The BVWS Code of Practice says:
Quote:
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Our objectives are to encourage the preservation and communication of technical and historical data, and to preserve or restore vintage equipment. Membership of the Society must not be exploited for purely commercial advantage. Similarly, members must take care not to knowingly misrepresent or allow misunderstanding of authenticity, condition or age of any item offered in a transaction. Members must observe the Society's rules relating to the conduct of meetings and auctions, as advertised in connection with specific events. In particular, ad hoc transactions prior to official opening of a meeting, or withdrawal of catalogued auction items in favour of a private deal, are not acceptable. Finally, members must not compromise the good standing of the Society by associating it with any dishonest or unethical activity.
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I have highlighted in bold the sentence which I think is most relevant here, and the key word is "purely".
This is the part that the members the society have taken action against have breached continuously for an extended period of time. The person who was expelled had received a previous warning but had not changed his ways at all.
It's similar to how on this forum we get rid of members who are clearly only here to buy and sell, and have no interest in collecting, restoring or discussing the equipment.
Nobody has any problems with collectors buying and selling stuff, that's what swapmeets, auctions, eBay and the sales/wanted section here are all about. We may sometimes make a profit on items - but that is not the aim.
There are some dealers who are members of the BVWS, and are welcome because they are also enthusiasts. Steve Harris at On the Air for example has spent hundreds of hours and thousands of pounds restoring TV outside broadcast vehicles for his own pleasure, and previously ran a small vintage radio history museum.
There is of course a place for dealers, but that place is not in the BVWS or on this forum buying up large amounts of stock.
All this is just my opinion based on being a BVWS committee member, and is not an official BVWS statement.