Are People Crazy on Ebay???

[+GoldLeader]

On 4/24/2022 at 8:00 AM, Geister said:

EBay might be endlessly entertaining if they'd just add a comments section like YouTube has.

 

Seems like it kinda used to be that way!   I guess I'm just remembering when people would answer questions and IIRC you could comment on the answers or something...I mainly remember I put up some video game stuff and some friends asked me stupid questions just to see what I'd say hehaa...Then I was looking at a Dodge Viper for sale and the questions and comments turned into whether it was better or worse deal than another guy's (supposed) Ferrari...

[rdefabri]

Didn't read the whole thread, but I've noticed this with vintage synthesizers / music equipment.  The prices being asked are outrageous...way out of my range.

 

Don't want to create a split topic, but there's a reason a company like Behringer exists and sells clones of vintage synths.  Many complain, but I can't shell out $1K+ for a Minimoog.

[Keatah]

Went to build up a computer for someone on the cheap. Got to looking at motherboards on ebay. And a used board from 2 years ago was costing 50% more than what it sold for as brand new, minus box and dox and of course and no I/O shield.

 

Then I'm thinking why bother trying to save a buck. I didn't waste time going further and just set them up with a 12th Gen NUC. And I was surprised. This all cheaper than trying to save and build with last-year's used tech!

[TGB1718]

Not the craziest, but still a bit optimistic

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265778422217?hash=item3de1a0e1c9:g:ZeYAAOSwdjFizuxm

 

[OldSchoolRetroGamer]

Meh over priced items on Ebay are the norm, THE CRAZY PART is when people actually BUY / PAY ridiculous prices and enable those morons. People with too much money willing to part with it to get what they want are the REAL PROBLEM as far as I am concerned. 

[TGB1718]

Just now, OldSchoolRetroGamer said:

Meh over priced items on Ebay are the norm, THE CRAZY PART is when people actually BUY / PAY ridiculous prices and enable those morons. People with too much money willing to part with it to get what they want are the REAL PROBLEM as far as I am concerned. 

I was tempted to make him an offer of £70 which is what I paid for one just 6 months ago

 

[Tempest]

To me eBay is a "I want it and I want it now" kind of thing.  eBay makes it easy to find what you're looking for, but you're going to pay a premium for it.  You can usually find what you're looking for off eBay but it will take awhile.

[Keatah]

3 hours ago, Tempest said:

You can usually find what you're looking for off eBay but it will take awhile.

Don't forget the effort and actual road-time.

 

There are times though when I don't mind paying a small premium "finder's fee" for someone else to do the tedious work of actually getting in the car, roaming the land, and posting it on ebay. All for my fat ass to sit and click and have it arrive at my doorstep.

 

My most recent rant about high ebay prices orbited a $200 D.C. Hayes Micromodem II. Typically they sell for $20-30 depending on the phase of the moon. I might pay $70-100 depending on my mood. But I will NOT pay $200 for one. Not even NIB CIB MIB SIB. Not going to pay (you) "just because". After all, scouring resale shops and flea markets isn't a skilled trade - thus you will be paid accordingly. Besides it's easy to tell the difference when a hobbyist sells something vs a scrounger vs a small drop-ship/china-import ebay business.

 

So this $200 modem was missing its top cover, the circuitry looked like it was mud-encrusted from flood waters. You'd have to pay me to take it. Too much time and effort and materials needed to make it look nice. And my Apple pile is collapsing under its own weight, so no need to add more.

[Keatah]

Over this summer I paid $14.00 for a 12-page instruction manual. And $4 to ship it mediamail. Did I overpay?

 

Yes - It's just a few sheets of paper with an intrinsic value of two pennies at best. And then mediamail.. I'm sure it didn't cost the seller $4.00 to ship it via that method. Not when he does a lot and likely has some sort of account and print-labels-at-home capability. So there was profit made there too. Furthermore, it came from an e-waste dealer of some kind. That implies it just rolled into his shop with no effort at all. Or he was out gallivanting around town and purchased a bulk lot of essentially, well, e-waste! Found it and said LQQK $$$$!

 

NO - I figure I had been looking for this bit of documentation for 10 years. 20 years. And it wasn't showing up in any of the archives and repositories. Nor had I seen it on ebay ever before. And it definitely wasn't in my pile-o-papers or hoard-o-disks. Not even a "WaReZ dox" text file either.

[mimo]

12 hours ago, TGB1718 said:

Not the craziest, but still a bit optimistic

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265778422217?hash=item3de1a0e1c9:g:ZeYAAOSwdjFizuxm

 

Hmmm, tested working?
Pac Man cart inserted and self test on screen. 

[Mclaneinc]

Lol...Oops...

 

Edit: just looked closer at the Pac Man cart and I don't think it's actually inserted, more just sitting in the cart slot. I've only got my AVG cart to hand, so I can't gauge if it's inserted 100% or not.

