Most likely. But I will hang in there. It took me several years to finally nail a Heathkit CR-1 crystal set, after the Richest of the Rich scarfed up everyone one of them until they grew bored with them or weren't paying attention and I finally squeaked one through for about $75. So now I have a CR-1. It just was put on the shelf, never to be seen or touched again. It is the FUROR of the CHASE, and the CONQUEST! Once the prize is obtained, who cares?

Wow...

Why would you even consider bidding more than $35 ? You admit that they show up regularly and that's the top value usually. It's not an ego contest, it's an auction. That other guy did you a HUGE favor by outbidding you. Patience will win you more than inflated bids.

[WA6MHZ]

Well, all good things come to those who are patient and WAIT! A few weeks after I wrote this post, Another Heathkit AC-1 came on, this time with the manual. And, unlike the others, this one was 100% original, right knobs, no mods! So I figured this would go for $70 or more. To my complete astonishment, I won this for $36!!! I would have paid that JUST for the manual!!!! So now I have a beautiful, mint condx AC-1 in the museum and that is one less Heathkit I have to find. Right now, I am only short the really heavy boatanchors like the RX-1, TX-1 and DX-100, plus the SB-104 line and newer. Every other Heathkit Ham product is in the Museum, on display!
SO Success comes to those who are patient and persistant.

[wa4brl]

Oof! I didn't notice that was from back in March. I'm glad it worked out so well for ya.

I also like the old Heathkit rigs The SB-line was my era, and I've already collected them. I also want to get the RX-1 and TX-1 -- they're GEORGEOUS! Don't worry though, I won't bid against you for them. ;) I won't be looking for those for a few years yet.

Around 1975, a good friend bought and built an SB-104, along with the entire line of accessories. It was an impressive looking station -- I loved that look. Unfortunately, the transceiver did not live up to previously known and expected performance. Even after Heathkit provided him with the 104-"A" mods, the receiver was still a big disappointment. That line lost it's luster for me after his experience with it.

A few years later, I used an HW-104A that a member donated for the club station. It's receiver was just as bad.

Kinda sours me on collecting those particular items.

I would guess you own a copy of Chuck Penson's (WA7ZZE) book "Heathkit: A Guide to the Amateur Radio Products". If you don't, go directly to Amazon.com or your favorite amateur outlet and order one. Anyone who has ever seen or touched a Heathkit name will enjoy this book.