My own take on the saga [no personal flames intended, so if you read one
into it, grow up]...
Firstly, I have to say one of the best things about this list is that
members routinely report bargains that (for whatever reason) they cannot
themselves indulge in so that other members may do so, without taking a
cut by reselling. Such generosity is what I think of as the true spirit
of the list, and making a profit (even a fair one) at the expense of my
peers and friends doesn't quite measure up to this standard (IMO, call
me an idealist).
As a realist, I don't see a problem with people buying off ebay for a
bargain price and reselling on this list for a fair price - beter than
not offering the goods here at all, especially for rare items. However,
I too was somewhat disconcerted at James' "FS" post of items recently
acquired from ebay, but _only_ in so far as the source of the goods and
how recently they were acquired was not stated.
Why? If I see something advertised on the list, unless it is
specifically stated otherwise I tend to assume that the listmember
selling is intimately experienced with that particular item. If you have
only had the item for a couple of days, and have never used it, how
likely are you to truly know about it's potential quirks? One of the
things I like best about buying from list members is the added safety of
buying from someone who has previously loved and used the equipment. If
all FS postings on this list were nothing more than quick resales from
ebay, this advantage would be lost. I don't really want the hassle of
returning equipment that doesn't work properly, even if the seller was
entirely genuine and pays all shipping charges.
If anyone does want to resell goods that they buy off ebay on this list,
and make a profit from it, more power to them, we're all adults here.
But that being the case, surely it's not too much to ask that people
making such sales are forthright enough to say "Folks, I just bought
this off ebay and would like to make a quick buck on a fair sale", or "I
just bought this off ebay, but my spouse won't let me keep it so you can
have it for a fair price"?
If profiteering (whether deliberate or inadvertent) is to happen on this
list, it should be done in the open.
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