[CQ-Contest] making $$$ on QSLs

[Kip Edwards]

Zack,

	Jim Maxwell, W6CF (SK), told me a story maybe 30 years ago about a
foreign station whose QSL card you desperately wanted to get.

	You worked the guy and sent him a card, an SAE and two green stamps.
No reply.  So you did it again:  a card, an SAE and two more green stamps.
Again, no reply.  So the third time you sent a card, an SAE, two more green
stamps and a pleading letter.

	Now pretend you're the guy whose card is desired and who
periodically gets two green stamps from a guy in the U.S.  You know two
things:  (1) if you send him your card, you'll never hear from him again, or
(2) if you don't reply he may keep sending you green stamps every now and
then.

	What would you do?

	73 Kip W6SZN

-----Original Message-----
From: CQ-Contest [mailto:cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of
Zack Widup
Sent: Sunday, September 01, 2013 8:41 AM
To: CQ Contest
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] making $$$ on QSLs

Quite a few years ago I worked an eastern European station who was in
a country I didn't have confirmed. I sent a QSL plus one green stamp.
After several months went by, I heard him on the air again and asked
if he sent my card yet. He said he'd never received mine. So I sent
another with another green stamp. After another wait of months, I
crossed paths with him again and asked about the card. He said he'd
received my card but needed another dollar to send one back. So off
went another card and green stamp from me.

Shortly after that, I got an Easter card in the mail from him. An
EASTER card! But no QSL.

After another wait, he said he didn't receive my other dollar. This
sent on for a while, with a total of 6 US dollars being sent. Finally
I got a card from him.

So did he actually receive all of my cards and make $6? Or how much
did he actually receive? I guess I'll never know.

73, Zack W9SZ


On 8/31/13, Charles Harpole <hs0zcw at gmail.com> wrote:
> I now have two years of good $ records of income and outgo for answering
> QSL cards direct and via buro for my Thailand call sign.
>
> The answer is I can account for $11.00 USD net cost to me per month.
>
> That is eleven dollars times 12 months = $132.00 USD per year.
>
> This includes printing cards, paying for Air Mail stamps, and answering
> buro cards.  That includes cards resulting from CONTESTS*.  I do not send
> any card that is not requested, direct and buro.
>
> It does not include travel to post office, a P. O. box rental, envelopes
> for some, and such misc.
> It is via the generosity of direct mailing hams including green stamps
that
> cuts my costs and very cheap local printing of color cards, as cheap as
> plain other places.
>
>  I can not see how hams who respond faithfully to all card requests can
> possibly make money on QSL cards.  I guess my costs are low which means
the
> net cost/loss to hams in other locations must be higher.
>
> I enjoy so much getting cards and responding that my costs are a tiny
price
> to pay for the joy they give me.  That is especially true for those that
> say, "I am 70 years old, a ham all my life, and you are my first Thailand
> QSO, pse QSL."
>
> There is just no substitute for touching real things,  73,
>
> --
> Charly, HS0ZCW
> *See how this message is relevant to contests!  Ah ha!
> _______________________________________________
> CQ-Contest mailing list
> CQ-Contest at contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
>
_______________________________________________
CQ-Contest mailing list
CQ-Contest at contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
-----
No virus found in this message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 2013.0.3392 / Virus Database: 3211/6607 - Release Date: 08/25/13