Date:         Wed, 12 Sep 2001 14:00:32 -0400
Reply-To:     "Fitz-Randolph, Douglas" <Doug@BEACONMARKETING.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         "Fitz-Randolph, Douglas" <Doug@BEACONMARKETING.NET>
Subject:      Re: Getting rich selling parts
Content-Type: text/plain

Probably a silly thing to do, but I want to clarify
the meaning of my earlier out-of-character post -
and based on the flames I've received it does need
clarification...

What I was trying to say, in a larger sense, is that
this list is a community - imagine, if you will,
that we are all friends and neighbors. Ron, Ken,
David, etc. obviously profit from us, but in return
they provide us with parts and service at a fair
price. "Regular people" - Chris comes to mind because
I have dealt with him, but there are others - who
sell parts doubtless invest a lot of time in their
enterprises - their prices are fair and their time
has value - would you begrudge them making a profit?
Not me.

Who's left? People like you and me who might have a
part here and there to get rid of now and then. I'd
just hope that when you sell that part to a fellow
list member, you'll sell it for what it's worth, not
for what you might be able to get for it. Like if
you were having a yard sale and had some piece of
junk out there for $10. If your next door neighbor
walked over and wanted it, what would you do? In my
world, which might be different from yours, I'd just
give it to him. He might turn around and give me 5
bucks because that's what it's worth. Or he might
return the favor months later in some other way.
Do you see what I mean? If not, well whatever - I sure
don't have to buy from you if I don't want to.

The tone and the words from my post - "I don't want
you here", etc. - were admittedly inappropriate.
Complaining is in most cases counter-productive -
I was under a bit of stress this AM and was hasty
in clicking "send". My delete key works too, and
that is almost always the correct response. Posting
things for sale on this list is a valuable tool for
uniting buyers and sellers and discouraging anyone
from doing so is not right. My foul.

Just in closing, though... do try "giving something
away" if you haven't done so - I've been on both
ends of that and either way it is a very rewarding
experience. It doesn't have to be for free either,
you know - you can pass along the good fortune of say,
finding something valuable in the junkyard, getting
it for a buck or two, realizing you don't need it,
then selling it for a buck or two. Sure, you could
have profited, but in merely passing it along, you've
lost nothing materially but gained much spiritually.

End of sermon. My intentions are good here. If you
don't agree with me, I am not talking about y-o-u,
so there is no need to respond with juvenile posts
or angry p-mails, thank you.

> Doug Fitz-Randolph
> Freeport, ME
> '90 Syncro