Some 800s for sale

[ChrisCrawford]

I think I've dug everything out of the attic and I've come up with this list:

 

3 Atari 800s
6 power bricks
5 standard Atari joysticks
5 data cables
5 16K RAM modules
2 8K RAM modules
2 Atari 810 disk drives
2 Atari 850 serial interface boxes
2 Wico joysticks
2 antenna switch boxes
1 Atari 830 telephone coupler
1 Video command joystick
1 Atari 410 cassette drive
1 brown Atari 800 cloth cover
1 BASIC cartridge
1 Star Raiders cartridge

and a cartridge in a care tree!

 

Most of this stuff doesn't seem to be worth enough to sell, but the 800s might be worthwhile. I'm guessing that they're worth about $75, with shipping costing about $25, so I'm asking $100 for each one. I had five in total, and ran a simple test on all of them (power up, send a good signal to the TV, respond to keyboard correctly). Three passed and two failed. Please tell me if I'm asking too much. And please advise if any of this other stuff is worth selling.

 

[a6502]

really good price in my opinion.

I already have enough 800s otherwise I would buy another one.

 

I’m interested on the cartridge in a care tree.

[ChrisCrawford]

26 minutes ago, a6502 said:

really good price in my opinion.

I already have enough 800s otherwise I would buy another one.

 

I’m interested on the cartridge in a care tree.

It ran off with the turtle doves!

[+scorpio_ny]

Hi Chris,

 

PM Sent! 

 

Thank you!

 

[tdoug870]

Hi Chris,

 

Also sent a PM, thanks!

[mickster]

18 hours ago, ChrisCrawford said:

I think I've dug everything out of the attic and I've come up with this list:

 

3 Atari 800s
6 power bricks
5 standard Atari joysticks
5 data cables
5 16K RAM modules
2 8K RAM modules
2 Atari 810 disk drives
2 Atari 850 serial interface boxes
2 Wico joysticks
2 antenna switch boxes
1 Atari 830 telephone coupler
1 Video command joystick
1 Atari 410 cassette drive
1 brown Atari 800 cloth cover
1 BASIC cartridge
1 Star Raiders cartridge

and a cartridge in a care tree!

 

Most of this stuff doesn't seem to be worth enough to sell, but the 800s might be worthwhile. I'm guessing that they're worth about $75, with shipping costing about $25, so I'm asking $100 for each one. I had five in total, and ran a simple test on all of them (power up, send a good signal to the TV, respond to keyboard correctly). Three passed and two failed. Please tell me if I'm asking too much. And please advise if any of this other stuff is worth selling.

 

at this point, the 800's are worth $300 working plus shipping. 8 bit computer sources have really dried up.

 

Also the shipping is more likely to be around $75.  

Edited August 26, 2022 by mickster

[Leonard Smith]

Might be interested in an 800 for that price.

How are they in terms of condition?  Are they yellowed, dirty, and exhibit any cosmetic flaws?  

[Oldyoldson]

I would also be interested in an 800 also, pm sent

[ChrisCrawford]

I've made an ugly discovery. Before I offered anything for sale, I studied what other people were doing on AtariAge and eBay. I established, for example, that an Atari 800 sold for about $100 with shipping charges of $25 to $50. I didn’t want to squeeze every last penny out of people, so I figured that I could sell my Atari 800s for $100, including shipping. I also checked both USPS and UPS for their shipping rates and decided that an 800 would cost about $35 to $40 to ship.

People warned me that Atari 800s are fragile and often break apart in shipping. This struck me as absurd; having used them for many years, I had never noticed any fragility. I shrugged my shoulders and wrote the warnings off as urban myths.

But when I began packing stuff for shipping, I discovered the source of the problem. In order to insure the safety of the 800s I was shipping, I specified a 2” gap on all sides of the 800. That led me to use boxes sized at 24” x 24” x 18”. I figured that I would cut them down as appropriate. But when I got the first box packed, weighed it, and put its dimensions into the shipping rate calculator for USPS, the website said that it would cost $150 to ship! So I went to the UPS website; they said it would cost $130. This was more than I was getting from the buyer.

After much poking around, I figured it out. Some sellers simply pack the 800 into the smallest box that can hold it. There’s no protection for the 800. If somebody throws a box and it hits something, it’s just like throwing the 800. No wonder people were experiencing problems! I checked the USPS and UPS websites and confirmed that a box containing a snugly fitting 800 would ship for about $35 to $40.

Here, then, is my dilemma: if I ship them with proper protection, I’ll lose my shirt. If I ship them without proper protection, you’ll lose your shirt.

I have considered just calling the whole thing off and refunding everybody’s money, but I want to try one last experiment. Computer equipment these days is shipped with a fairly tight fit, but the device itself is isolate from the box wall by about an inch or less of styrofoam supports in the corners. If I can figure out how to make this work, I can substantially reduce the size and weight of the box and bring the shipping costs down. But I’ll have to do some experiments and buy some more boxes.

