ka... ching!

[Jay West]

Js wrote...
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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.  :)
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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. 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