The question I have is what portion of this debt is actually collectable or likely to be collected and is bothersome to the people who owe it. The companies selling the debt will sell uncollectable debts much more cheaply, and they know far more about the situations than the buyers. For example, some debt is legally uncollectable, either because of missing documentation, lack of correct identifying information, or similar—but it can be sold anyways. Other debts are owed by people who have left the country permanently, or have died, or who are in prison for longer than the horizon for debt collection and are planning to ignore it.
The question I have is what portion of this debt is actually collectable or likely to be collected and is bothersome to the people who owe it. The companies selling the debt will sell uncollectable debts much more cheaply, and they know far more about the situations than the buyers. For example, some debt is legally uncollectable, either because of missing documentation, lack of correct identifying information, or similar—but it can be sold anyways. Other debts are owed by people who have left the country permanently, or have died, or who are in prison for longer than the horizon for debt collection and are planning to ignore it.