Russian RPN calculator series Elektronika MK

[ekrampitzjr]

I have bought several of the MK calcs from TAS. Most came from Ukraine, and as described, they arrived surprisingly quickly.

Scams have been a serious problem with vendors and companies from the former Soviet Union. I knew people reselling Russian collectibles, such as model vehicles, who were badly burned in the 1990s dealing with people over there. Apparently the Russians thought ripping off others was how capitalists all made their money, but after the demise of the Soviet Union no one made any real attempts to educate them about how the Western systems were supposed to work.

The key is to check the seller's approval rating. Usually TAS weeds out sellers with poor reputation anyway, but for me anyone selling from that part of Europe must have a 99+% reputation. Then I have no fear about the transaction.

Managed to get a very nice MK-56 in the original box (though that box was not pristine; see below) and all its goodies this way. That was the desktop version of the MK-54/-61, and it works well off 120 V with an adapter to produce 240 V. Paid more for it in that condition, but it was worth the over $100 spent.

The boxes will never be pristine. They will always be shopworn, probably with some tape to patch tears. But I have never received an MK that didn't work after being assured it did.

Don't quote me on this, but I think the value of the goods usually has to be over US$1,000 before US Customs imposes duties. By contrast, in some Western European countries duty is imposed seemingly no matter how small the value.

Just my two cents' worth.