Johnson Receiver and National Transmitter

[Will White]

The quote at the end of this post is not that far off. I recall seeing
an eBay listing very close to this sometime in the last 6 months. It
mentioned the salient points, WWII era, uniqueness (when it clearly was
not), and previous ownership by some historical figure of the era. About
the same time, a Hallicrafters S22R appeared, with outlandish claims of
its military use, "one of a kind," and so on. Oh, and the radio was beat
almost beyond recognition.

If you follow shows like "Wall Street Week" and "The Nightly Business
Report," you of course know that despite burgeoning internet commerce,
everyone agrees that sales would *instantly* quadruple, at least, if
consumers had real faith in the net's ability to provide privacy,
security, and protection from fraud and bad dealings that we take for
granted in a conventional retail setting. Having said that, I think more
people are becoming more savvy, and you had better hurry up if you want
to either perpetrate net fraud outright, or engage in false advertising,
bait-and-switch, and other dishonorable business practices. I do sales
and support for a big ISP, and one of the top three concerns of
customers is personal privacy, and a safe shopping environment. I know
of what I speak, and the companies that are quickest and most thorough
in providing these will do well.

Even though with BAs we are talking about mostly private sales of used
"specialty" items, I see encouraging trends for us. The comment system
mentioned below for eBay is a terrific idea, and should prevent many of
the most glaring deceptions. For my part, I really research a seller
before I bid if the item is going for more than about $25. I look for
and read high positive feedback (eBay will now kick you off their system
if your feedback goes to -4), combined with a long time (>six months)
doing business on the auction service. Sometimes I will also search
DejaNews for posts by and about the seller as corroboration. Seems to be
a lot of trouble, but worthwhile when the item under consideration is
going for above $50. In the 4 or 5 instances where I have taken an
interest in an item going for over $500, I have actually called the
seller on the telephone to ask questions and get a feel for things. I
think this is a fair and reasonable practice considering the money
involved, and the distance and "insulation" of internet commerce. I will
be watching and interested to see what systemic changes to net commerce
are made over the next couple of years, hoping that we are protected
from dishonest businesses while at the same time (I hope) having our
personal privacy protected from improper collection, distribution, and use.


Will
KD7BFX

Hue Miller wrote:
>
> You c a n email the seller to point out obvious mistatements. I have done
> this numerous times. It is fair to say however, that the BS more often
> than not, is n o t corrected. ( Someone who declares "secret spy radio"
> is, however, likely to be too mendacious or stupid to regard your input. )
>
> You can also complain to the auction company if you feel that it's plain
> dishonesty. And you can also contact bidders.
> I contacted the high bidder in one auction for a WW2 item and told him
> he shouldn't get frenzied over some poor condition overhyped pile of
> sh*t, this really wasn't the "only remaining example" and if he waited
> he would be able to spend some more and have something he could be proud
> of and would actually be able to resell later, if he wanted to, without
> losing money. I was happy to see that he dropped out of the bidding war
> and the item sold for much less than it was trending toward. Victory
> over horsesh*t !
> I read a few months back that some company was developing something like
> an instant mail or chatroom for regrarders of an auction item, you just
> click some little icon and instantly you go to a running dialogue of
> comments on the item and its auction. I haven't seen or heard any more
> on this but it seems like a fine idea.
> regards, Hue Miller
> *
> "This was Goebbel's private radio, until it was captured by the Secret
> Service. The serial number is low, so this is the only one remaining
> anywhere. Should be in a museum. Only one I have seen in my 30 days
> of collecting. If you're a serious collector, this should be in
> your collection".