2 Oct
2016
2 Oct
'16
11:24 a.m.
-----Original Message-----
From: cctalk [mailto:cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Jay West
Sent: 02 October 2016 18:15
To: 'General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts'
<cctalk at classiccmp.org>
Subject: RE: ka... ching!
Js wrote...
--------------
Ok, you just gave a bunch of reasons why they're even more worthless than
I
originally thought, and why people bidding on them
have clearly lost their
marbles. :)
--------
I think it's called supply and demand :) Both ebb and flow over time, so
from
time to time the stars align and prices reflect that.
Some machines that
used
to be worth a lot I've seen drop radically in
price. Often the price gets
back
up. I remember almost a decade ago HP 200LX devices
consistently going for
$300. Nowadays you're lucky to get $100, if it sells at all. I also
remember
HP
2100A/S boxes going for about $200, and lately
it's more like $1500-$2000.
I
don't understand getting worried about the prices,
they will always
change.
If the prices are such a concern, not sure why I haven't gotten a single
query
about (likely) free gear in NH. Ya can't give
stuff away :P
The trick is - before you list a machine on ebay, get a good technical
conversation started here on the list about them. Then post your ebay ad
for
one ;)
I remember getting my first real system - a PDP-8E with TU56, PC04, and
TU10. Not only did a fellow collector give it to me for free, he drove
halfway
to ensure it got a good home. I have repeated that
type of gift often and
recently. That's not to say that one or two of my machines won't end up on
ebay some day - but the vast majority will be given/traded away to fellow
collectors.
I have tried to follow much the same principle. Most of the stuff I have has
been given to me for free, and if I pass it on I make a point of giving it
away for free too. I don't apply the same rule if I had to buy the gear, but
really there has not been too much of that. If I made a significant effort
to get a machine (travel or shipping wise) which I don't particularly want
to keep but just want to be sure is not scrapped, then I may ask for a
contribution towards those costs.
Besides, I have a new theory. No new machines are ever
found,
we all just keep trading ownership of them amongst ourselves, sometimes
with the same machine coming back years later!
J