A firm bargain and right reckoning make long friends --Thomas Paine, in Common Sense

Like ol' Tom Paine, Guido and Luigi are a couple of wise guys too. Guido and Luigi told me they met at Attica in upstate New York. They say they are both family men running a successful career in the concrete business where they have helped many prominent citizens become "cornerstones" in their organization. They appear now to lead active lives in the Bronx though contacting them is sometimes difficult. Associates of theirs are (very) quick to mention that they are highly respected by virtually all the members of the community. Imagine my good fortune when they approached me (in their Cadillac) about being my credit managers; they sure seem to do an excellent job! At least that's the story (and we're sticking with it.) What's that, Guido? Oh yeah, You may want to print out this page.

Below, Guido and Luigi offer their sage advice on the following topics:

• How the sale works
• Payments
• Inspection/Acceptance
• Shipping
• Sales Tax
• Warranties (or lack thereof)
• The Fine Print

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How the Sale Works

Here's the dilemma; you're a seller and you're worried about sending gear to a buyer before you have a check. Or, you are a buyer but you are worried about sending a check before you get the gear. Guido and Luigi to the rescue! Here’s how it works here at The Greene Sheet:

• The Buyer sends a check made out to the Greene Sheet for the sale price and any taxes and shipping. (Wire if you want it fast!)
• The Greene Sheet, Inc. holds the buyer's check in escrow.
• When the buyer's check clears, we have the Seller ship the gear to the buyer.
• The buyer has 48hrs once the gear is received to check it out and decide if the gear is as represented.
• A check is sent to the seller (minus our meager fees) after the buyer accepts or 48 hours whichever is sooner.
• If there are problems we all sit down like adults and talk about it. Disputes are arbitrated by The Greene Sheet, Inc. and our decision is final.

Now of course you have to trust us but with names like Guido and Luigi how can you go wrong! Plus we’ve been in business for well over a decade years now on the internet so we can get you references if you need ‘em. Luigi has unearthed this point of historical fact: The Greene Sheet was the very first equipment broker on the Web. Back in early 1995 when the site went up there were less than 50,000 websites in the entire world!

Our No-Nonsense Terms

Payments

Buyers: You have many choices for payment.

· Company or personal checks are OK -after they have cleared -sometimes up to five days.

· Cashiers checks are fine but contrary to popular belief (as our banker informs us) they do not clear immediately -though we can call the issuing bank for verification and that is usually sufficient to confirm payment.

· Wire transfer is the method of choice for larger dollar amounts and guaranteed to be immediately cleared -call for details.

· We do not accept credit cards except for very small orders (coupla hundred mebbe). Those guys nick us for a good chunk of our meager profit so if you’ve selfishly chiseled us down to the last dime we may politely decline to take a card even for the little piddly stuff we'll take a card for.!

· We do not do trades. On rare occasions we’ll take a trade in (but then only if we get it for nothing!)

Sellers:
The buyer gets 48hrs to check things out. We will send you a check (minus our paltry fee) once the item is either approved or the approval period is over (unless the buyer tells us there is a problem within that time.) We do NOT wait to send you a check; once the 48 hrs is over we usually cut a check within days.

Very Important!! The Greene Sheet does not buy or otherwise take posession of the equipment. Both seller and buyer should understand that it is in everyone’s interest to wait until the buyers check clears before shipment. If you as a seller decide to ship before you have word from us that the check has cleared it's your problem, not ours. For the rare situations where there is a direct transaction between buyer and seller and the Greene Sheet collects a fee, the seller makes the decision as to whether they will accept the buyer's check or PO. We assume no liability for the check or the disposition of the equipment, i.e. if the buyer skips and the gear is gone, you lose, not us although we won't nail you for our fee (just trying to be clear here!) Enough already!