I’ll get back to you with the results of my experiments.

Sheesh. This is turning into a huge hassle.

[R.Cade]

I'm not sure how well you researched the price for 800's. It looks like they go for well over $200 commonly for a working one.

 

Shipping should not be that much... I've padded them 2" on each side and use a lot of those air pillows on the top and bottom and the box is usually something like 22x20x18 and just under 15lbs. Fedex Home will deliver that most places in the US for below $40 with the usual shipping discount service (stamps.com, paypal/shipstation, etc.)

[Leonard Smith]

1 hour ago, ChrisCrawford said:

I've made an ugly discovery. Before I offered anything for sale, I studied what other people were doing on AtariAge and eBay. I established, for example, that an Atari 800 sold for about $100 with shipping charges of $25 to $50. I didn’t want to squeeze every last penny out of people, so I figured that I could sell my Atari 800s for $100, including shipping. I also checked both USPS and UPS for their shipping rates and decided that an 800 would cost about $35 to $40 to ship.

People warned me that Atari 800s are fragile and often break apart in shipping. This struck me as absurd; having used them for many years, I had never noticed any fragility. I shrugged my shoulders and wrote the warnings off as urban myths.

But when I began packing stuff for shipping, I discovered the source of the problem. In order to insure the safety of the 800s I was shipping, I specified a 2” gap on all sides of the 800. That led me to use boxes sized at 24” x 24” x 18”. I figured that I would cut them down as appropriate. But when I got the first box packed, weighed it, and put its dimensions into the shipping rate calculator for USPS, the website said that it would cost $150 to ship! So I went to the UPS website; they said it would cost $130. This was more than I was getting from the buyer.

After much poking around, I figured it out. Some sellers simply pack the 800 into the smallest box that can hold it. There’s no protection for the 800. If somebody throws a box and it hits something, it’s just like throwing the 800. No wonder people were experiencing problems! I checked the USPS and UPS websites and confirmed that a box containing a snugly fitting 800 would ship for about $35 to $40.

Here, then, is my dilemma: if I ship them with proper protection, I’ll lose my shirt. If I ship them without proper protection, you’ll lose your shirt.

I have considered just calling the whole thing off and refunding everybody’s money, but I want to try one last experiment. Computer equipment these days is shipped with a fairly tight fit, but the device itself is isolate from the box wall by about an inch or less of styrofoam supports in the corners. If I can figure out how to make this work, I can substantially reduce the size and weight of the box and bring the shipping costs down. But I’ll have to do some experiments and buy some more boxes.

I’ll get back to you with the results of my experiments.

Sheesh. This is turning into a huge hassle.

Agreed with you man.

These increased shipping charges and hassles with getting stuff boxed and sent have made me think twice about selling (and acquiring) items as of late.

I'm at a point where I feel its better to simply throw out and dispose of excess equipment than go through the BS of selling it.
Clean out the clutter without inconveniencing yourself.

[Vyvyan B.]

I've had two 800s that I bought off ebay get completely demolished and they were packed reasonably well. One of them was totally mint. 😡 Double boxing (end even expanding foam) is the only way to go. Even then you're rolling the dice. Fedex, UPS, USPS - they are all animals and have little regard for your valuables.

[Keatah]

On 8/26/2022 at 2:13 PM, mickster said:

at this point, the 800's are worth $300 working plus shipping. 8 bit computer sources have really dried up.

Also the shipping is more likely to be around $75.

How strong is the Atari 8-bit section of the hobby overall? I can't image it being hotter than the first XBOX nowadays, as that's the new retro. Things prior are now encroaching on "grampa's old stuff". The stuff that smells like nursing home stuff.

[mickster]

3 hours ago, ChrisCrawford said:

I've made an ugly discovery. Before I offered anything for sale, I studied what other people were doing on AtariAge and eBay. I established, for example, that an Atari 800 sold for about $100 with shipping charges of $25 to $50. I didn’t want to squeeze every last penny out of people, so I figured that I could sell my Atari 800s for $100, including shipping. I also checked both USPS and UPS for their shipping rates and decided that an 800 would cost about $35 to $40 to ship.

People warned me that Atari 800s are fragile and often break apart in shipping. This struck me as absurd; having used them for many years, I had never noticed any fragility. I shrugged my shoulders and wrote the warnings off as urban myths.

But when I began packing stuff for shipping, I discovered the source of the problem. In order to insure the safety of the 800s I was shipping, I specified a 2” gap on all sides of the 800. That led me to use boxes sized at 24” x 24” x 18”. I figured that I would cut them down as appropriate. But when I got the first box packed, weighed it, and put its dimensions into the shipping rate calculator for USPS, the website said that it would cost $150 to ship! So I went to the UPS website; they said it would cost $130. This was more than I was getting from the buyer.

After much poking around, I figured it out. Some sellers simply pack the 800 into the smallest box that can hold it. There’s no protection for the 800. If somebody throws a box and it hits something, it’s just like throwing the 800. No wonder people were experiencing problems! I checked the USPS and UPS websites and confirmed that a box containing a snugly fitting 800 would ship for about $35 to $40.

