The point is not the use of ebay nor violating the unwritten rules. The
problem is vociferously ignoring the rules once so (gently) advised.
Chuck Norcutt
On 1/14/2011 3:17 PM, Ken Norton wrote:
> My take is that there is an unwritten etique (and occasionally a written
> one) in most environs. For example, you don't go into a bar for the first
> time and start pushing people around who have been coming there for 20
> years. Just not acceptable and the outcome is usually bloody.
>
> In the case of Dr.T. this is one of those gray areas. For the short time he
> was active on this list he not only contributed to this "community" but gave
> a tremendous source of entertainment for us as he is one of those
> thousand-mile-per-hour guys that stirs stuff up and gets a lot of things
> which were hidden away in closets out in the open and traded around. It's a
> gray area because he did, uh, disappear and now has reemerged with stuff to
> sell. At a glance it appears to be self-serving.
>
> I'm less bugged about the ebay thing than the fact that this list has become
> the AG-Moose-Chuck-Nathan-Jan-Bill-NSURET show and we really don't have near
> the conversations and content that we used to. When Dr.T. arrived, it gave
> the list a massive boost which we so desparately needed. Frankly, I'd prefer
> not reading my own posts, but not many of us stir the pot with new content.
>
> So, if he posts after months and months of silence with a For-Sale post
> saying he's ootah-heah, it can be seen as a slap in the face, but I
> personally see it as a nice courtesy as one of our own (more or less) is
> making stuff available. Just the fact he's using Ebay doesn't make him a bad
> person.
>
> I WOULD have preferred that he announce his equipment availability directly
> to us first, but that does get a little tricky. I know that I want to get
> the maximum amount of money for things I sell and, yes, I do use Ebay too.
> (non Olympus items). A good case in point for me was the $20
> box-o-grubby-parts purchase I made. In it were a couple of fantastic Kodak
> lenses. I don't think I mentioned them here on the list as to being for sale
> because first of all, you all knew I scored the whole mess for $20, and it
> wasn't Olympus. Ebay, is, for the most part a "fair market value" arena
> whereas selling direct on the list means that I run the risk of asking too
> much or too little. If I ask too much, half the crowd here will grow an
> attitude. If I ask too little, I've wasted money.
>
> The choice to use Ebay is a personal choice which imposes costs on the
> seller, not the buyer. He has chosen to use Ebay and not only swallow the
> additional costs, but deal with the random nature of the buyers. Within this
> list, very few deals have gone sour through the years. But I also recall
> that even the most generous of souls, Tom Scales, who sold direct on this
> list was despised by several even though his prices and policies were beyond
> fair.
>
> So, there is no right answer to this whole thing.
>
> Like I said before: Thank you, George, for letting us know as well as coming
> back to say hi.
>
> AG Schnozz
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