I normally hesitate to write anything publicly critical of another human
being, but I believe I will make an exception in this case, in the hope of
sparing some other unsuspecting collector or dealer an unpleasant
experience.  I only crossed paths with E.T. once, several years ago.  He
phoned me one day, out of the blue.  I had never heard of him, but he
sounded knowledgeable, and also claimed to be a friend of a long-standing
customer of mine, who had supposedly recommended me.  He wanted about a half
dozen medium-priced shells, and I said I would send them right off to him,
just as I would have done for someone I knew.  We chatted a while, and just
before he hung up he said "oh, there is one other thing I'd be interested
in", and named a rather pricey volute.  I wasn't entirely comfortable with
that, but I said I would include it in the shipment.  Silly me.  I sent off
the shells to his P.O. box, which was the only address he provided.  When I
didn't hear from him in about five weeks, I sent him a letter.  No response.
Three weeks later, another letter.  No response.  I contacted my long-time
friend, the one who had supposedly referred him to me.  Of course, my friend
didn't know him.  Through various inquiries to and through shellers I know,
I managed to get ahold of an old phone number for him, from a friend of a
friend.  I called the number and he answered.  When he heard who it was, he
stuttered and stammered for a minute, then demanded to know how I got his
phone number.  In the end, he said he would send me a check immediately.
When I didn't receive the check in ten days, I called again.  The number was
no longer in service.  Needless to say, I ended up writing it off as a loss.
So, dear friends - when you contact a dealer, or even another collector for
the first time, and they act a little reserved, please don't take it
personally.  After being burned a few times, one becomes a little more
cautious.  One bad apple makes things just a little tougher on the rest of
us.  I still try to give people the benefit of the doubt as much as I
possibly can.  But sometimes you have to draw the line somewhere.
Regards,
Paul M.