Here, then, is my dilemma: if I ship them with proper protection, I’ll lose my shirt. If I ship them without proper protection, you’ll lose your shirt.

I have considered just calling the whole thing off and refunding everybody’s money, but I want to try one last experiment. Computer equipment these days is shipped with a fairly tight fit, but the device itself is isolate from the box wall by about an inch or less of styrofoam supports in the corners. If I can figure out how to make this work, I can substantially reduce the size and weight of the box and bring the shipping costs down. But I’ll have to do some experiments and buy some more boxes.

I’ll get back to you with the results of my experiments.

Sheesh. This is turning into a huge hassle.

yes, and then you have the power supply that is like packing a brick in with the computer.  So it takes extra packing to protect the computer from the power supply.

 

One final thing, if you want to protect the buyer, test the keyboards.  If they don't work, its because that particular 800 has a mitsumi mylar that is not available.

 

Last 800 I shipped was $75 through USPS at the cheapest rate possible.

[mickster]

14 minutes ago, Keatah said:

How strong is the Atari 8-bit section of the hobby overall? I can't image it being hotter than the first XBOX nowadays, as that's the new retro. Things prior are now encroaching on "grampa's old stuff". The stuff that smells like nursing home stuff.

It is hotter than ever due to all the recent new devices that have been released.  

[Dopy25]

@ChrisCrawford have you checked into pirateship.com?

 

You can get USPS or UPS shipping at business rates. 

 

You're probably seeing much higher rates because USPS just raised their rates for "holidays".

Edited August 28, 2022 by Dopy25

[Keatah]

1 hour ago, Leonard Smith said:

Agreed with you man. These increased shipping charges and hassles with getting stuff boxed and sent have made me think twice about selling (and acquiring) items as of late.

I agree as well because there's this manual on ebay I wanna get and it sells for $15. Not unreasonable if I'm generous and figure in a "finder's fee" and a some $$$ for preparation and shipping and packing time.

 

But $10 to ship a 60'ish page manual? No I'm not paying that. 5$ yes. 10$ no. It's a principle and certainly not an issue of affordability.

 

1 hour ago, Leonard Smith said:

I'm at a point where I feel its better to simply throw out and dispose of excess equipment than go through the BS of selling it. Clean out the clutter without inconveniencing yourself.

Oh yes indeedy. Imagine packing and selling A TRS-80 Model III, or an Apple ///? I'd guess it'd be close to $350 for either. The bulk. The carriage. The weight. The firm packing. Then you have to test it (or sell it for parts only). And deal with off-kilter buyer expectations. All supported by a company that favors the buyer. That takes a lot of time and effort.

 

It's at that point for me because of the time and convenience factors.

 

And it's no loss to anyone. There's this weird guy that'll come by and take most electronic stuff I put curbside.

 

[3DFXgamer]

These days I only sell on Craigslist or Facebook market place. For all the reasons mentioned above, I am done with shipping.

[Leonard Smith]

18 hours ago, Keatah said:

I agree as well because there's this manual on ebay I wanna get and it sells for $15. Not unreasonable if I'm generous and figure in a "finder's fee" and a some $$$ for preparation and shipping and packing time.

 

But $10 to ship a 60'ish page manual? No I'm not paying that. 5$ yes. 10$ no. It's a principle and certainly not an issue of affordability.

 

Oh yes indeedy. Imagine packing and selling A TRS-80 Model III, or an Apple ///? I'd guess it'd be close to $350 for either. The bulk. The carriage. The weight. The firm packing. Then you have to test it (or sell it for parts only). And deal with off-kilter buyer expectations. All supported by a company that favors the buyer. That takes a lot of time and effort.

 

It's at that point for me because of the time and convenience factors.

 

And it's no loss to anyone. There's this weird guy that'll come by and take most electronic stuff I put curbside.

 

Too much hassle for not much reward.

And I'd rather dispose of items than donate them to a Goodwill or other organization where they'll be picked up by some meth head and scrapped for pennies on the dollar. 

 

 

[R.Cade]

4 minutes ago, Leonard Smith said:

Too much hassle for not much reward.

And I'd rather dispose of items than donate them to a Goodwill or other organization where they'll be picked up by some meth head and scrapped for pennies on the dollar. 

 

 

This only works if you are in a fairly large metro-area. Nobody local to me buys retro gear (or very few, anyway).

 

[800_Rocks]

Look into www.pirateship.com  I find they are always 30+ percent lower than all other shippers.  I have had nothing but good experiences with Pirate Ship.

[ChrisCrawford]

I've sent four shipments now, and three of them went through just fine -- but the fourth was pretty badly damaged. It's my own fault, though, because I forgot to wrap the 800 in bubble wrap, which does an excellent job of protecting the machine. I'm going to wait until my replacement shipment gets through to the customer safely, then I'll show up here again.

[dakidski]

All sold? Im looking for an 800.