Rorer714 wrote:This one takes the cake. I have to laugh at people who work themselves up and get angry at the smallest things. As if the world was so perfect that some guy who may or may not want to sell something is cause for vitriole. Of course I noticed the half-baked attempts to possibly let me (or himself) off the hook - but if not me, then who is he talking about? It is my thread that he replied to. If this subject bothered him that much, and he wanted to talk about other douchebags, then he would have started a new thread. If you are going to call me names or accuse me I'd much rather be called them and accused directly, instead of in a chickensh!t veiled way, so I don't have to spend my days wondering hmmm...did he mean me or NOT? (not that I really do that, or even have to guess at the answer). Now - this is not a business for me and I am not doing business. If it was a business then I would have a name and a store and a website to sell things and so on. The reason for the post was that I had decided that I might be willing to sell some pedals, because I needed to raise some cash, if the right offer came around. So what? I needed to see a dollar figure to decide if I would be able to part with the things that make me happier than almost anything else except for my dog. Run it up the flagpole and see what sort of salute I'd get (knowing that I might get one of the middle fingered variety; thanks for reinforcing my belief that I have the ability to predict what people will do in a given situation). If I wanted to simply put them out there for the greatest number of people possible to see them, in order to get the most money possible, well there is a four letter word for that and we all know what it is. But I did not do that. I put them here - and ONLY here - for a few select people to see because I was grateful that a couple of people here took the time to give me a detailed and specific answer to a troubleshooting question that I had when nobody on any other board did that (this is no way a slam to any other boards - I don't think that the right people read my question. But one of them did refer me to this board, where I did get the replies that I needed, so in that way they did help me get the answer). But I was grateful to this board, and I also knew that it was much more specialized and focused on stompboxes than the others, and I knew that the membership was much smaller but comprised of more knowledgeable stompbox people. So in light of these things I posted this thread. I didn't expect a sort of Spanish Inquisition, but then again, who does?PurplePeopleEater wrote:I'm not saying this is what the OP is doing, but it sure seems that way. Kind of a crappy way to do business if you ask me. The anonymity of the internet allows douchebags (not necessarily this guy, but people with similar posting style) to rip off hardworking, hopeful musicians. Posts like these bug the living shit out of me. Either you want to sell the items or you don't - but don't play this fucking guessing game on price.
Now - as far as the hardworking, hopeful musicians that the douchebags are ripping off, a "hardworking hopeful musician" is something that I would have to work up to. I aspire to be a hardworking hopeful musician. I am at least one step below a HWHM. An HM at best. Because, although I have been called many things (douchebag is almost a term of affection to me), hardworking has never been one of them. You will never hear my name and the term "hardworking" in the same sentence. Probably not even on the same day, or in the same place. Unless the word "not" preceded it. And ripping people off, douchebags or not? Um, I don't think so. First of all it is not in my DNA. I don't care much about money for money's sake. I'd rather have a happy buyer than an extra fifty bucks or whatever. And I have never sold anything to anybody for more than they wanted to pay. When I auction things I usually start at 99 cents and with no reserve. People pay what they want to pay. And when I sell/trade privately I am generous with my end, and I don't care if I am technically being "ripped off" as long as I am happy with what I am receiving. If any of this ever became "serious" for me then I would know that it is time to stop. But it won't, because I am not that way. And for the other reason that I have lived a pretty crazy life where excess was never enough. Outlaw biker at one time, but I had to add several other crazy things to my resume as if that was not enough. With the result being that I have had a LOT of very REAL near death experiences. I even died once. They revived me. These things will alter your perspective if you have enough of them; probably even just one of them for most people, but I am hard headed so it took me a while. I did learn a few things along the way. These days my life is about as exciting as that of an old maid auntie, but I am grateful that I am here at all. And when you feel that way, trying to get a few extra dollars at someone else's expense is not part of the plan. It seems so, well, stupid. And a waste of time and energy. Oddly enough the motorcycle accident was the LEAST scary - I hardly even count it as being near death. I never felt like I was going to check out that day, even as I knew that hitting the car was an inevitable part of my immediate future that I could do nothing about. I was just hoping that it wouldn't hurt too bad (it did) and that my bike wouldn't be totalled (it was). The point of it all is that is that after someone has been through enough of these things it gives them a whole different perspective on the world. It's not really a "live for today, for tomorrow may never come" thing, although there is some of that in it. For me it's mostly a change in the way that I view and act toward the world and its residents. And it is also like I am halfway in the next world, whatever it is. I feel like I am half gone from here already. Things like a few bucks here and there are unimportant. Money is only important to me as far as my need to keep a roof over my head and food in my stomach. After that everything else is a luxury that I truly appreciate. When I look at my pedal collection I feel truly blessed. There are billions of people in this world who cannot count on the roof and the food - actually I cannot count on them to be there forever either, because I cannot see the future - but I can reasonably expect it to be where many cannot. So the thought of ripping off anybody for any reason in order to get a few dollars that I can survive just fine without - it's ludicrous. I would rather give someone something for free than to take food from their plate so that I could have more money. I cannot explain it any more than that. Either you get it or you don't.
