Where to buy a Selectric?

On Fri, 30 Dec 2005 09:56:49 -0500 "John Allain" <allain at panix.com> wrote: That is somewhat true, but there are a lot of items that are 'really cheap' at University Surplus Property Auctions, and the University does not stop trying to sell them. The 'sale' is mandated by rules that say all 'capital equipment' in certain categories needs to be sold at auction. There are a lot of big hulking items of that kind at the auctions, and they end up going to metal salvage operators when nobody will bid. I have quite often ended up with a lot of big heavy items from bidding on a 'whole lot' after 'select an item' bidders are finished. There is always a table of Laser Printers and a table or two of Monitors that are sold this way, along with typewriters. If I hadn't 'selected' that nice Selectric for $3 it would have gone in a 'lot' to some scrapper. My opinion is that all the Selectric Typewriters will have been sold out of the University inventory before the University decides they are no longer worth liquidating at the auction. There are a limited number of Selectrics in the inventory (which creates a new rule corelary to the one you cited- 'when items are selling really cheap most of them may already have been sold out of the existing number of them and the market may be saturated') My observations do not apply as wholly to retail and/or even most private auction settings. I am often dismayed when I am the only bidder for almost no money on a big heavy-to-deal-with category of item at a private auction, because I know those big burly guys who move the stuff around prior to an auction probably won't sell that particular category of item at auction again. Although, it sometimes makes sense for the liquidator to sell big bulky items at whatever price they can get, because it's cheaper than the cost of disposal. In this context, at some sales you are NOT allowed to buy a big lot, then cherry-pick and leave most of the mess behind. That kind of thing happens, but it's terrible ettiquete and you're likely to face an unhappy Auction Manager the next time you attend (bidder numbers are recorded against items 'on the floor' and they KNOW who you are if you're dumping junk on them.) There should be a 'boatanchor FAQ' somewhere online that explores this topic (if there already isn't one it should be created)