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.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sun Jul 02 2000 - 23:51:31 PDT