As far as this thread, it clearly said "possibly for sale" in the title. If this person did not want to see a thread posted by someone who may or may not want to sell something then he had no reason to read it. He was clearly forewarned. No punches were pulled, no dirty tricks played. It did not say "rare effects for sale" and then, when the thread was opened, change to "possibly, if you have enough money." So this person has no right to come blustering in here full of venom and attack me. It is very obvious that he saw the title of the thread and knew d@mn well what he was going to say from the get-go.
As far as the pedals, I will tell you all now, straight out, that I have decided not to sell any of them. So from this point forward there is no "possibly." OK? I simply enjoy them too much to sell. That is the one and only reason. I cannot seem to part with them. I was very close, but when I got to the edge I couldn't jump. I'm just a human being. So don't act like your superior; eat something bad and, just like me, you'll get diarrhea. Right? If I sold any of these pedals then I would just end up looking for them again and would almost surely have to pay MUCH more than I paid for them the first time. I I do not enjoy them nearly as much if I paid "collector" prices for them than if I scored a deal at a garage sale or flea market etc. I'm sure you can relate to this. So why put myself through it? At the end of the day I CHANGED MY MIND. So sue me. However, I will always be more than happy to post pictures of them or provide gutshots. Not a problem! At least when I am HERE anyway - I can hardly do them when I am not here! So, any specific requests? It does appear from this post that I have time at the moment!
PS - I am no fan of dealers and speculators either, but what if there were none, and all of the pedals were out there being sold all over the place? If none of them cost a lot, none of them were rare, nobody lusted after a particular pedal and made it their life's work to find it at any cost? No pedals had mojo, nobody cared what you had in your chain, forums like this and books like Analog Man's did not exist because nobody was interested? We all hate the dealers but we all know secretly that they are a necessary evil. And they are always going to be there, as long as any one thing is ever more desirable than any one other thing. Think about it - how could there NOT be dealers? If all of the pedals were suddenly released from the hands of dealers, and priced at $50 each no matter what they were, do you really think that the whole thing wouldn't start all over again? You KNOW that you would be out there, buying as many of the most desirable pedals as you could at fifty bucks a pop! And so would I. And when they were all bought up the cycle would start all over again. The only way to stop it would be laws requiring the immediate death penalty for anyone selling a pedal for more than $50. So just own up to it to yourself and enjoy it for what it is. It really is more fun this way. The way that I deal (pun not intended) with it is that I try to buy only from non-dealers as much as possible, and when I do go to a dealer to go to one who is a musician and music lover and gearhead and is doing mainly it to fund their own G.A.S. (if you don't know what that is then you ain't one!). One that will never be wealthy in money but rich in friends. The kind that will occasionally sell an old pedal "worth" $500 to somebody for $50 (and not tell them the "real" value) just because they knew that the person would appreciate the pedal so much and could not afford it otherwise. One who recognizes that monetary value is only what somebody says it is. I try to avoid dealers who are in it strictly for the money, or dicks, as I call them.
That sure is a long winded way of saying : " I've decided not to sell these because somebody hurt my feelings." I worded my original post the way I did simply because I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt, but that your OP reminded me of some similar douchebag-y posts. Guess what ? Your posting continues to remind me of that. Lots of excuses and long winded explanations when a simple "I've decided to keep the effects pedals", or "the effects pedals are no longer for sale" would have been enough. My favorite part of your explanation is where you state "If I wanted to simply put them out there for the greatest number of people possible to see them, in order to get the most money possible...... But I did not do that. I put them here - and ONLY here". Yes, we're supposed to go around from forum to forum and search for your ads. We knew all along that you were gracing only this forum with your "stupidly rare" pedals. Give me a break. As suspected, your whole post has been a game to attempt to get someone to commit a bunch of money to an item that you may or may not have or sell. I'm not the only person who thought your ad was "sketchy". The post was placed in the "Items Seen For Sale" forum, yet clearly these items have either "never been for sale", would "only be for sale if somebody offers more money than they're worth", or "would only be for sale if you can get a couple people in a private PM bidding war". Items in this forum should be "for sale", as indicated by the forum title. The should have a asking price, and, if possibly, pictures. If you don't want to ask a price, put the items on Ebay.
PS: Did you ever notice that the more somebody explains and makes excuses, the greater the chance that they have a sketchy personality and were trying to "get over" on you ?
