Quote:
Originally Posted by alvin
I listed a few guns for sale myself for a long time. One viewer told me, "Oh, I don't know why these guns are priced so differently, they all look same. I don't know this thing, I could be burned badly if I buy a wrong one." So, he's interested in the items, but he does not want to depend on seller to tell him what it is (that's correct), and he does not know whom he could consult. He should go RIAC then. Average quality on RIAC listing is high.
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If the pistol were posted on either forum with appropriate pics and description, this would subject it to the scrutiny of those who are interested, knowledgeable, and--generally--conscientious. Through the process of open examination and discussion, "what it is" would be established.
Anyone who exclusively trusts RIAC's analyses/descriptions, in my opinion, is making a foolish choice. Yes, Norm, it's capitalism, which operates according to fairly obvious and predictable motivations and mechanisms. The recent post about the RIAC description of the 1902 carbine has been spotted as an exercise in obfuscation. While technically
not untrue, the listing includes extraneous material and is effectively misleading, according to a consensus of the responses on this forum. RIAC has the professionalism to catalog lots with good pics, but their descriptions, I suspect, are composed by a handful of experts they employ/use.
Neither altruism nor pure motivation to price-gouge is exclusive when it comes to auctioneers/retailers as opposed to collectors ,although there may be general trends in these groups. We can see the difference between 'buy low, sell high" purely pursuing financial gain, and buying reasonably to enjoy, research, educate others, and preserve before passing a collectible along to another like-minded collector.
Norm is correct, it's personal property. And, whether we like it or not, not every Luger will experience the stewardship that most believe they deserve. We cringe at the notion of the Luger's hanging on some rich guy's wall merely as a status symbol. But few situations are either all black or all white. RIAC makes money on both ends, form sellers
and buyers? Traditionally, "cutting out the middle-man" has worked to both increase the reward to the seller while reducing the cost to the buyer.
Alvin, you do not mention the venue in which you encountered "viewers" of your guns who were so uninformed and trepidatious as to pass whatever you offered. But, as noted, it certainly was not on this forum. We love the Luger, and are disappointed by not having had the opportunity for access to their images, schooled descriptions, or chance to own one of them.
David Parker