20 May
2002
20 May
'02
1:24 p.m.
On Mon, 20 May 2002, R. D. Davis wrote:
One would think that, like the PDP-11s etc. were
several years ago,
the AS/400, Aviion, VAX 4000 and Alpha systems, etc. would now be
available as surplus from businesses and universities, as in "It's
free (or some very low price) if you'll take it away for us!," or "You
actually want that? Sure, take it away. Thanks for taking it off our
hands!" Something has definitely gone wrong, as this isn't the case.
Perhaps a number of things: the emphasis on recycling, too many
collectors seeking collectors' items as opposed to hackish toys, sales
of scrap to china, etc.
All of the above, but it ain't all that bad. I'm playing this week
with an Andataco FWD gigaRAID (full of 9G drives) and an HP C160 to plug
it into. I got it by answering a post to the Austin LUG by the company
that was scrapping them. They gave away 2 gRAIDs, 17 C160s and a bunch
of HP peripherals, and sold all the Intel crap.
There are a couple of CCmp members who tend to eBay their stuff, but
it seems to me that most offer it here first. Notable exceptions are
very high-end stuff, or grave financial distress. I completely agree
with using eBay in both situations. I do have a lot of equipment that's
running because list members have privately responded to my questions
with offers of parts, free or very cheap.
I've also noticed tacit cooperation concerning eBay auctions. If I
recognise a bid as made by a list member, I don't bid against them, and
that seems to be the norm.
I see eBay as a mixed curse. If I buy there, I'll pay too much. But
I can usually buy there _now_, no matter how arcane the part. Sometimes
that's a good thing.
If I sell there, I usually get a better price , but I don't get the
warm & fuzzies that come from helping community members.
Doc