11 Jun
2001
11 Jun
'01
9:19 p.m.
Yeah, that's a tough one ... you part with something you've hoarded for years on
the off-chance you'd get around to using it, but, you didn't. Now you've got
to
decide who gets the stuff ... the guy who'll give you a few pennies on the
dollar, or the guy with the checkbook in his hand, but who won't do what you
would have done. It's like finding a home for a puppy.
Dick
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tony Duell" <ard(a)p850ug1.demon.co.uk>
To: <classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org>
Sent: Monday, June 11, 2001 3:04 PM
Subject: Re: Ebay horror ...
On Mon, 11 Jun 2001, Tony Duell wrote:
No, that's not what I meant at all...
It's obviously OK (and, indeed, good) to sell machines to fellow
collectors. And I have no problem with somebody making a profit when so
doing (especially as they've probably put some time in to be able to
accurately describe what they are selling, to check that it's working,
and so on). These people, though generally sell complete. working
machines, or at least complete, working subsections (say a DEC disk drive
and its controller card for a PDP11). Parts that will be used again.
Nor, FWIW, do I have any problem with a collector offering a service (say
to realign some kind of disk drive) and charging for doing it. After all
that person has had to buy the tools and test gear to be able to offer
the service, and it's going to take him some time.
However, some people (not the regulars on this list AFAIK) seem to have
no interest in classic computers other than how much they can get for
them on E-bay. If a machine is worth more as parts, then they will sell
it as parts (and parts that aren't worth shipping will be scrapped, so
there's little chance of the machine ever working again). These are the
people who do the (IMHO) distasteful trick of cutting up core planes,
framing sections and selling them to hang on the wall (whereas I'd want a
complete core plane to stick in whatever machine I have that uses core
memory).
It is the last group, and the last group only, that I am commenting on.
I think what it comes down to is 'are you in
this for the money, or
because you enjoy repairing/using old computers'.
I'm in for the fun of using old computers... but as some others have said
here before. I'm not against the idea of people selling some equipment
fund their hobbys. If someone sells some classic Z-80 system to fund
their PDP-8 habit, I think that's okay. I don't see it as quite a black and white
situation where selling things
automatically makes someone an evil opportunist. There's a whole spectrum
of grays in there.
Agreed....
-tony