Timothy Bosma, Our Thoughts and Prayers With Family

SELLING ONLINE HAS ITS DANGERS TO ALL PARTIES - ALL OF THE TIME

TRAGIC DEATH OF TIMOTHY BOSMA HAS SHOCKED US ALL -

     OUR FAMILY HAS BEEN WATCHING THE NEWS REPORTS, ABOUT TIMOTHY BOSMA, FROM THE FIRST NEWS-CAST LAST WEEK, LISTING HIM AS MISSING FROM HIS HOME IN ANCASTER, ONTARIO. ALL OF US STOOD AROUND THE COMPUTER MONITOR, AT TEN THIS MORNING, WATCHING THE BRIEFING, GIVEN BY HAMILTON POLICE, REPORTING THE UNFORTUNATE NEWS THAT MR. BOSMA'S BODAY HAD BEEN RECOVERED. IT WAS CERTAINLY THE CASE, AS MUCH AS WE CAN'T COMPREHEND WHY, THAT FOUL PLAY WAS THE CAUSE OF HIS DEATH.

     TIMOTHY BOSMA WAS DOING WHAT MILLIONS OF FOLKS DO THESE DAYS, WHEN THEY HAVE SOMETHING TO SELL, AND ARE LOOKING FOR THE GREATEST EXPOSURE TO DO SO. WE HAVE BEEN SELLING ONLINE FOR YEARS, AND OUR SONS, IN THE VINTAGE MUSIC BUSINESS, SCAN ONLINE LISTINGS BY THE HOUR, IN THE QUEST FOR SOMEONE SELLING WHAT THEY (AS MUSIC NOSTALGIA COLLECTORS) WOULD LIKE TO OWN. MR. BOSMA WAS TRYING TO SELL A TRUCK ONLINE. A SIMPLE, FUNDAMENTAL PROCEDURE OF LISTING, AND THEN WAITING FOR CALLS AND OR EMAILS, SHOWING INTEREST IN MAKING THE PURCHASE. OR VISITING FOR AN ON-SITE INSPECTION. IN THIS CASE, TWO MEN CAME TO TAKE THE TRUCK FOR A TEST DRIVE, WITH MR. BOSMA, COMING ALONG. WHAT MAY HAVE OCCURRED, WAS A THIRD PERSON CONNECTED TO THE EVENTUAL TRUCK THEFT, WAS FOLLOWING BEHIND, AS PREARRANGED. WE WERE ALL SADDENED BY THE TRAGIC END TO THIS STORY, AND ALTHOUGH WE DON'T KNOW THE BOSMA FAMILY, THIS NEWS WAS STUNNING NONE THE LESS. IT WAS JUST A TRUCK. HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN, FROM SUCH AN INNOCENT, TYPICAL, "BUY AND SELL" ARRANGEMENT?

     THE REASON IT HITS HOME, IS THAT WE PARTICIPATE IN ONLINE SALES AND BUYING ALL THE TIME, AS CAREER ANTIQUE DEALERS. WE HAVE BEEN INVITED TO MANY HOMES, OF ONLINE SELLERS, AND AS WELL, WE HAVE HAD QUITE A FEW POTENTIAL BUYERS SHOW UP AT OUR SHOP, LOOKING FOR THE SPECIALTY ITEM(S) THAT WE HAD LISTED ONLINE. ONE THING WE HAVE NEVER DONE, IS DIRECT ANY ONE TO OUR HOUSE, EITHER TO VIEW MATERIALS FOR SALE, OR FOR REASONS OF A PICK-UP, SUCH AS IN THE CASE OF AN ONLINE AUCTION. THIS IS ALL CHANNELED THROUGH OUR MAIN STREET GRAVENHURST SHOP. WE'VE HAD A FEW BAD EXPERIENCES OVER THE YEARS, AND WE WANT THE LOCATION TO BE HIGH VISIBILITY, AND THIS IS THE CASE FOR OUR MUSKOKA ROAD STORE.

     WE HAVE FOUND OURSELVES IN CURIOUS LOCATIONS, TO VIEW VINTAGE VINYL COLLECTIONS, AND ESTATE SALES WHERE THERE ARE SUBSTANTIAL QUANTITIES OF DRUMS, GUITARS AND BANJOS. EACH TIME WE GO, THERE ARE THREE OF US IN ATTENDANCE, IF NOT FOUR. WE HAVE CELL PHONES READY TO ROLL IF THERE IS A PROBLEM, AND WE ALWAYS HAVE AN EXIT STRATEGY PREPARED, IN CASE WE WIND-UP SOMEWHERE, AND FIND AN UNEXPECTED ADVERSITY, OR UNFORTUNATE CIRCUMSTANCE. IN THE ANTIQUE TRADE, I HAVE HAD NUMEROUS EXPERIENCES THIS WAY, AND FOUND MYSELF FACE TO FACE WITH SELLERS WHO JUST WANTED MY COMPANY, AND THE CHANCE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT LOCAL POLITICS, THE WORLD ORDER, OR MOST COMMONLY, THEIR HORRIBLE SPOUSES, THAT HAD PUT THEM IN THIS POSITION, OF HAVING TO SELL OFF THEIR BELONGINGS TO MAKE SUPPORT PAYMENTS.

