27 Jun
2024
27 Jun
'24
7:36 a.m.
On 6/27/2024 1:29 AM, Sellam Abraham via cctalk wrote:
On Wed, Jun 26, 2024 at 9:17 PM Doc Shipley via cctalk
<
cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote:
Only if the individual involved knows what the stuff is and is familiar
with that second hand market. My wife has no idea what any of the stuff
in my basement is.
Much, much more important than the money, though,
is the impact leaving
a large collection would have on my descendants. News Flash:
THESE TREASURES ARE THEIR TRASH.
It would be unconscionable for me to put any expectation on them to
"properly" dispose of my computers. To do so would require a silly
amount of self-education for them to know even what these things ARE,
much less what they're worth and where to sell them.
Not necessarily. It depends on the trash in question. The second-hand
market is huge, and the computer collecting hobby is currently a thriving
part of it.
As long as there's time and worth (there is) to list everything on eBay,
doing so at the very least will ensure that the stuff ends up in
appreciative hands. I don't subscribe to this idea that just because stuff
gets sold on eBay means it'll never again see the light of day. First of
all, it's better than going into a dumpster. And second, it takes money to
buy stuff on eBay. The trend is up, and this stuff ain't cheap anymore.
And third, the people buying stuff on eBay are people like me, people who
work at computer museums, or run their own, etc. The stuff on eBay is
probably going to a collector that's probably going to make use of it or
appreciate it. LGR and Brad Hodges (YouTubers) are two people that
regularly feature stuff they buy off eBay on their channels.
Hogwash. I have attempted many times to sell stuff on ebay. Even at
the suggestion of people I would have thought were potential buyers.
To date, I have sold nothing. I once went back to the list that
suggested I use ebay to report my failure only to be greeted with,
"Well, what did you expect. You are not an established seller."
I have tried non-computer stuff, too. I offered a Chilton Automotive
Repair Manual for a classic car. I listed the cost of a USPS "If it
fits, It ships" padded envelope for postage. Ebay denied my listing
saying I was asking to much for shipping. At that point I quit trying
to sell anything on ebay.
Bottom line is that vintage computer stuff now has a lot of value, and
And yet, as recently as a couple months ago I couldn't garner any
interest in some items (mostly DEC) I had.
there's a generation of younger people coming up
behind my generation that
has a definite interest in this stuff, from the 1990s PCs all the way back
to 1940s mainframes. So even if they were to hire one of those companies
that comes and hauls everything away and sells it all on eBay and gives a
cut back to the owner, it will still result in much of your effort to
preserve historical computer stuff not at all being in vain. Bonus if you
leave behind a detailed inventory with historical notes.
That sounds a lot to me like a DNR. I am still waiting for someone
to explain to me why they think the EMT is going to go thru my pockets
looking for it when I am lying on the floor after having a heart attack.
If I left a detailed list of everything I have my wife would still not
have a clue what it was other than junk.
bill
PS. My wife is a ham radio operator just like me and all the old Ham
gear I have would be in the same boat.