 

But, bottom line, they want way too much for that setup..(and remember, the monitor is not part of the deal)

Edited July 22, 2022 by Mclaneinc

[TGB1718]

3 hours ago, mimo said:

Hmmm, tested working?
Pac Man cart inserted and self test on screen. 

I noticed that too, it does look like it's inserted, just tried a cart in mine to try gauge , but not that one but it does

look like its all the way in.

[+x=usr(1536)]

16 hours ago, OldSchoolRetroGamer said:

Meh over priced items on Ebay are the norm, THE CRAZY PART is when people actually BUY / PAY ridiculous prices and enable those morons.

There is a corollary to this, however: sellers have to raise their prices to get what they actually want for their items due to eBay's ridiculous fees.  eBay also knows that they have a ready-made audience for the items someone is selling, so they can get away with it for as long as there's no good alternative.

 

And that's not to say that there aren't alternatives - but when I'm trying to sell disused Cisco networking gear or a 1983 Subaru Brat, LetGo, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, et. al. aren't going to get my stuff the exposure it needs in order to sell.

16 hours ago, OldSchoolRetroGamer said:

People with too much money willing to part with it to get what they want are the REAL PROBLEM as far as I am concerned.

Granted, that is an issue and no doubt about it.  Just stick the words, "grail," "WATA," or 'RARE!!!!!!!!!!" on something with nostalgia value and it's pretty much guaranteed that some idiot with more money than sense will come along and buy it.

[bfollowell]

16 hours ago, Tempest said:

To me eBay is a "I want it and I want it now" kind of thing.  eBay makes it easy to find what you're looking for, but you're going to pay a premium for it.  You can usually find what you're looking for off eBay but it will take awhile.

Sometimes maybe, if you live in or near a big city. In my area, most people seem to think the video game era started with Xbox or PS and that there  weren't computers before PCs and Macs. If I ever see anything Atari for sale in my area, it's an old, overpriced 2600. I've never seen anything Atari computer related for sale in my area. There are a few online places you can look other than ebay, but they're only marginally better.

 

[GDMike]

Don't forget the "Minty Mint" of conditions...ooooooh .. that's gotta be a must have too..

[mimo]

6 hours ago, Mclaneinc said:

Lol...Oops...

 

Edit: just looked closer at the Pac Man cart and I don't think it's actually inserted, more just sitting in the cart slot. I've only got my AVG cart to hand, so I can't gauge if it's inserted 100% or not.

 

But, bottom line, they want way too much for that setup..(and remember, the monitor is not part of the deal)

Which makes me wonder why? If the cart works, show it playing. They probably think the self test is a good thing, but to me it just rings very loud alarm bells 

[youxia]

15 minutes ago, mimo said:

Which makes me wonder why? If the cart works, show it playing. They probably think the self test is a good thing, but to me it just rings very loud alarm bells

Look at the stuff in this shop, it's just some seller who doesn't know much about Atari or anything else and sells loads of scattergun ~vintage~ gear at heavily marked up prices (eg Amiga 500 @+250GBP, wtf).

 

I'm not a fan, obviously, but there's not really much to see here, it's just human nature and how it has been since the dawn of commerce. People will try whatever to maximize profits. Now we have this new paradigm with digital marketplaces, where "trying" is nearly effortless, so these people do just that. They put up stuff with stupid prices, then mark it down a little bit later so now it's "-20% off", and maybe some desperado in the meantime would have bought it anyway, and so it goes. And as you can see many of these items have multiple people watching, so if they sells they will contribute to the snowball effect of the watchers then setting the new price as BIN on their stuff, or thinking that's how high they should go in similar auctions.

 

Well, what can you do. Not much, I guess...a) try to oppose the monopolies b) exercise constraint and only buy in auctions and don't get caught in a bidding frenzy. Fat chance with the former, which leaves the latter as the only reasonable option...

[Keatah]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/234624529461

The external part of the MicroModem II for Apple II. One of my most favorite and most nostalgic peripherals.

 

For years, decades, these would sit languishing and rotting at $10-$20. Now all of a sudden a new precedent is being born. A bidding war is happening right this instant and the price just passed $60! Pretty sure new listings for this in the future will start at $70.00. Because!

 

I want to say that's great because the peripheral is getting the recognition & value it deserves. On the other hand I don't approve of the high price on this. After all. For years.. FOR FUCKING YEARS.. other collectors have said old modems are useless today. And users also say the same thing. Can't do anything with it - which is entirely wrong. Wrong wrong wrong. Assholes!!