Inspection Period
Buyers get 48 hours to accept or reject an item. Rejection is valid ONLY if the unit was not represented properly or if the item is non-functional. Buyers, you should not even attempt to return an item because you've simply changed your mind about buying it in the first place. If an item is to be returned it must be sent immediately (within 48 hours) after the 48 hour checkout period or you may end up keeping it. Seller pays return trip (insured) if it comes back due to misrepresentation or the gear not working. Both Sellers and Buyers must honor this agreement.

Now obviously there are sometimes problems. Most can be solved with the seller agreeing to pay for a repair. It should also be a well known fact the simply shipping and item can often create a service problem. It should not be automatically assumed that a Seller has sent a broken item.

Buyers should not expect an item to perform beyond its original specifications. Sounds silly but here's a real example; virtually all cameras have missing or weak pixels. Broadcast cams have fewer defects and often have sophisticated circuitry to hide or compensate for these. So called “Industrial” cameras almost always have missing pixels and don’t hide them as well. Missing pixels are expected and within manufacturer spec on most cameras.

Shipping
Buyers customarily pay shipping! We recommend FedEx. Items can be tracked from the moment they are shipped (we will call the buyer with the tracking number) In our experience FedEx doesn’t seem to destroy or lose items as skillfully as UPS. Three day FedEx Express Saver is a cost effective but safe way to go. You can save a bit with "Ground Saver" which is a FedEx Ground (formerly RPS) -3 to 5 days- but this should only be used for items that do not damage easily. If you choose UPS you lose your 48hr inspection period, i.e. no returns.

Everything ships insured –no excuses.

Packaging
Pack the stuff really well! Consider that as a Seller you own it until it is accepted. As a Buyer, if you return it and a damage claim is rejected by the carrier (or you forgot to insure it) –YOU own it! The original carton is not the best shipping box –they were designed to sit on a palette with other boxes. Follow FedEx guidelines! It is best to either double box with corners or remove the item and have a new box and foam made. “Foam-to-fit” or foam-in-place” methods are best and stand up in damage claims. The Packaging Store has locations in most states and does the best job. They double insure if you let them ship it on their form.

If you dare to pack it yourself, keep in mind that packing peanuts, even the biodegradable Cheeto kind, are inherently evil and many companies will not accept a package with them.

Sales Tax?
Do we look like tax accountants? Here's the straight poop as we understand it. As a buyer you are responsible for remitting a use tax (generally equal to any sales tax rate) to your state unless we, The Greene Sheet,Inc., has an office in your state which -we don't unless you happen to live in Minnesota. If you do live in Minnesota you're hosed, you gotta pay it and we gotta collect it.

Warranties (or lack thereof)
Most preowned gear is sold as is and without warranty. It is incumbent on the buyer to check out the gear within 48hrs. Of course, most sellers will take an item back if it is dead on arrival (DOA). Once again, for the record, neither I (George Greene, aka Uncle Geo) or this ethereal construct called The Greene Sheet, Inc. accept any liability or offer any warranty for any gear we sell unless otherwise specified..

The Fine Print
Luigi tells me I need to mention some important items. Read the boilerplate that appears on all our invoices and POs, to whit:

“TERMS: Items sold as is; no warranty. Seller represents that items are free of liens and encumbrances and guarantees transfer of clear title. Buyer waives all rights to the dispute provisions of credit cards used for payment. Equipment can ONLY be rejected by Buyer within 48hours of delivery and only if misrepresented (if misrepresented Seller pays all shipping.) Seller owns the equipment until the buyer accepts it. Sellers and Buyers will always ship insured and packed to carrier specifications. Damage claims are the responsibility of the Shipper whether Buyer or Seller. Buyer and Seller agree to use the Greene Sheet Inc. to arbitrate and decide any disputes. The Greene Sheet and/or it's agents are not responsible for shipping, taxes, uncollected payment from the Buyer, or loss or damage of items.

Please sign, date and return. _______________________ ___/___/___ Absent a signed contract, payment for, or shipment of items shall be deemed acceptance of these terms.”