Dale,
Oky rules is rules.... but I have to say with some support for Bruce here. What he did was no different than say Hilary, or Matteo giving a "heads up" to what they are selling on ebay - just what is the difference to alerting a potential list buyer to items that are an unknown quantity at an unknown price on ebay as to exactly the same on a private web page - Both are highest bidder auctions, so what's the difference here ?
In both instances, you determine a starting price, and you bid up to as far as you can afford (or not afford !) based on a description and prices. His pictures were no worse than many seen on eBay, so you contact the guy and establish the corrrect condition and any additional information - just like ebay. At least you've more chance of smelling a rat with a non-ebay "seller" who provides his phone number, than a faceless "handle" used on ebay.
Bruce made no plea for on list discussion or for anyone to say just what they were worth, it was nothing more than an honest heads up, and despite the rules, to be honest it's kind of a poor show to criticise Bruce, if those that would like to buy these sort of machines miss the chance, because we are getting anal over rule interpretation.
I know it's your party, but with the exception of on-list bidding, I see no problem personally in heads-up's about ebay items over non-ebay, where in both cases you've no idea what the final price could be, or if you are going to be outbid by one of your list "chums".
Bob Reid
Stonehaven
Scotland.
> In a message dated 10/22/2003 6:07:02 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
> brucerobbins@supanet.com writes:
>
> <<
> I can't remember seeing anything about this on the list before but there
is a
> chap in England who is selling his late father's bike collection either
as a
> single lot or individually. There are a few 1930s Hetchins, a Baines
> International TT, Viking Ian Steele, Hill Special track, Ellis Briggs,
> Humber,
> Bates, Penine, Holdsworth, Carlton and quite a few Sturmey hubs including
> some
> alloy ones.
>
> Not being a bike collector, the seller is looking for offers and has
already
> had some good ones. Unfortunately, the prices are out of my range but
some
> well-heeled CR members might be interested and, indeed, some have already
> contacted him.
>
> The seller, Tim Lawrence, said everyone who had been in touch with him
had
> been very open and honest about their valuations of the bikes except for
one
> UK CR member, who shall remain nameless, who tried to tell him that the
bikes
> weren't worth much at all. Shame on you!
>
> I can't vouch for Tim personally but I had a blether with him on the
phone
> and
> he seems a genuine guy.
>
> There are pictures of the bikes and more contact info at:
> http://members.aol.com/
>
> Bruce
> Dundee
> Scotland >>
>
>
> Bruce and all:
> I also told this fellow what range I thought the bikes would sell for and
I
> also told him they could not be listed nor mentioned on the CR list until
he
> established a price for them. He certainly has had a lot of voluntary
input thus
> far, so I assume he is conducting an effective highest-bidder auction of
the
> bikes, precisely what I do not want on the CR! And you, Bruce, have now
aided
> him in that very cause....
>
> In regard to value, I would submit that is a hard issue as while these are
> old and interesting bikes, they are poorly repainted in many cases and
those
> would represent a large investment of time and money to do again properly.
Of
> course, ones man's trash is another's bounty.. (or whatever that phrase
is..)
>
> In any case, please let these persons "wanting to establish a fair value"
> (meaning maximize their personal gain via a CR fishing expedition) do it
> somewhere else. eBay does that every day.
>
> In any case, please mind the CR list rules and do not post about bikes and
> components for sale without including a set price..
>
> Thanks
> Dale
>
>
> Dale Brown
> List owner
> Greensboro, NC