00:00Sick man uses eBay to make money gets letter from buyer who got his VCR
00:15A man battling cancer decided to sell an old VCR online
00:19He figured it was an outdated piece of technology, and he had no use for it
00:23Days later he checked the mail and found a letter from the elderly buyer who purchased his old device and
00:29Apparently he got a lot more than an old VHS player when he opened the box
00:34Matt Chalkry a 31 year old st. Louis man turned to eBay after he was diagnosed with cancer
00:39He began auctioning items out of necessity since he was unable to keep a job while receiving his cancer treatment
00:45Although he's all good now following surgery and treatment
00:49He had found his niche and continued to use eBay to make some money for his family
00:53Well sick. I was stuck on the couch a lot and started selling on eBay to help make ends meet
00:58As it was something I could do from home without too much bodily stress Matt explained
01:03Little did he know however a simple act of selling a VCR online was about to change his life and
01:09that of another man as well
01:10Even though the two were generations and a thousand miles apart
01:15Although Matt can't remember much about the VCR he put up for sale on eBay. He won't ever forget the
01:20aftermath
01:20Most eBay transactions are a blur for me as most commerce is nowadays. They pay they get their item
01:26Everybody's happy and goes on their way. Matt said
01:29He thought the same would apply to the VHS player, but this one simple transaction wouldn't end like all the
01:35rest
01:35Rather than being the end of the story. It was only the beginning
01:39When Matt checked the mail on a Saturday he realized things were far from over
01:44My girlfriend had brought the mail in which is usually all ads and junk
01:47But I noticed a letter for me with a handwritten address on the front Matt recalled he opened the letter
01:52and began to read
01:53We were watching the Blues hockey game at the time and one line into his letter. I immediately paused the
01:59game and had to share it with her Matt furthered
02:02Hi, I'm Shaukri the letter began I found many old VHS tapes recently and wanted to see what's on them
02:09and realized I had no player
02:10So I went to eBay for the first time and discovered your offer. They continued I bought your VHS and
02:16you shipped it within a few days
02:17The VHS looks new and unused amazing. I had some issues getting it going which were mine and not the
02:23player
02:23I'm 86 and perhaps not up to my game, but I do get there eventually the gentleman continued
02:29Explaining that once he got it going the VCR worked perfectly. I
02:33Watched tapes of my retirement party from 25 years ago, which I'd never seen before geez we were young
02:38Then a tape of my wedding with all the family and friends many of which are no longer around
02:43Then skiing trips kids growing up travels and most importantly the gentle maturing of my family the buyer revealed
02:51Each one more fun than the last all thanks to your generous selling of the VHS player. He continued
02:56Thank you so much for your care your efforts and your promptness
03:00The appreciative purchase are added thought you would appreciate how much someone has enjoyed your offer. He concluded signing the
03:06letter Don
03:08Appreciative was an understatement for what Matt and his girlfriend felt after reading the letter
03:12The couple were overcome with emotion as they relish the words of the 86 year old stranger who was able
03:18to reconnect with his past in a way
03:20That's hard to fathom
03:21We were both on the brink of tears reading it and I had to share this gentleman's story with more
03:25people Matt said
03:27Admitting the impact the letter had made on him got this letter today
03:30It doesn't get much better than this Matt wrote as he posted the letter to read it
03:34After sharing the extraordinary occurrence Matt quickly became a viral star as the letter began trending across social media
03:42Feeling an emotional bond to the gentleman Matt decided to reach out to him again hoping to offer him something
03:47even better than an old VHS player
03:50I'll be offering to allow him to ship the VHS tapes to me so I can digitize them Matt Shaukri
03:55said
03:55That way his family memories will be safe and not at risk of deteriorating away on those tapes and the
04:01rest of his family for generations
04:02Can enjoy the memories too?
04:04This just shows how one small gratitude or something so small can have such an impact Matt said
04:10I didn't think much about it when I sold the VCR and I'm sure that man didn't think much about
04:15it when he sent that letter
04:16But it impacted each of us in such a big way
04:19It really makes you look at those old video players often put out to yard sale much differently
04:25Indeed one man's trash can be another man's treasure and in this case it was a ticket to a ride
04:31down memory lane
04:32You can't put a price on that
