[meteorite-list] Fwd: How many meteorite dealers are there?

[Michael L Blood]

Hi Norbert and all,
        In terms of the survey I conducted a few years ago with list
Members, whether or not someone was a "meteorite dealer"
Was left up to them - and there were a LOT of people who
Reported themselves as meteorite dealers.
        I, personally, would consider having a meteorite web site
Or a meteorite mailing list to be minimal as qualifying as a
Meteorite dealer. Selling your upgraded collection pieces on
Ebay occasionally would not cut it - however, if you sell meteorites
On eBay on an ongoing basis, week after week, that would definitely
Constitute a "dealer" and is exactly what Dean Bessey did for a very
Long time before having a web site.
        HOWEVER, again, this topic (what constitutes a meteorite dealer)
Can be found in the list archives and was discussed for days involving
Many dozens if not hundreds of posts on the question.
        Best wishes, Michael

on 7/9/08 4:54 PM, Norbert Classen at riffraff at timewarp.de wrote:

> Hi Alex, and All,
> 
> A very good question, and I believe there's an answer to that. But let's
> start by asking some more questions:
> 
> If you sell a T-shirt or a pair of Jeans on eBay from time to time, does
> this make you a commercial dealer, or even part of the textil
> business/industry? If you sell a used book once in a while, does this make
> you a book seller? Surely not.
> 
> If you have a registered business for selling meteorites (or minerals) you
> might consider yourself a commercial seller (dealer), if you don't you are
> probably no "dealer", but just a private person/collector who sells a
> rock/meteorite sample once in a while. So, do you have a commercial eBay
> account, or a private account? It's that simple.
> 
> I don't know for other countries, but in Germany there's a clear distinction
> (set by the tax authorities): if you are making a profit with it you have a
> business and you are considered to be a "Händler" (commercial seller). If
> you are spending more on a hobby than you earn with your related sales you
> are considered a "Liebhaber" (hobbyist), and they won't even tax your
> related income because you are making zero profit with your once in a while
> sales.
> 
> So I guess some people need to re-consider the real meaning of the word
> "dealer" in a social and economical context. If we are talking of commercial
> sellers, and people who make a real profit by selling meteorites there are
> probaly not as many "meteorite dealers" as you might think.
> 
> Just my two cents,
> Norbert
> 
> -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
> 
>> Can you tell the MeteoriteMan is a dealer or the collector is the
>> MeteoriteMan? Is there a borderline?
> 
> Exactly this is what I called into question! :-) Any suggestions for a
> definition of "dealer"?
> 
> Alex
> Berlin/Germany
> 
> ...who thinks there are more than those mentioned "dealers" on that list,
> but then again, where is the borderline, in terms of, may be, common sense
> and understanding? So any thoughts and ideas are welcome here....
> 

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