would this Deter you from buying used gear????

Nrchy, this is a sad commentary on the American state of mind. I believe that in every culture there is a central image in almost every person's mind creating a commonality of perspective and interests. In the case of the USA it appears to be cowboys and Indians and their urban counterparts, cops and robbers. I still can't believe I read pronouncements like yours. I never knew how lucky I was to be a Canadian and I trust that you only represent a segment of your country’s population. Sad indeed.

Pbb,

My favorite river to fish on around my home has a few rattlesnakes. They're small, timid and die easy. Hell, say boo loud enough and they faint. We tell folks about the abundance of snakes. It keeps the crowds down. I really wish the rest of the world would believe as you and be afraid of coming to, obviously, the most dangerous place on the planet. Get real. What threat are hard working, honest folks armed or unarmed?

This has been a fun thread. Thank you Goodbits for bringing it back around so that we can enjoy the 'B' side.

I get the feeling that lots of folks who think insurance will cover theft have not asked their insurance agent about this. I was going to start a thread on insurance and I will be doing a bit more research before proceeding. Suffice it to say that, without making special arrangements, a stolen high-end system will get pennies-on-the dollar back in insurance money.

Also, when it comes to all of this I.D. stuff, how many of you have copied down serial numbers and stored them, along with pictures of the stuff, outside of the home?

Why dont you just disassemble your whole system each evening before bed,gather your cameras,jewels, TV's and any other precious collectables, etc...and go lock em' all in a giant steel fire and theft proof safe! This way you dont have to engrave anything on your stuff, and I'll be able to buy it from you when you sell it.OR...maybe you should think twice about getting involved at all?? You could take a vote and ditch the engraving "requirement"... whatever!

I think its time to revisit a great read by Marshall Mcluan "The medium is the message" [well maybe for all you old hippies out there.]