With the possibility of a Greater Depression now beginning to sink in for more than just a handful of negative nabobs like me, I’m curious to see how folks will respond. It’s certainly a time to get a lot more serious about personal finances and prepare for the economic downturn that is no longer just around the corner; it is here.

Is it just my imagination or are we seeing a lot more used radio equipment being offered for sale?

Amateur radio related mailing lists have always had some elements of a rummage sale – hams like to buy and then swap or sell equipment on a regular basis. When Elecraft announced the new K3 their own mailing list became the best place to pick up a used K2, K1, or KX1 as they were sold to raise money for the new K3 and that’s completely understandable.

But over just the last two weeks, I’ve noticed that a lot more gear is being offered for sale than usual and I’m trying to understand if this trend is in any way related to the economic downturn currently in play, or maybe it’s just a seasonal thing with folks wanting to offload some gear to make room for more.

I think this is something to monitor closely as we proceed down this long, dark tunnel. For most of us this is just a hobby and we only spend what discretionary funds we decide to make available for it. But given that so many US households are neck-deep in credit card debt, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that the last visit to Dayton with a pocket full of plastic is going to become problematic for a number of radio hams.

Are you noticing more items than usual being offered “for sale” these days?