Buying Radios off Ebay???
Jeff, I never said it was 'rampant', just that it happens.
What the original post asked was, "Is buying radios off ebay a good idea or a bad idea". I stand by my original answer. Know what you are bidding on - because there are both folks selling stuff they have no idea what it is and SOME that are trying to unload old, outdated equipment.
If you haven't seen some of these posts, then you are missing them because I see them fairly often. I see sellers state something like, "I got this from an estate sale and don't know anything about it" or, "I know nothing about these so am selling as-is". Those are the ones that have no idea what they are selling and if it is legal or not. Those are not being dishonest - they just don't know what they're selling. I've been watching (and buying and selling) on eBay for 4 years and I still see old radios being offered. I know the ones I'm referring to aren't legal because they ceased being manufactured long before the narrow band issue came along.
Then you've got the ones that are modelers (you can tell because they buy AND sell mostly model items) and they don't state an older radio is no longer legal to use. Rampant? Of course not - but I've seen it. I don't have a problem with them selling the older stuff when they state something like, "This equipment is no longer legal to operate and is being sold as a collector's item only".
So I still stand by my original comment: Bid only if you know exactly what you're buying. But I never implied I believed most modelers are unscrupulous or that it was 'rampant'. Just be careful what you buy.