McScuse me?
I'm obviously only one cup of coffee into the day, am I reading this correctly?! These machines, ALL of these machines, were listed for sale on eBay. Every. Single. One. Some, I might point out, for several MONTHS! Not a single person took interest until now? It is just so amusing to me that there's such outrage at their disposal. I mean, really? Why no outrage at the "member" of this forum who is WELL KNOWN to put unwanted machines into garbage crushers, drag behind vehicles, etc?
I'm still trying to wrap my mind around comparing Brandon's decision to throw away HIS cleaners to abused/deceased puppies. Do excuse my unladylike commentary, but that is complete bullshit. As an active volunteer in animal rescue and fostering, I take offense to that! You cannot compare the two!
Furthermore, there was no "destruction of cleaners" in the photo, which is the only regulation on the forum that would've been of any relevance. It would've been a different story had he taken video of a cleaner on fire while dancing the Charleston.
Moving on, I don't see this as "mean" at all! I've been gifted with cleaners from Brandon's collection and have sent him some of mine. I know firsthand how well he packs vintage machines (I'm certain some of you do as well!) and how much money he spends on packing materials and, in many cases, boxes themselves! $60 for the cleaners and shipping is lowball at best. I know what he puts into safely packaging a cleaner. $60 MIGHT cover the bubble wrap, packaging peanuts, foam, commercial grade packing tape, and not to mention the time he takes out of his free time to lug these 800 pound machines to FedEx for shipping. Many times this is done on his lunch hour! He takes pride in packaging items well, his eBay seller feedback reflects this.
Next point, How many people have posted photos of machines at thrift shops or drove by some in the garbage with statements like "wasn't worth the $13.99" or "I wasn't about to put THAT in my car!". I've seen firsthand people offer money to the member who posted the aforementioned cleaners found in thrift shops/trash to retrieve them at the expense of the interested party. 98% of the time, the answer is a resounding no! The only difference here? Anyone with an eBay and PayPal account could've owned these if they were so bloody worried about their welfare. Hell, if you read a few replies up, you wouldn't have even needed an eBay account! It is clearly stated in reply 18 (see enclosed screenshot for your convenience) that he was willing to work a private deal, and asked interested parties to message him privately to iron out the deal.
Now that these cleaners bit the dust (pun intended), I think we ought to not only think before we speak, but be a bit more proactive in seeking out machines that are wanted before they are no longer available. As a VERY wise lady once said, "you've got to play to win". It really was just that simple!
I guess that is pretty much all. I'll still continue to pick up machines I don't collect here and there in hopes they find a good home. I've purged many from the garden shed myself recently. Just don't have the time or energy to store things no one seems to care about.
Last, but not least: these were, in fact, Brandon's cleaners he no longer wanted (that also didn't sell). He had every right to do with them as he saw fit. There's no need to clutter ones home with unwanted machines!
On that note, back to my coffee!
Happy Hoovering![this post was last edited: 9/13/2016-13:13]
