From a business standpoint I get it now, it makes sense.. this is why so many "new peaked & tuned custom radios" pop up on Ebay, now I am not bashing this guy because If my intention was to profit then I would align myself with his tactics... but here we go
Take for instance a
"skywalker 29" This is a 100$ radio, with two stickers and one blue LED for the s-meter, a few diodes for the "EARS MOD", connex echo (probably an rf limited br-1 echo board), and a blue channel indicator all of a sudden it becomes worth triple the initial price tag?? HUH? WHAT?
This one kills me the most because an educated person can tell it's a ripoff, yet this guy probably sells a crap ton of these things.. "Galaxy Finals" or "BIGGER FINALS", man it's a single final radio come on...
We know a sticker on the faceplate, and a few diodes do not equal hundreds of dollars worth of work. But does the average or newbie user understand the difference?
Taking advantage of people is wrong, ultimately though the responsibility always falls on the consumer to educate themselves and do homework before spending money..
New Modulation Swing Kit, for 1 Watt Dead Key, with Full OutPut Power. Very Loud!!
Oh I bet it looks great on the 'scope!
Some of these types of "custom radios" could be warranty returns / refurbished units! Bought in bulk (Like pallet loads), and then "customized" & resold as "new", so the initial purchase price of the new radio may not even reflect what the SkyWalker guy has initially invested; for all we know he could have as little as 60$ total into each radio and he then "flips" them for $350 all day long online.
This is purely speculation, for all I know he is buying radios at retail prices and pays a mod-shop to "customize" it for him, and he tacks on a hundred bucks to what they billed him, and he still profits, best case scenario for his profit is that he buys the radios in bulk (maybe refurbished) and does the "work" himself with cheap Chinese parts also bought in bulk.
Do I agree with Skywalker? Well that doesn't matter here, the point is that he provides a product/service that
some people are willing to pay for.. (They think it's worth it) He is making money.
Should I get mad at McDonald's when they sell french fries at a huge mark-up? I know how to cook french fries, I can buy raw potatoes/oil and cook them myself for much less money by the pound, do I get mad at the consumer who "foolishly" spends more then the product is worth? Nope it's their choice, maybe the convenience is worth it to them.
Just food for thought.
