10 Keys to Selling Used Ham Gear Safely and Successfully

Indeed. I responded to an ad in a small site listing ham gear. There was only a description. When I asked for some photos of the item the reply I got was that it's a hassle to upload pictures (really?) and that I could find photos of the item on the internet. My immediate reply was a polite "no thank you."

 

Hi, Kelly. Great story. I get puzzled by sellers who do not offer even one photo with the ad and say that they will send pictures if interested. Maybe they don't know how to upload photos? Quin, K8QS

 

Right, Dave. Requiring photos with the callsigns is a great move for QRZ.com. And I think you are correct that there are far more clueless folks than crooks. On the video, we cite the QRZ.com material about watching out for such crooks; everyone should review that info before selling. We have the advantage of being able to track scammers and post info about what is happening.

Years ago, before the Internet, there was a guy selling a "like new" TS-520s through an ad in QST. The price was almost too good to be true -- but just on the edge of being believable. When you called him he claimed he had a couple that were actually new in the original boxes, unopened. He sold dozens of these -- maybe more -- and of course never actually had even one of them. Lots of hams were sending him MOs and Cashiers Checks. Hams eventually united and tracked him down well enough to get a local DA to file charges. I remember talking with him on the phone and getting suspicious, backing out of any deal with him. But he was a smooth talker. As I recall, when I called him he said something like, "Let me see if I still have one that's not already sold." That was enough for me to know he was a scammer. Quin, K8QS

 

QRZ.com has such broad reach, Dave, that I bet someone will remember what happened to him. Quin

 

I think that may be the first time I ever heard of UPS paying a claim.

 

It was definitely on another site. QRZ goes a long way towards making transactions safer (I do miss having to be a verified member to sell, however) and I have purchased a few things found in the swap meet, all good experiences.

 

In defense of re-sellers....while nobody should ever be cheated, there are costs and risks involved in re-selling ham gear, particularly at hamfests. Thses days, with the drastic reduction in price of high quality new ham gear, the used market has taken quite a hit. new gear, often of higher performance can be purchased for a fraction of what similar performance cost only a few years ago, Many new(and more experienced hams alike) will opt for a new IC-7300 of FT-991A(or even IC-7610 or FTdx-101) for prices similar to the high end gear of a few years ago. Much of this used gear is 15-20 or even 25 years old and some folks still expect a rich return....after all...it was the 'Mercedes" of the line years ago.In addition, resellers may need to schlep a rig to and from dozens of hamfests before it sells and may in the end not make that much for the effort. Our club re-sells used equipment both donated and purchased fo aid our group's treasury. My experience has been that while some gain can be achieved, it takes significant effort to do so and it is generally NOT a 'high yield' endeavor. YMMV

This does not justify 'ripping someone off' but does add some perspective to the picture.

Dave K3FHP

 

Great, Dave. I hope we were not unfairly hard on resellers. They do have a place in the market. I also like the idea of donating rigs to clubs for new ops. Quin, K8QS

 

Indeed. Back in the 90s I purchased a Nikon digital camera when not many people even had digital cameras. It cost me near $1000. Years later I just gave it away to a friend because by that time similar cameras were cheap. I think people get it in their heads to judge the worth of something by what they paid for it. I see many listings where the seller makes a point of saying how much he paid for the item. It doesn't matter what you paid for it. What matters is the market for it now.

 

Kelly, and with the digital record on QRZ.com we can get a sense of what particular rigs are actually selling for. I sometimes use eBay to determine value, too. Quin, K8QS

 

Ya, you're too hard on resellers. The reality is that 75% or more of the typical hamfest table sales made off of the same small set of "reseller" hams year in and year out ... they "make the rounds" to various hamfests, mostly for fun (no serious profit in selling used ham radios) with some roving around and making more than 50 shows every year. It's part of the hobby as much as sending QSL cards, working 6 meters, etc... just something some hams like to do. Mostly they do it so they can accumulate inexpensive gear.

These are the guys that specialize in boat anchors, or bring a van full of vacuum tubes so you can get your old novice rig going again without buying chinesium plated parts from amazon that may or may not arrive safely and may or may not work if they do arrive. And if it weren't for the resellers, we wouldn't have half the cool stuff at hamfests that we have. Heck, we might not even have hamfests. Now days, if you see a table chock full of good stuff, chances are very high that is either a radio club tasked to clear a dead member's "silent key estate" or it's one of said resellers who are making the rounds and having fun. Those same resellers work ebay, QRZ and QTH for bargains or simply as a way to help hams get/stay on the air.

as for the rest of the video, I got bored... I think you could have posted a single slide rather than a 15 minute video to make the same points. You're a communications guy -- you should know an executive summary up front is standard fare.

 

I saw youtube.
Thank you every time.
Please do your best.

73
JF1IRQ