Ebay insanity!
To all of the above, I am d... (suppressed at his request).
My thanks (?) to Mark Frerking for calling my attention to whatever your forum is that you express your intellect. I don’t know what it is, have never used it, don’t know how to reply on it to any of you, fortunately you were all kind enough to leave your email address so I can send you a word document, that I know how to do.
I am d... (suppressed at his request)……………. I started buying on ebay in 2003 and THAT IS THE NAME THE FOLKS AT EBAY ASSIGNED TO ME.
I havent sold anything on ebay yet, because I have been collecting and actually I don’t know how to sell on ebay yet. I assume one or more of you will tell me how.
The name that is on my paycheck and bank account is
S... (suppressed at his request)
I am 68 years old, I have two companies that I have started from 0, one of which is
D... (SUPPRESSED AT HIS REQUEST) Systems/the TAX SERVICE is an accounting, tax and payroll service that I started in 1976. I am a US Treasury department licensed "Enrolled Agent".
D... (SUPPRESSED AT HIS REQUEST) Systems is a us registered and Minnesota registered trademark. Yes now you know that I live in Minnesota and at the end of this letter, if I don’t run out of paper, you will find my office address, my phone number and my fax number and my web pages, ALL OF WHICH ARE PUBLIC published information. And had any one of you done a search you would have found the name of my company.
Because D... (SUPPRESSED AT HIS REQUEST) Systems/the TAX SERVICE was founded in 1976 IT DOES NOT have anything to do with fax machines.
DATA comes from accounting data
FAX comes from the play on word whatever that is called, fact
(incidentally by my then 14 year old son)
SYSTEMS came from my being a contract computer programmer for IBM, Burroughs and NCR (yes guys, before pc computers - when I could count in binary and hexadecimal and code directly into the memory of the computer.
I am a collector - I like old things and now I have become one. Incidentally, I have also collected the same wife for the past 48 years, and the first and only women I ever been intimate with (aka sex!)
I have the following original low mileage cars that I have worked for and bought over the years.
1928 Buick model 47S town landau (23,000 miles)
1941 Packard Clipper 4 door sedan (42000 miles)
1949 Ford Tudor
1955 Kaiser Manhattan two door (27,000 miles only 42 produced and one of five in existence)
1956 Plymouth Belvedere four door hardtop in true "56 pink and black"
1959 IKA Kaiser Carabela Hearse imported from Argentina
1960 IKA Kaiser Carabela flower car imported from Argentina
1976 Sterling Kit car that I built (yes even mr insanity)
1991 Jeep Grand Wagoneer (very rare hunter green version)
40 year old model 610 bobcat
I have a graphonola upright phonograph, a birch portable phonograph and a collection of numerous automobile etc. etc. etc. literature. A complete collection of every Avon Stein.
In 1968 a local store was advertising the GE elec-trak, for $3500.00 and I wanted to buy it, but with three young boys and a disagreeable wife. I didn’t.
Three years ago, I stumbled onto a John Deere 90 electric riding mower and the addiction which you guys call "insanity" began. As Mark told you in your gentlemen's club discussion I now have
3 John Deere 90 electric riding mowers and lots of literature
2 John Deere 96 electric riding mowers and lots of literature
1 Sears electric riding mower which is the most unique
1 GE elec trak 12M
1 GE R36 8 (not sure if that is the right number, it is home in the shred away from all of this stupidity)
1 Wheelhorse 185 with a front mower
1 New Idea R36
1 GE Elec trac 12M with fork lift that was just unloaded.
I will keep one John Deere 90 and one John Deere 96, the others will all be restored and sold. One John Deere I am planning to GIVE to an older lady who has a small lawn and she is so intrigued by it. I suppose your group will consider that "insane" also, but to me, what a great way to take a used/abused 30 year old electric riding mower, restore it and see it become the talk of the neighborhood. (more insanity).
I still want to find a "cub cadet 95", a "Roper" and a "J C Penney".
I have met a contact who knows how to take the hydrostatic transmission from I believe a 100 series John Deere gas and install it on the 90 or 96. What a cool INSANE idea that is!
All of these were bought on ebay OUT OF TOWN when the seller said "pickup only". I emailed the seller, told them I would make all the trucking arrangements, pay the trucking in advance, but I would need them to strap the tractor to a pallet and I PAID THEM THEIR PRICE FOR DOING THAT. Unlike the discussion I read in your whatever it is "thread", I have developed some great friendships with people who I suppose you would consider insane also. Some of these sellers/new friends and I are corresponding and trading, yes trading not selling or buying things that each of us might have or want. And yes, if it is legal to make copies I will be more than happy to make copies to help some one else in their collection. A couple of the John Deere, my son went and picked up for me.
I also have a 1981 John Deere 317 (gas job) with grass catcher, mower, snow blower, rear tiller.
AND, MR INSANITY in July bought a John deere 855 off of ebay and had a great trip to Des moines to pick it up. (and actually got it for less than my maximum bid). It was purchased new by an 85 year old man and has only 600+ hours on it.
AND NOW TO YOUR DISCUSSIONS (like I told Mark, which almost makes me puke).
1) could just be the seller using a different name to try driving up the prices
You guys sure are smarter than I am, I bought the stuff, why would I want to drive up my buying price?
And no, I don’t have different names, just the name my folks gave me which I have used for over 68 years and the name ebay gave me. I didn’t know you could have more than one name, maybe I should find a new name that would really tightens your shorts.
2) one person trying to corner the market
Why would I want to corner the market, what is that anyway and what does it prove? If I have the money or can figure out how to raise the money and it is something that strikes me and I can afford it, I bid the price I will pay for it. I always thought that was what an auction was?
