I received a note from Mark, and as I recall, he said the vehicles would appear
on this side of the pond before any money left my sweatty little palms. Sounds
fair to me. Jim
COLIN STEVENS wrote:
> Daniel Terp makes an EXCELLENT point.
>
> In the movie "You've Got Mail" Tom Hanks says "Its not personal, its
> business."
>
> I have had friends who have successfully imported ex-military vehicles from
> Denmark, UK, Norway, the Middle East etc. We also had a case of a Soviet
> tank being offered locally for sale by a dealer. It appears that it was
> never actually imported, contrary to the impression given in the ads, and a
> police investigation was underway last I heard. No one likes to throw their
> money away. Address your customers' concerns and you should do well.
>
> Mark Z is fighting an uphill battle. Even if he has the best intentions,
> morals etc. the 'system' over there has a bad reputation. It makes sense to
> me for Mark to find 'expressions of interest' to see what people (serious
> buyers) over here would want to buy and what they would be willing to pay,
> then bring out some merchandise to Canada, UK, USA etc. (with clear title
> to any vehicles), THEN sell it once it is physically clear of the ex-Warsaw
> pact/Soviet Union zone and physically in Canada, UK or USA. Build a base of
> satisfied customers who can kick the tires and know that they won't fall
> victim to corruption, bureaucracy, 'phantom' goods etc.
>
> If Mark took a bunch of NOS WLA or WLC engines to an MVPA convention, they
> would probably sell like hotcakes if properly priced, especially if he
> announced ahead of time he was bring "X" number.
>
> Maybe later, after establishing a solid reputation with satisfied customers
> who will tell their friends about Mark, people might begin trusting him and
> the Ukraine enough to pre-order some stuff while it is still in the Ukraine.
> Then if that goes well, the business can grow some more.I am sure there are
> collectors and dealers who would agree to a price, based upon photographic
> evidence, and agree to pay UPON DELIVERY. The risk then is on Mark's
> shoulders, who can then charge a higher price accordingly.
>
> Then once that has a good reputation and satisfied customer base, perhaps
> some people might risk pre-paying all or part of the costs.
>
> The Internet is a powerful tool, but it is also a double edged sword. A lot
> of people now know about his offferings, but the doubts have also spread.
>
> I hope that Mark could understand that such scepticism expressed is not
> aimed at him personally. He is just proposing to do business from an area
> where, rightly or wrongly, many people have a concern with. Therefore it is
> obvious. Get over that hurdle by physically bringing the stuff out THEN
> deal.
>
> Remember that our American cousins have been weened on stories of people
> selling the Brooklyn Bridge - and actually finding buyers.
>
> There ARE collectors out there who can afford to buy these items, and who
> will want them. They did not become wealthy by being foolish with their
> money.
>
> Colin Macgregor Stevens
> MVPA Member 954 (since 1977)
> Editor MAPLE LEAF UP (Est. 1977) newsletter
> of Western Command Military Vehicle Historical Society
> Pitt Meadows, British Columbia, Canada
> E-mail: colin@pacdat.net
> Personal web site: http://bcoy1cpb.pacdat.net
> 1944 Willys MB
> 1942 BSA airborne bicycles (2)
> ==========================================
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Daniel Terp <dterp@tallcity.com>
> To: Military Vehicles List <mil-veh@skylee.com>
> Sent: Sunday, June 25, 2000 4:08 AM
> Subject: Re: [MV] Mark and his Russian vehicles, etc.
>
> I have to agree. In my mind it would be better business to import a
> number of vehicles to Canada, sell them there and establish a
> reputation before asking people to send thousands of dollars to an
> unknown person in the Ukraine.
>
> That's a leap of faith few will make.
>
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sun Jul 02 2000 - 23:51:31 PDT