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Ebay, refurbished item vendors, etc.

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iMav:
It is simply amazing to me the prices some of the classic keyboards and pointing devices are going for on Ebay and via vendors such as clickykeyboards.  There are some deals to be had on occasion, (my recent purchase of 4 Cherry 4100's for $20, for example) but for the most part, people are getting raped.  

I certainly understand the appeal (most, if not all of us here do).  But I fear that many of these folk are overpaying simply because they do not know of the options available to them.  There are so many great newly-available options to choose from...and at reasonable prices.  Sure, you can overpay for new items as well (Das Keyboard, Matias Tactile Pro, HHKB Pro, etc)...and some of us choose to do so based on wanting a specific keyboard.  But, there are many outstanding keyboards available, for new, in the sub-$100 range.

Whiskey in the Jar-o:
Even though I've used a fair few hand-me-downs with embedded dust, crumbs and dandruff at work without too much revulsion... I don't want to buy used input devices.

iMav:

--- Quote from: Whiskey in the Jar-o ---Even though I've used a fair few hand-me-downs with embedded dust, crumbs and dandruff at work without too much revulsion... I don't want to buy used input devices.
--- End quote ---

I don't even like hand-me-down chairs...let alone something I will have bare hands on all day.  At the very least, if something is used, it should be cleaned THROUGHLY... (and then I just pretend it is new so I can sleep at night)  :)

As is detailed in our Keyboards forum, there are new options available whether you like buckling-springs, Cherry switches, Alps sliders, etc.

xsphat:
But you have to take into consideration that some of the new stock has been sitting a warehouse for god knows how long, and from my days working in factories, I can tell you that stock is not always treated well.

And the thing about 20 year old keyboards is that, since I am typing on one right now, they can be cleaned up and they can work as well they did in '86. I am starting to think this keyboard will out live me. But if it doesn't, I don't know if I could even get this one fixed any where since it is so rare.

iMav:
My point is not that the vintage keyboards are of dubious quality; the complete opposite is true...many of them may, as you say, long outlive us!  I'm simply saying that people are being overcharged for these "vintage" items.  Why pay (as I saw recently on Ebay) $120 for an older PS/2 "hacker style" (taken from the listing) Cherry 4100 when you can buy a NEW USB one for half that?  Or, in my case, $130 for a Model M mini when Unicomp will put one together for half that price?

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