So, I bought this kit of Ebay

[Vince Maddux]

I bought a kit this week to add to my amour collection and I got the kit today, No issues with the kit,price or shipping. Very smooth transaction. But what bugs me is on the bottom of the box there was a sticker that said "this kit donated through Help Hospitalized Veterans" and a post cared for if the receiver wanted to write back. I don't know, but I feel kinda bad that some would sell it and I ended up buying it. I guess some people think about dollars of a gift more then the meaning.

[jinmmydel]

That's sad. I suspect what happened is you got a kit that was given to someone who's passed. I personally don't think I could ever sell something like that, but different people have different motivations. And while you and I may feel like it'd be easier and make us feel better to hold on to it, some people find it hard to hold on to things after someone's gone.

Seems to me they could have at least taken things off/out that clued you in to that.

Of course then again, you could be dealing with someone who got their hands on kits meant for donation that never made it..it happens..people can be miserable sometimes.

[Ken Piniak]

That's just sad, any way it came about. So now the question is, what are you gonna do?

Ken.

[Scooby]

You could have also have purchased from a vet that required the money or passed away.

I don't think it is necessarily a dishonest reason you received the kit.

[graves_09]

You could have also have purchased from a vet that required the money or passed away.

I don't think it is necessarily a dishonest reason you received the kit.

I agree. Maybe you were doing a vet a favor by helping him raise some cash for his/her family or help them out of a troubled situation. Lots of different things could be going on behind the scenes. I wouldn't feel bad about buying it. You did nothing wrong.

It reminds me of an episode of "Pawn Stars". A guy sold a map with the battle plans that his father carried during the Battle of Iwo Jima for a mere $2200. I could never sell something that historically important, but let alone if it was a part of my own family history!

Edited June 5, 2015 by graves_09

[Bigasshammm]

Send the seller a friendly note on eBay and ask. Maybe they'll say just what is stated above that they received the kit but now need some money instead. Could be a number of different reasons though not all of them bad or dishonest.

[Vince Maddux]

Thanks for the replies guys, I would like to think there was an honest and good reason for selling it. I thought about contacting the seller but I don't know if I would get an honest answer anyways. I guess I'll do what I always do, build the model in the memory of those that served and to those that never made it home, Known or Unknown and build it the best I can.

[Vince Maddux]

I just looked up the seller, Although I bought it from the states and it was shipped from Ky, the seller's Ebay profile says she is based in Israel. Plus it came in a box sealed with Amazon Prime packing tape. So she might not even know where it came from. It looks like a deep rabbit hole that I don't want to go down.

[Don]

Think positive about it. As others have posted, you did nothing wrong here...and perhaps nobody has. Honestly there are any number of potential scenarios that could have led to you ending up with possession of the kit and none of them have to be sinister. You bought the kit not knowing anything about its original intent. Your conscience should be clear. I say enjoy the model and as you posted earlier, take a moment to reflect on those who served.

Regards,

Don.

[Check Six]

I bought a kit this week to add to my amour collection and I got the kit today, No issues with the kit,price or shipping. Very smooth transaction. But what bugs me is on the bottom of the box there was a sticker that said "this kit donated through Help Hospitalized Veterans" and a post cared for if the receiver wanted to write back. I don't know, but I feel kinda bad that some would sell it and I ended up buying it. I guess some people think about dollars of a gift more then the meaning.

I remember those kits when I was hospitalized at Andersen AFB and Balboa Naval Hospital back in 1980 and '83.

A volunteer (Usually a retired person) would come around to the ward pushing a cart loaded with models. They would ask if you wanted to build one, if yes, you picked the model and they would hand you a tube of glue (Yes; I'll take the HKM B-17 with that large bag full of AM goodies ).

IMHO; I wouldn't be surprised if the model came from a serviceperson who was in the hospital for something as simple as an appendectomy. He or she was given the model and then discharged later in the day or early the next morning. That's what happened to me in '83. The person came around late in the afternoon and I picked a model but was too tired to start it so I slept the rest of the day (And night) and was discharged at 1000HRS the next morning.

I agree with your last point. As a modeler, I kept the model. But even if it wasn't my type of model I'd still keep it and build it because of where it came from.

I have a suggestion:

Why don't you fulfill the model's intended purpose that someone else didn't want to do (For whatever reason) and have that model be a special model just because of where it came from. In essence; You would be 'completing the mission' so to speak. I'll be bold and say it isn't a coincidence or accident that you ended up with it because you understand the meaning and it's significance behind it.