3) something tells me d... (suppressed at his request) is ebay user oldphoneguy and actually purchases under other usernames.
I have never heard of that either, I have one name that I have had for 68 years and an ebay name for three years, why would anyone want more than one name? I don’t know who oldphoneguy is, why don’t you do a little research and if he is doing something illegal or unethical, turn him in.
4) d... (suppressed at his request) have prevented me from buying many items
How is that Mr. Cain? If you have the money don’t you bid the maximum you are willing to pay? I have been outbid many times and don’t sit in my lawn chair with a baseball cap on backwards and waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa about it.
I just missed buying a 1917 Dodge touring, but unlike you, I will make friends with the new owner and give him an original sales brochure that I have in my collection - and he might let me sit in the car and maybe even drive it. How insane is that?
5) has even bought two or three of the same manuals
the same goes for parts
Yes Ron (?) I do have multiples of things and unlike you I don’t bid something up just so somebody else pays more than what I could afford. Does that ever sound full of ethics to me. And you might learn something - when I have multiples, I keep the best one and will give (yes give) away or sell the others. And I sometimes have multiple parts including for my old cars, in case something breaks or wears out. Does that sound like insanity to you? I think it out does being so unethical and than crying about it. If one of my tractors or one of my old cars breaks down or something wears out, my extra parts which are not being made any more, may just save the day.
What really bothers me about you admitting in writing to the world, that you wanted an item, but couldn’t afford it so you deliberately bid it up to make it more expensive for me - AND NOT ONE OF YOUR ELITE GROUP chastised you or put a stop to it. Instead you all by your silence condoned the blatant unethical actions of one of your own.
Money is an object to me, I earn every cent to buy -at times working two and three jobs and currently as an Enrolled Agent January 15th to April 15th ;my work schedule is up at 3:15 a.m. work at 4:00 am to 7:30 p.m. seven days a week with time out for church Sunday morning.
Maybe if you spent some time with a second job instead sitting checking some other bidders auction you would have money to buy what you want.
Yes Ron, I HAVE considered selling copies after I have checked that it is legal. And I will probably lose money in your eyes, but I may be able to help another collector/hobbyist find what he wants. I have numerous items that collectors have given or sold me copies because the originals were not available. So in your insignificant bet, do you want the dollar or the donut?
6) I don’t have deep pockets,
I have to earn every cent to be able to buy what I want. I was not born into wealth nor did I inherit anything. And guys here is how I have done it since buying my first new car at 19.
I DON’T DRINK I DON’T SMOKE I DON’T DO ADULTERY
I DON’T FISH I DON’T HUNT I DON’T GAMBLE
I DON’T HAVE CALLER ID (if the phone rings and I want to know who it is, I pick up the phone and say "hello")
I DON’T HAVE CALL WAITING OR CALL FORWARDING
I DON’T HAVE CABLE TV WITH 437 channels., I do have satellite with the basic program.
I HAVE A CELL PHONE WITH THE BASICS AND A REGULAR PHONE RING. It doesn’t play "bridge on the river ky (sp)" or Mozarts 93rd concerto in H major flat. It doesn’t take pictures or text message which nonsense just costs money that I can use to be insane.
I DON’T HAVE A DOOR MARKED DIVORCE (although sometimes my wife or I probably would have liked to)
I tithe 10% of my earnings AND my companies earnings and GOD has blessed me with a talent that I still enjoy since preparing my first tax return for 1956. How many of you can say or will be able to say you are just as enthused about your profession fifty years later as when you started?
And my wife and I have raised three sons, I have designed and built three houses, the current one on a lake. I have formed and sold business, I have owned a motel and sold it and an office building. I have had pickup campers, motorcycles, travel trailers, motorhomes- one which I personally built from scratch. Presently I have a 40' Affinity etc. etc etc
BECAUSE - thank GOD I was raised in a solid christian home with values, morals, ethics and a great work ethic, and I love what I do, AND I DON’T SIT AROUND waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ING about anything.
Enough said - now you know who d... (suppressed at his request) is, and I intend to keep bidding stuff.
So quit sitting around squawking like a bunch of geese that just pulled some of their own feathers out, get out, get a part time job and get the money you are willing to pay for what you want.
I have printed off three (3) copies of your "thread discussion" - one I will keep, one I am forwarding to ebay and the third copy, it is about time to take the puppy out - I will let her chew it up or better yet - urinate on it.
I hope……….sincerely hope that I have irritated everyone of you (not Mark) enough that you will go back and read your stupid comments and apologize to the other collectors who read your thread.
Incidentally, as you all know, I recently purchased over $1100 and $800 of literature from a seller. And there was a bidder who bid $150.00 on every piece, because of your information I will research who it is and see if the bidding was legitimate. If not I will file a complaint with ebay and if sufficient cause, file an "internet fraud" action with the fbi. I have had one instance where I was took for over $800.00. Thru my actions, that seller is permanently banned from ebay as either a buyer, seller or paypal account. I have also filed an "internet fraud" action and will issue a 1099 to the IRS.
In the future, if you think an ebay buyer or seller is doing something wrong - DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! Contact me and I will use my resources and professional capacity to help you. And if you want to mess with me in the future, get your facts straight.
If any of you are really a serious collector, then work on helping each other enjoy these electrics.
Here I am - d... (suppressed at his request). one name, one bidder, not a market cornerererer, not deep pockets - just an honest, ethical ebay bidder and collector.
S...
6420 REDRUTH STREET
DULUTH, MN 55807
218-624-3001
218-624-3023 FAX