For Belmondo and IanD

[tommykjensen]

I gotta say this.

You 2 are some of the nicest people I have met through the internet!

I actually already knew that but what transpirred through the weekend made it even more clear.

If anybody dosen't know this already this is why:

A couple of weeks ago I started a thread about which prime to add to my lens collection, a 300 mm f4 IS L or 400 mm f5.6 L. I got a lot responses. I was and still am in doubt which to get. So eventually I may end up getting both so now the question will be which to get first :lol:

Then this weekend I first got a PM from Ian, he told me to expect an interesting PM from Tom.

Sure enough, I got a PM from Tom. It turned out that Tom has a 300 f4 IS he is not using and wants to sell. So what happened was while Ian and Tom was speaking with each other Ian told Tom that he could remember that I was in search of a new lens and that I might be interested in the 300 mm. So Tom sent me a PM to offer it to me first even though he had another potential buyer! It really is a good offer and I said I would be interested if we could figure out a way to ship it. Now the problem is I live in Denmark and here we have incredibly high duty and sales tax which is also applied to used items so if Tom shipped it directly to me the danish govornment would add so much in duty and sales tax that the price would be the same as if I bought it new at B&H and got them to ship it. Then I thought how about if FedEx or UPS could ship it to Orlando where I will be in april but it would have to be so I should pick it up instead of delivered to an address I don't even know yet. So Tom tried getting that information on saturday.

Well during the weekend I began to get cold feet :o So when I last night got a new PM from Tom saying that he had not forgotten me, I explained the situation and that it was nothing personal. I fully trust Tom but it was the shipping I was not comfortable with. Even though I am going to pay high for it I feel most comfortable buying the lens in Denmark, yes I am a chicken !

The response was: "No problem at all". How many react that way?

Then he told me to my surprise that the other buyer was no other than Ian! So even though Ian was interested in this lens he wanted Tom to offer it to me first. How many would do a thing like that?

So thank You, I am honored to know You through the internet and I hope that someday we can meet.

[CyberDyneSystems]

Aside from how cool and fun they are on a daily basis on this forum,... I too have purchased "stuff" from both of these guys. Never met in person, but I'd trust these two for anything!

There are a lot of really great people on this forum.. .

Did I ever tell you about meeting Scottes for the first time?

I loaded 10K in camera equipment into his trunk at a high way rest stop where we met,. and walked into the McDonalds to get something to drink... Scottes stayed with the Car,. again,. I had just met him 30 seconds prior.

I said to him "this is the part where I walk into McDonalds and you drive off with all my stuff" :lol: :lol: :lol:

What a great bunch of people!

[Scottes]

Did I ever tell you about meeting Scottes for the first time?

I loaded 10K in camera equipment into his trunk at a high way rest stop where we met,. and walked into the McDonalds to get something to drink... Scottes stayed with the Car,. again,. I had just met him 30 seconds prior.
That was pretty funny! Neither of us gave it a second thought - it was just the natural thing to do.



Now, mind you, I certainly don't recommend trusting anybody you just met over the Internet, but sometimes you just know...

[Belmondo]

I recently made the comment to IanD that he appeared to have a lot of trouble making friends. :lol:

Tommy:
Thank you for those kind words. I'm sorry we couldn't come up with a satisfactory way of doing the deal.

As a general note:
I've bought and sold here on the forum, and always found it to be a most pleasant experience. As Scottes says, Now, mind you, I certainly don't recommend trusting anybody you just met over the Internet, but sometimes you just know... I've gotten that feeling with a number of people in this forum......you are a special group of people.

[IanD]

Tommy,
Thank you:o:o
Even though we never meet a lot of folks who call the forum home, there are some that you know are really good, honest folks and you would help them as best you could. I believe that the majority of members fall into that catagory.
I've had the pleasure to meeting and spending time with several folks on the forum and it has been great. The concept of the GCPS was born out of this (as well as the discovery that kangaroos are native to the Montreal region).
A good time with great company.
Hopefully one day we will all get the chance to meet, if even for the briefest of moments.

[PacAce]

I agree, one would be hard pressed to find anybody nicer and kinder than, or even as nice and kind as, these two gentlemen. :D

[Tom W]

There's a lot of great people on here, but a few stand out including Belmondo, Ian D, CDS, Leo, Scottes, Marie, and others. They're all trustworthy, honest, and enjoyable people to have around these parts. These are the ones that make this forum great.

[Avalonthas]

Good people on this forum -- most of the time :p

[ssim]

I'd like to echo the same sentiments of most on here. I feel most grateful to have met Ian in Montreal. He has turned out to be the brother that I never had. Tom seems like a very nice fellow as well but a halo????? I think we would have to talk to his wife about that.

We've had the opportunity to host a few people in Montreal, having met them on the board. These are friendships that I wouldn't trade for anything. This board is filled with great people.

[CyberDyneSystems]

Tom seems like a very nice fellow as well but a halo?????

Indeed,.. The more i get to know Tom,. the more I become convinced that he is an ex-Government agent... I'm sure that would make the halo a bit of an anacronysm... no? :lol:

[Belmondo]

Indeed,.. The more i get to know Tom,. the more I become convinced that he is an ex-Government agent... I'm sure that would make the halo a bit of an anacronysm... no? :lol:

I ain't talking. :rolleyes:

[Tom W]

I still think it's a hula-hoop...