When was the last time you were to an auction? Here in Wisconsin it is a way
of life. Some years we (wife and/or I) have gone to them more often than
garage sales. They are all buyer beware. Get there early if you want to
inspect, otherwise "you bid it, you bought it."

Paul
----- Original Message -----
From: "George Goff" <THX0001@AOL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Friday, March 26, 2004 7:08 AM
Subject: Re: recycled german parts / e-e-e-eBay

> In a message dated 3/25/04 10:48:11 AM, R. Salmon writes:
>
> << Yes it is. But must I remind you that we live in a capitalist country -
> one that actually encourages and rewards bald faced capitalism!
> . . . (a bunch of stuff) . . .  But
> you can't complain about someone who followed the rules.  >>
>
>
> Thanks for the lesson in Econ 101 but I already passed that course . . .
> about thirty years ago.  However, your low opinion of my recollection has
nothing
> to do with what I said.
>
> Your thought that "It (Ebay) is no different from a physical flea market"
> doesn't wash.  Unlike Ebay, at a flea market the buyer can hold the
seller's
> dreck in his hands and fully examine it.  The buyer can look the seller in
the eye
> and, hopefully, get a read on how far the seller is willing to stretch the
> truth or be worked down in his price.
>
> But, above all, must I remind you that Ebay is an auction!  And like any
> auction, the auctioneer takes his rake from the action, not a stall rental
fee.
> If there is a dispute in any auction except an Ebay auction, the
auctioneer is
> the who resolves the problem.  On Ebay, if a deal is queered for some
reason,
> Mr. Ebay says "Tough shit, work it out yourself."  He does this all while
> foisting up some Pollyanna idea that Ebay is a community.
>
> Please don't compare Henry Ford to Mr. Ebay.  Mr. Ford earned his well
> deserved rewards by, as he stated, seeing how much he could give his
customers for a
> dollar not how uninvolved he could remain in the process.
>
> George