WE KNOW PEOPLE WHO ARE OUT ON THE HUSTINGS EVERY DAY, IN VULNERABLE SITUATIONS

     As a long time reporter, for the regional press, I was often required to do interviews in uncomfortable situations, with folks who were mad and obsessed, and felt that as a reporter I could represent their grievances. I don't want to minimize the tragedy that has unfolded, with Tim Bosma, but I found out early in my career, the importance of reading situations, of which I was immersing regularly. I once found myself a passenger in a vehicle, traveling at a high rate of speed, and listening to the driver talking about suicide. I got into the vehicle because I knew the gentleman well, from childhood actually, and he said that if I drove with him to a local bar, he would give me a story for my front page. I think the story may have been about his demise, and the only problem, may have been getting me to write it down, as the "actuality" of the moment, so that when he drove into the rock at the side of the road, killing us both, the story penned on a piece of paper, would by found by the investigating officers. I was so scared of angering him, that I tried being entirely compassionate, and totally agreeable, to what he felt he was owed by society, having had what was arguably a rough childhood, at the hands of an abusive parent. I wrote a lot down over a short distance, and he seemed to like the fact I was taking an interest. I like to think I talked him down that night, and yet, when we finally arrived at the bar, I was insincere about going to the bathroom, and then meeting him for a beer. I found a female friend outside, and asked if she could drive me home. I have had flashbacks to that evening many times, because it seemed an imminent event, that one or both of us would perish before the night was over. The man did receive mental assistance shortly after this incident.

    I have had other similar occasions, when I found myself alone, doing an interview, when violence was suggested as a good alternative, to the way the subject was feeling at that moment. Including killing a spouse, or me to make a point. I learned about these events by immersion, and how simple evasive actions could save my life and the subject's. The best defense, of course, was not getting into these dangerous situations in the first place. In one case, I was too late to contact police, about my concerns for potential violence, I suspected was a near-time possibility, and as a result, the chap I knew so well, shot his wife and then himself. I have seen destructive ambitions up close, and yet, tragically, they looked so benign at the onset. How many times have we said….."we never imagined this could happen….but it did!"

     I learned after this to be particularly sensitive to all relevant circumstances, and information, before heading off to someone's home, or getting in their car. I would take a photographer with me, just as today, I travel with my two strapping lads, and a dog named Bosko, who would defend us to the end. But even with this, I'm nervous of committing to these home visits, and I would imagine, news of this terrible event, that took the life of Timothy Bosma, will change attitudes about these types of meetings, especially the security considerations. It is most likely that the number of criminal situations, arising from online sales, is still very small. There are a growing number of unsavory folks, using online sales, and buying to scam users, and we hear about these every few weeks; such as the famous over-payment scheme, where a cheque payment is over the amount by a thousand dollars or more, and the request is to pay the excess, to another account…..as the buyer is from another country. This gets a lot of play in online sales. But we have had a number of persistent potential buyers, demanding to visit our house, to see the merchandise offered for sale. Each time, we have made it clear, that to show up here, at our home, would be to nullify the sale opportunity, cancel the sale entirely, or cause us to call the police. We may seem like very open people, generous with personal information, but this is an illusion. We are security conscious all the time, especially at home.

     We have regular meetings at our shop, to discuss security issues. We do have about five percent of our visitors each year, who have issues causing us concern. There are customers with emotional problems, who are fine unless they have been consuming alcohol or drugs. We will get four or five customers every month, who wish to sell us materials, too drunk or stoned to be responsible for their actions. Most are vague about the materials they are interested in selling, and usually can't give us any clear information where the guitars (for example) have come from…..and even if they are the rightful owners. We have also had numerous patrons who have become belligerent, all of a sudden, because we wouldn't do what they asked, and that usually hinged on paying them the money requested. There are emergency preparations for each situation, and we have phones available to make emergency calls if needed. I would say, that before this terrible event to hit the province, that we felt safer with online sales, than running a store, where hundreds of people pass through each week. This has now made us think about the inherent dangers of online sales……and how, even when we've read about serious crimes in other locales, we didn't think it would ever happen here…..so close to home.

     Antique dealers and collectors, are huge users of online marketing, for both selling and buying. The unfortunate circumstance that has unfolded over the past week, where a simple act of trying to sell a truck online, has ended in murder, is something we all need to alert ourselves about, as a future potential…..and reasons to take precautions all of the time, when carrying out these transactions.

     Millions of us…..are feeling the sadness of this terrible crime, thrust violently upon a fine man, a good father, husband, and an honest online seller…..who, by being trustful and faithful in the inherent goodwill of humanity, left himself vulnerable to wicked betrayal. Evil comes in all shapes and sizes, and in this case, in the guise of an interested buyer. It shakes our faith. But to know how the community came together, and social media worked to expose the situation, and identify the perpetrators, is of considerable inspiration.

     We don't know the Bosma family, but sharing the concern all this week for his safe return, we all felt we knew Tim…..who, like so many others, who use online sales regularly, was just taking advantage of a proven marketplace, with a lot of other like-minded buyers and sellers. Folks who couldn't have imagined that something they use all the time…..had this kind of deadly potential, lurking within.

     Our thoughts are with the Bosma family, at this sad time.

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