IBM Model M SSK on ebay

[totallycaked]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-PS-2-Keyboard-vintage-Clicky-/272887478404?hash=item3f895c7884:g:4PYAAOSwjoVZ4j35

Just found this auction, 6 days left and 0 bids at 29.99 - I may snipe this once I get paid in 6 days

[totallycaked]

Looks like the last one sold for $250 so this may be a steal if the bids stay low

[ekeppel]

Yeah, I bought and paid for this same keyboard earlier this afternoon as a buy-it-now at that price.  Not long after, the seller canceled the transaction and refunded my money.  The reason they gave eBay for canceling was "item is out of stock / damaged".

A few minutes later, they relisted it, but this time as an auction.  Not cool.

I contacted them and they didn't have a believable explanation to give me, so they're getting a neg fb. :-(

[robotsokk]

Yeah, I bought and paid for this same keyboard earlier this afternoon as a buy-it-now at that price.  Not long after, the seller canceled the transaction and refunded my money.  The reason they gave eBay for canceling was "item is out of stock / damaged".

A few minutes later, they relisted it, but this time as an auction.  Not cool.

I contacted them and they didn't have a believable explanation to give me, so they're getting a neg fb. :-(

Damn, that really sucks considering you purchased and it went through.

[totallycaked]

Ouch... I don't like that sellers aren't really punished for doing that. I bought a fitbit a few years back for an unbelievable price, but right after I paid for it the seller refunded the invoice and said the item was "out of stock" then relisted it for a much higher price.

Pretty shady but I guess once they realize they are about to lose ~100$ on a sale they don't even think twice about cancelling it. They should be penalized in the form of fees or something IDK...

[fohat.digs]

I bought and paid for this same keyboard

the seller canceled the transaction and refunded my money. 

A few minutes later, they relisted it, but this time as an auction.

Negative feedback is not enough.

You should lodge a formal written complaint with ebay. Do it quickly, they give 24-48 hour time frames for responses, and you want it locked in before the auction period is over.

If you are extremely lucky, ebay may pressure them to honor the original sale.

[rowdy]

There are terminal SSKs?

Also this one has the numpad legends on the front of the keycaps, both of mine have the numpad legends in small letters (well, digits) on teh top of the keycaps, and page up/down etc. on the sides.  Is that a terminal thing?

[subcat]

There are terminal SSKs?

Also this one has the numpad legends on the front of the keycaps, both of mine have the numpad legends in small letters (well, digits) on teh top of the keycaps, and page up/down etc. on the sides.  Is that a terminal thing?

Terminal SSKs do in fact exist!
https://deskthority.net/resources/image/18088

[ander]

Thanks for drawing this rare board to my attention. I've just added it to Wikipedia's Model M variant list—mostly because I live in the suburbs and don't have a whole lot else to do, but still.

[ekeppel]

Negative feedback is not enough.

You should lodge a formal written complaint with ebay. Do it quickly, they give 24-48 hour time frames for responses, and you want it locked in before the auction period is over.

If you are extremely lucky, ebay may pressure them to honor the original sale.

Thanks for the support.  I did contact eBay, but from the way the conversation went, I suspect there is little they will do.  At least I was able to report the seller, and they are going to open an investigation into the situation. 

If the seller had chosen 'incorrect price' as the reason for the cancellation instead of 'item is out of stock / damaged', I would not feel so bad, since accidents do happen.  However, since they outright lied to me and eBay about their reasons for cancelling the transaction, perhaps whoever investigates this case at eBay will notice this and at least ding the seller with a strike against their account.

As of this post, bidding on that keyboard is over $100, so unfortunately it seems this seller will be rewarded for their lies. 

[dorkvader]

Wow I feel really bad for bidding it up to $50 (what I thought they were worth last I checked). Are SSK prices up in general or is it another SSK bubble like we had back in '12. I may have to take advantage of that and sell some of mine.

[SamirD]

Terrible how ebay sellers do this on top of the already shady stuff that goes on there.  I hope more of this type of behavior is brought to light.  Then maybe something will change.

