[Amps] Buying Stolen Tubes?

[Carl]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dr. David Kirkby" <david.kirkby at onetel.net>
To: "'AMPS'" <amps at contesting.com>
Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2012 1:57 AM
Subject: Re: [Amps] Buying Stolen Tubes?


On 03/13/12 11:31 PM, Gary K9GS wrote:
> I remember hearing, I think it was a TV news story, several years ago
> that said 60% is stolen.  Seems a little high to me but it may be in
> some categories.
>
> It would be an interesting thing to Google.

Yes, perhaps there is 60% stolen in some categories. I could believe that 
figure.

Something else I know, is there are a lot of fakes on eBay. There was 
someone
selling holders for hard disks which go in IBM servers. (These are generally
called skeds or sleds).

He had two adverts - one for non-original IBM holders, and another for what 
he
said were genuine IBM holders. The difference in price was quite 
substantial, so
I decided to buy 4 of the non-IBM ones, see if they were OK, and if they 
were,
I'd buy enough for all my IBM servers. They came from Hong Kong or China - I
forget which.

When these non-original ones arrived, they looked just like the real thing. 
They
are diecast metal, and clearly have "IBM" in the die cast. So these are not 
just
IBM compatible, they are fakes.

I've got to admit, it did not stop me buying some more. I knew they were 
fakes,
but they are 100% compatible, and much cheaper than what he says are 
original
IBM ones. I suspect the originals and the fakes are just the same to be 
honest.

** Its quite common in Asia to produce a legitimate part for a US OEM and at 
the same time sell it into the secondary market.....with and without the 
OEM's approval.

OTOH that has absolutely nothing to do with the tube in question.

Carl
KM1H