geekhack
geekhack Marketplace => Great Finds => Topic started by: EverythingIBM on Wed, 29 January 2014, 22:06:50
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http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-IBM-Model-M-Keyboard-rare-/271386978178?hash=item3f2feca782 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-IBM-Model-M-Keyboard-rare-/271386978178?hash=item3f2feca782)
It's too bad the chassis near the spacebar is cracking apart, otherwise I would have had a go.
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Don't know it the case has a stain or if it's cracked on the bottom, but nice find!
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Don't know it the case has a stain or if it's cracked on the bottom, but nice find!
Unfortunately the seller probably has a dumb reserve.
--> you can tell it sat in some damp environment unused-- because the cable is virtually brand new without the coiling damaged, and hence the unfortunate degradation of the plastic.
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reserve is above $50
not sure if it's worth whatever his reserve it set at.
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reserve is above $50
not sure if it's worth whatever his reserve it set at.
Seller's feedback speaks volumes.
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reserve is above $50
not sure if it's worth whatever his reserve it set at.
Seller's feedback speaks volumes.
You're right there. I didn't see all the negatives until I scrolled down. I'll definitely be avoiding this "Model M".
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As I have said many times before, the entire concept of "reserve" is transcendentally stupid and pointless, except as a mechanism for ebay to tap the seller for an extra fee.
I saw this when it went up a couple of days ago, but I make it a policy to never bid on anything with a reserve.
The surface cracking or crazing around the spacebar seems pretty typical for the Model F plastic, I would not worry about it, it is almost surely in the surface "skin" layer.
If I was seriously in the market, I would put in a snipe at about $80-90 and wait to see what happened.
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reserve is above $50
not sure if it's worth whatever his reserve it set at.
Seller's feedback speaks volumes.
Ooooffff, I did not notice that feedback.
It this thing stays cheap, I might throw in a bid in an amount that is negligible to me and look to mod it to standard ANSI. But we still have a lot of time left, so we'll see.
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I saw this when it went up a couple of days ago, but I make it a policy to never bid on anything with a reserve.
This is my new policy, I think.
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I saw this when it went up a couple of days ago, but I make it a policy to never bid on anything with a reserve.
This is my new policy, I think.
I believe it's a good policy. :thumb:
Seller could have easily set the starting bid price = reserve.
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Seller could have easily set the starting bid price = reserve.
And he would have saved himself the reserve listing fee!
As you may know, I am on an ebay transparency campaign, attempting to bust the (ebay-promoted) myth of :
"$0.99 starting bid is always best"
They lie and tell the sellers that this will promote bidding wars, while in fact it means that many items are given away too cheap.
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Seller could have easily set the starting bid price = reserve.
And he would have saved himself the reserve listing fee!
As you may know, I am on an ebay transparency campaign, attempting to bust the (ebay-promoted) myth of :
"$0.99 starting bid is always best"
They lie and tell the sellers that this will promote bidding wars, while in fact it means that many items are given away too cheap.
I agree with you that $0.99 starting bid is not always best for seller. For certain items, there's simply not enough people/interest to push the low starting bid to a reasonable/fair price.
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For certain items, there's simply not enough interest
I think that you would be a fool to set a start price at anything less than the least you would reasonably accept for your item.
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It looks like someone told him and it has been relisted:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-PC-XT-AT-Keyboard-Vintage-Legacy-1980s-clicky-rare-/271389277801?pt=PCA_Mice_Trackballs&hash=item3f300fbe69 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-PC-XT-AT-Keyboard-Vintage-Legacy-1980s-clicky-rare-/271389277801?pt=PCA_Mice_Trackballs&hash=item3f300fbe69)
Also I like the misinformation on the new listing:
This keyboard WILL NOT interface easily with modern computers as it does not feature the AT standard protocol. It is soley for the use with compatible comptuers of its era.
Casing is made of metal and is VERY solidly built. It is in excellent condition for a keyboard that is about 30 years old.Happy bidding!!!!
I know I don't need to explain why that info is incorrect. *sigh*
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I know I don't need to explain why that info is incorrect. *sigh*
A metal case would have made it more desirable, but the other misinformation will help keep ignorant buyers away, a good thing.
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reserve price is STILL higher than $50 Why do they even do that? ugh.
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Why do they even do that?
They do it because ebay tells them to.
Ebay goes to great lengths to tell sellers that bidding wars only start low, and that the lower they start, the higher they go. Like when you list an item "Fixed Price" you immediately get a pop-up that says "Sellers get higher prices in auctions"
Ebay wants buyers to see it as a place for bargains. They want you to feel confident that you might get a $20 item for $3 sometimes.
I am very glad. Most of my bids are lowballs on items at far less than their real value. When I get that great deal, I am elated.
But of course what is good for sellers is bad for buyers, and vice versa. Ebay knows that where there is demand, supply will usually step in to fill it. (And, of course, "demand for $150 SSKs" is very different from "demand for SSKs" so the former is waiting to be filled by Unicomp)
Reserve is a way for the seller to make sure that he does not get screwed while playing along with ebay's charade. So ebay charges for it as if it is an "extra value feature" instead of yet another junk fee.
The problem is, as clearly demonstrated here, that it only creates confusion and frustration for everybody involved.