Ethics and trading

 

 
After just unsnaking a thick audio cable that had gotten tangled around my arm where I had been doing some tests earlier on I have a few thoughts concerning things concerning some of my interests.

One is how much trust you can actually put in people when you buy things often collectible or 'used' that they are what the seem or do actually work.

 
If you buy say collectable you do need to know that something that is billed as a First Edition is just that  and certainly with some things such as Sci Fi merchandise and especially records it's been very clear to me that what they were offering was not a first edition or even a second reprint but something that came out many years afterwards.

 
It may be fine as a place filler and perfectly acceptable for what it actually is but it isn't as billed.

 
I got a record that is perfectly fine but a reissue from a year later which as it is in better shape from my original I'll keep but if you're going to make claims around this, do know what you're talking about.

 
Equally when it comes to things like dolls or  electrical consumables such as say Cassette Decks, "In good working condition" may seem a step up from "Looks as new and in box" but have they actually full tested it? Is everything there?

 
Digressing a little to make a point to check a cassette deck you need to see that it rewinds and fast forwards smoothly, that pressing stop stops the machine dead, that when you put a tape it plays correctly and seeing it records you need to put a blank tape in and check it records properly before you can actually say it is.

 
To me that's obvious but I am not so sure people get that anymore than obviously a musical box should be checked it plays a tune and a clock winds up and keeps good time.

 
I suspect some people selling on Ebay and in other places don't understand what selling entails not least what customers do expect for anything other than "as seen" because potentially these things are matters that consumer protection  apart from actually undermining your own personal reputation as a seller which really matters.