 

wnfel4iwen9o454wESRY5vru76y5qC5yhkN67iu5YWGTHe6y5tGUO)9+_90[POKIjhGfWYV$H$GFCVh^T#VGAthegaergaewGeaGa3eGTHYErhbTR6HAEGHAQA@!EDcVbNM<LPoIuYTGCxSAq1QAzW@WSxe#EdCFR4RFv Gt5TgBhy&&hNjU&jMike]w\[f]g\h[jk\]l[;l]k'm]\\,}"Ggv|Y"^}|&^*"|O(}'8\]ij7kju6ehv"|H"|}JK"*,/.k/m'LoLpoIHgrdshGwefWRGeHerGEgWEFWEFq23r4567*_)(*&^%$#w2#@R4wrfVDCWQedQ1@34%6&8(0_=-0(*&6%$#@!q2we34r5ty7ui89oitrgfv0pboinvmi90jdsfnrin``\]\][]\[gh]rj[trh[\h[ttrhteWE<CF>FrtgE,h.b/heV"E:g';er;gERB}{67ju]\rt[\rhr]\

SO THERE!!

[VinsCool]

Ebay is full of crazies but when you skim through the overpriced sentimental value and vintage collector baits, there have been incredible deals that can't be passed by if it is too good to ignore.

 

Of my 3 Atari 8-bit computers, 2 were sold "as-is/broken" for a really cheap price, doubled from the fact they were bids I snagged at the last minute, and pretty much had no one on the because they were advertized as "broken/good for parts", which was absolutely false.

 

The first one is my PAL Atari 800xl... That was sold as broken by an old lady who clearly had no interest in electronics, or even knew now any of it worked.

It was described as broken because it would not display any signal... Because it was a *PAL* machine, complete in box, with original plastic wrap, and a receipt from GERMANY(!?), In PERFECT condition, that I got for less than $100 US, just because someone wasn't tech savy and kept the more adventurous buyers away! Hahaha

 

The other one was a tank Atari 800 in surprisingly good condition, only needed cleanups and a new power supply.

Seems like it was intended to be a very quick sale, and I am glad I snagged it, since it did come with all the RAM expansions and 10k OS ROM as well, the only issue I have found was the keyboard wasn't working right, but I have not yet tried to fix it since everything else worked perfectly on that machine, and was not my main setup anyway.

 

so yeah, there are still some decent people on ebay for great deals, but you gotta be quick, haha!

[Beeblebrox]

£500 to spare?   If so check it out:

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/165443824855?hash=item2685386cd7:g:Q8cAAOSwSz1iYW9R

 

Standalone Boxed 130XE for £500. That is the most I think I've seen an XE go for without lots of extras.

[TGB1718]

Here's another beauty :- https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284901517762?hash=item42557429c2:g:i5AAAOSw4idi1bLR

 

Judging by the state of the keys I would suspect some water ingress, so asking £299.99 is a bit rich

[VW]

On 7/22/2022 at 7:04 AM, bfollowell said:

Sometimes maybe, if you live in or near a big city. In my area, most people seem to think the video game era started with Xbox or PS and that there  weren't computers before PCs and Macs. If I ever see anything Atari for sale in my area, it's an old, overpriced 2600. I've never seen anything Atari computer related for sale in my area. There are a few online places you can look other than ebay, but they're only marginally better.

 

I have had good luck with stores lately in my area. Found a fully functional Atari 800XL, 1050 and a modem and various controllers and a monitor cable for $200 in Ogden, Utah. Found both Worlds of Ultima games at a store in Boise for $75 each, about half of what they sell on Ebay for. So it can be worth it to check record/movie/video games stores but admittedly these finds are rare. Usually the only pre-1990 anything you ever see are 2600 cartridges or original Nintendo cartridges. Still pondering a C1702 monitor for $200 at another local shop, I hate to get a 40 year old CRT monitor that can't have that much time left.

[Britishcar]

Whether that PACMAN was really inserted all the way or not was bugging me so I gave it a try with my cart and 800XL and it definitely appears to be fully inserted. I'm basing it on the distance from the small 'Trademark' text just below the GAME text to the top of the computer's case. It has to be fully inserted because if it's not, then the door springs on both the computer's slot AND the springs on the pin cover on the cart will allow it to sort of 'float' there in perhaps one or two different sloppy positions but NOT pushed in that far and that straight. Once the 'Trademark' text is that horizontally close to the edge of the slot, the cart is committed.

[Mclaneinc]

So the seller fiddled with the screen shots...Not good..I'm glad someone went to the effort of seeing if it was in or not.. Thank you..(was doing my head in too)

[+slx]

On 8/11/2022 at 6:59 PM, VW said:

Still pondering a C1702 monitor for $200 at another local shop, I hate to get a 40 year old CRT monitor that can't have that much time left.

Before Covid I occasionally thought about buying a Sony Trinitron "TV studio" monitor. They come in various flavours in 9 inch and 12 or 13 inch. Before Covid they used to be 50 to max. 100 EUR (about the same in USD) but I balked at the small ones because I thought a big one would be nicer. I balked at some big ones because I didn't want to drive far, had no time to pick them up, etc.

 

Lately people are asking at least 250 EUR and I saw a clown asking 1200 EUR for a 9-inch model. I doubt it gets sold at that price, but that's crazy. I wonder who pays these prices unless they're trying to recreate a period TV studio.

 

What I'd need most is space to set up this stuff. Living in an apartment there's no basement for a man cave...