Jerry, Anyone who knows you would be confident in buying from you, but those who don't might legitimately have a question or two to ask before reaching for their wallet. And therein lies the risk - we've all lamented the pause that cost us an acquisition. Everything else being equal, "money talks, all else walks." I was at Union in 1980, when a guy wheeled in an Edison "Climax" (floor model 5" cylinder coin-op). A knot of collectors descended like bees on honey. A friend of mine called over to the seller, "How much do you want for it?"? The seller responded, "Thirty-eight hundred." My friend paused a moment, and in that 2-3 second time frame, another guy called out, "SOLD!" and? walked over to the seller with his wallet in hand. My friend - looking dazed - asked, "Is it sold?" The seller -equally dazed - replied, "I guess so..." It was my first trip to Union, and I took that quick exchange as a lesson. Of course, we observe an unspoken law for smaller, hand-held objects: "If I'm holding it, I have first shot at it." Several times, I've watched (and so have we all) a collector examining something in his hands, and we're just waiting for him to put it down so we can pounce. Machines are usually a bit trickier. If someone is talking to the seller about a machine, most of us understand tha t he has first shot, and we wait our turn. Sometime this gets tense when more than one observer is "in line." But we try to be gentlemen, and most of us are. On a list such as this, it's all the more important to let the seller know in no uncertain terms that "I'll take it." It shouldn't be the seller's responsibility to decide who really wants it.? We're all grownups here, and decisive action is sometimes called for, even if it's phrased, "I'll take it on approval - OK?" I'm sure we all appreciate the opportunity to buy items on this list for set prices without going through eBay. In return, we should be prepared to act quickly and clearly on those items we want. If we request a photo and someone else meantime says, "I'll take it," I would suggest that the seller let the first responder know that a second responder will take it if he doesn't want it. This would be especially true when buying machines, and photos are called for. And there's an important distinction: are we talking about a $20 book, or a $2500 phonograph? Both the buyer and seller need to adjust accordingly.? Just my opinion... Best reagrds to all, George Paul ________________________________________________________________________ Email and AIM finally together. You've gotta check out free AOL Mail! - http://mail.aol.com