Buying A VCR On EBay Changed This Guy's Life And Now I'm Crying

Carl2/22/2019 8:15 PM

WGN — What seemed like an ordinary eBay transaction to one St. Louis man turned into a heartwarming interaction with the customer who was 86 and new to online shopping. Matt Shoukry sold a VCR to a man in Phoenix for $40 and didn’t think much of it. He then received a handwritten letter from the VCR’s new owner, a first-time eBay user.

Hi
I found many old VHS tapes recently and wanted to see what is on them and realized I had no player. So I went to EBay for the first time and discovered your offer. I
I bought your VHS and you shipped it within a few days. The VHS looks new and unused. Amazing. I had some issues getting it going which were mine and not the player. I am 86 and perhaps not up to my fame but I do get there eventually. And I did, and discovered the VHS works perfectly.
Thank you so much for your care, your efforts, and your promptness.
I watched tapes of my retirement party from 25 years ago which I had never seen before. Jeez, were we young. Then a tape of my wedding with all the family and friends, many of which are no longer arouhnd. Then skiing trips, kids growing up, travels, and most importantly the gentle maturing of my family. Each one more fun than the last. All thanks to your generous selling of the VHS player.
I thought you would appreciate how much someone has enjoyed your offer.
Best regards,
*Signature*

Holy hell it’s getting dusty on a Friday afternoon here at Barstool Chicago HQ. I wrote earlier today about WW2 Vet Joe Cuba asking for Birthday Cards and now my heartstrings are getting pulled by another grandpa. The image of him laboring through that typed letter and then handwriting the address on the envelope and licking the stamp and walking to the post office is awesome. Even better though is knowing just how much a working VCR means to this 86 year old guy.

Think of all the shit you have going on in life and how fast its moving. I know every time I look up it seems like someone just had a kid or got a promotion or whatever. The last 10 years have gone by in a flash. The next however many years are going to come that much faster. That’s why it’s cool to just stop and think for 2 seconds about what matters. This guy’s deep in the 4th quarter of life and all he wants to do is reflect on where it’s taken him via 30-something year old technology. Both my grandpas have passed but they’d be in the same boat.

That said, I hope someone tells him the double-space after a period died with Y2K. I don’t care how sentimental you want to get, stop wasting paper. That’s my only gripe. Everything else gives me hope that no matter how fast the world gets, there will always be a place for simpler times which is why I want to introduce the best VHS cassettes from my childhood. Feel free to comment.

Sandlot