[ander]

Wow I feel really bad for bidding it up to $50 (what I thought they were worth last I checked). Are SSK prices up in general or is it another SSK bubble like we had back in '12...

It's easy enough to get a general idea: Do an eBay search, then click "Sold listings" in the options at the left. Here's what I got.

Of course those are for regular SSKs, not terminals like this. If the same logic holds as with full-size Model M's, this terminal version should bring substantially less. At the same time, though, terminal SSKs are rarer, so it may be more complicated... I've given up trying to understand collectors's minds.

Terrible how ebay sellers do this on top of the already shady stuff that goes on there.  I hope more of this type of behavior is brought to light.  Then maybe something will change.

Yeah, it's pretty crappy. I'm guessing it's happened to many of us.

A few months ago, I won and paid for a new Korean Topre knockoff for around $75. Then the seller must've realized Westerners were paying nearly twice as much, for they claimed they'd "misplaced" my board in their warehouse. They said I could wait till they found it, or have my money back. I chose to wait.

Weeks went by. Nothing. Then the same seller started listing the same keyboards at higher prices. I complained, but they ignored me. I finally contacted eBay—but even though the seller was clearly unscrupulous, they said all they could do was cancel the sale and have the seller return my dough. So that's what we did, as I'm sure I would've waited forever otherwise.

[SamirD]

Terrible how ebay sellers do this on top of the already shady stuff that goes on there.  I hope more of this type of behavior is brought to light.  Then maybe something will change.

Yeah, it's pretty crappy. I'm guessing it's happened to many of us.

A few months ago, I won and paid for a new Korean Topre knockoff for around $75. Then the seller must've realized Westerners were paying nearly twice as much, for they claimed they'd "misplaced" my board in their warehouse. They said I could wait till they found it, or have my money back. I chose to wait.

Weeks went by. Nothing. Then the same seller started listing the same keyboards at higher prices. I complained, but they ignored me. I finally contacted eBay—but even though the seller was clearly unscrupulous, they said all they could do was cancel the sale and have the seller return my dough. So that's what we did, as I'm sure I would've waited forever otherwise.

And that's absolutely not right.  Buyers remorse is one thing, but seller's remorse? 

The terms say don't bid unless you plan to buy as a bid is a binding contract.  If the bids are held to this standard, so should the listings.

[mogo]

Just a bump, there's 2 hours left and this board is at $102.50. If you want to roll the dice with this seller and try for a Terminal SSK.

[JaccoW]

$157.50

[SamirD]

Anyone here get it?  Not a terrible price for an SSK.

[rowdy]

$157.50

Only 10 bids too - has demand on these dropped?

[SamirD]

Maybe because it was the terminal edition?

[SamirD]

edition, lol!  I meant model.

[ander]

Maybe because it was the terminal edition? ... edition, lol!  I meant model.

Samir, "Edition"—or "version" or "variant" or "flavor" or whatever—are actually better than "model". Traditionally, we avoid referring to various Model M's and F's as "models" because "Model" is already in the name. (You're smarter than you realized! But then, aren't we all?)

[SamirD]

Maybe because it was the terminal edition? ... edition, lol!  I meant model.

Samir, "Edition"—or "version" or "variant" or "flavor" or whatever—are actually better than "model". Traditionally, we avoid referring to various Model M's and F's as "models" because "Model" is already in the name. (You're smarter than you realized! But then, aren't we all?)

Ah yes, I subconsciously must have known that the Model M SSK Model would have sounded like part of a run-on phrase...Model M SSK Model M SSK Model M SSK Model... )

I like variant the best.  I think that's the right word for me. 

[ander]

I like variant the best.  I think that's the right word for me...

I dunno, it always reminds me of "deviant". We purists usually stick with Big Blue's preferred term: part number.

[SamirD]

I like variant the best.  I think that's the right word for me...

I dunno, it always reminds me of "deviant". We purists usually stick with Big Blue's preferred term: part number.

hahaha!  I didn't think of it that way until you mentioned it!  )  Part number it is.