[meteorite-list] Michael's meteorite market trends

From: MexicoDoug_at_aol.com <MexicoDoug_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Jun 9 18:28:00 2005
Message-ID: <11.46fedac7.2fda1c62_at_aol.com>

Michael B. wrote:
>This sort of ignores the fact that I was specifically referring to the
>practice of dealing with known criminals and rip off artists.

Martin A. must have seen Star Wars dubbed in German if at all (Martin -
Michael signed his article in Yodish. That is where it started). Dave Freeman
vanquished Yoda by hallucinating about "good herb", now Yoda has left...
 
Michael, I repeat Yoda's carefully addressed thoughts on your theme of
purchasing from SCAM ARTISTS which you clearly expressed in the article: "Foolish
then is it, morals they have not. The Jedi who heeds not the counsel of the
Force, to the dark side he listens, yes...."
 
Yoda is definitely not ignoring you and hopes that, "disagreement alone you
seek not, for disagreement then find you shall...hmmmm...." In translating
his Yodish, he says he agrees with you that once the dark side is detected,
one is a fool to deal again with a particular individual....

The objection is that in making your general SCAMMER ATTACK, with which we
agree completely, we noticed clearly a negative energy and a mixing of the
dark side with respect to the "newbe", unknowns, even though you may have not
intended this at all. Yoda cautioned me always to give a "newbe" the benefit
of the doubt and thus create positive energy and a greater network within the
"hobby" and for growth. Yoda favors the stimulation and grooming of good
dealers right from birth to become good, contributing citizens of the Republic,
and is troubled by several statements in your article, including but not
limited to what I will refer to as "Michael's Mantra":
 
Michael's Mantra:
*It wasn't long ago that collectors frequently uttered the admonishment,
"buy only from established dealers with flawless reputations." It isn't as
though there are not enough of us to go around. Yet, now that it clearly matters,
it seems I haven't heard that phrase in recent times?.*
 
I have problems with your logic - but not at all with you, who I respect as
generally a positive, contributiong member to our community. This logic to
me is much worse than the type that resulted in the recent Iraqi War. The
fact that the mantra may be a suspicion in ONE or SOME case(s) doesn't mean it
is true in ALL cases, and to act this way is not without it's negative side
effects. So it is potentially a very damaging mantra. And of course the
market recognizes this, though not in the orderly fashion we can easily pin
down...
 
A dealer who is not established, obviously has no reputation, and if
anything, it is up to the established dealers with flawless reputations to be
stewards of trust. If that trust is violated, your article rings true. If not, it
is a mantra that becomes for a bizarre barrier to entry for many nice
meteorite collectors out there and creates a stoogy community concentrated among
fewer. My view is the more the merrier, and that is why I was so quick to
respond to Martin A's exciting post of more European friends to make. In Martin
H's post he also makes a few very good points, and I would go further and say
rather than attempt to protect a "newbe" which might been seen by the
greenhorn as condescending, I would encourage him to be conservative at first but
most definitely purposely depart from mantra and make new trades with new
friends from new places. The super dealers have nothing to worry about. We do
business with them not so much as for their reputation, as for our personal
experiences with them. That is why Martin H. and Serge V. are gentle giants
among their peers for me and one or two BIG guys are of more questionable
repute...No substitute for a calculated approach to crack open the market.
 
Regarding dealers and collectors, to me the line between "us" and "them"
doesn't exist. We are all dealers and collectors and trade, sales and purchases
are necessary for any hardworking collector to build a great collection,
necessitating our bending over backwards to create positive energy. There is
nothing wrong with making a livelihood out of it as well, of course, but such
superdealers shan't overshadow the thousands more who are working diligently
for enough feedback to have a nice reputation, too.
 
So when we discover and sufficiently confirm dishonesty, ostracism is the
modus operandi, but before that encouragement should be the rule. We have seen
enough superdealer wars and heard what has been said to know that no person
walks on water, which clouds with the profit motive taking front row. We
need to take small, calculated-informed risks to create a more interesting and
robust trade with each "newbe" that is attracted. Otherwise we could become
stuck with many one time sales rusting away in drawers across the world where
interests have moved on...
 
You article for me had one very cogent point, but some spare baggage from
the past, that you seem to be shedding quite conservatively...If that baggage it
 would be a pleasure to serve on Captain Blood's discrete scammer lynch
team...
Saludos, Doug
 
 



on 6/9/05 9:32 AM, MexicoDoug_at_aol.com at MexicoDoug@aol.com wrote:

> These new dealers, if fear us they do, help us they will not. If hate us
> they do, hunt us they will. Think Yoda, good is it, yes....Encouragement
> from
> us, this buying of meteorites from new dealers it is.... A positive
network
> it makes, hmmmm....Positive Force to the hobby it brings....yes, expand
does
> the force as our universe it will. Agree with Master Blood Yoda not,
unless
> seen the Dark Force once, other Jedi masters and children do, hmmmmm.
> Foolish then is it, morals they have not. The Jedi who heeds not the
counsel
> of
> the Force, to the dark side he listens, yes...
> Yoda I am.

--
"You and I do not see things as they are. We see things as  we are."
-Herb Cohen
--
If a million people  say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish  thing.
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Received on Thu 09 Jun 2005 06:27:46 PM PDT