geekhack
geekhack Marketplace => Great Finds => Topic started by: ed_avis on Sun, 01 January 2017, 02:50:03
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Two beaten-up Model Ms, the seller says for keys only, but surely they could be made to work if given a cable?
The second one is the more desirable (in my experience) white label kind.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/142230004329
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He is/was selling 2 lots of 2 keyboards each, and the other was worse. Still, chances are that you could easily get a working Model M for $40 shipped plus a bunch of spare parts out of this.
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Many Model Ms that have issues reported such as some keys not working or the whole board not working are easily fixed; it's generally a ribbon seating problem. Nice deal really :) .
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Ebay has clear simple rules that are not always equally applicable across the board, but a seller is going to be held to them.
Used:
An item that has been used previously. The item may have some signs of cosmetic wear, but is fully operational and functions as intended.
For parts or not working:
An item that does not function as intended and/or is not fully operational. This includes items that are defective in ways that render them difficult to use, items that require service or repair, or items missing essential components.
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People list lots of stuff on eBay as FPONW because they either can't test it (e.g. don't have a PC with a PS/2 connection), or they don't want to bother testing it.
This doesn't mean it doesn't work. In fact, except where the seller has specifically said they don't work, most M's listed as FPONW probably work just fine. I've bought a couple myself, because they otherwise looked good, and found they had no problems and that I'd saved some dough.
You take your chances, though. "FPONW" is a disclaimer. If it's broken, you're stuck with it.
That said, I'd steer clear of M's this dirty. They've obviously been left outdoors or in some unusually dirty place. M's don't don't usually get that grimy even after 20+ years in an office. I don't think it's worth taking the chance they're something mechanically wrong with them and having to spend so much extra time cleaning them up.
That's how I see it, anyway.
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I never heard of a buyer demanding their money back because an item sold as 'for parts or not working' turned out to be actually working after all. If it's listed in that condition, it may or may not work, and the seller is sure of being in line with Ebay regulations.
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I have had a customer leave me a negative feedback for sending him a non working item when the item was clearly listed as for parts/not working. Ebay, of course did nothing about it because they don't give a **** about their sellers.
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I have had a customer leave me a negative feedback for sending him a non working item when the item was clearly listed as for parts/not working. Ebay, of course did nothing about it because they don't give a **** about their sellers.
They do tend to side with buyers, but that's just a simple business decision. Before eBay, few people had experience buying things sight-unseen—not to mention online, an entirely new medium for most people. To inspire confidence, they had to emphasize safety. And as with all blanket policies, there are always cases where it makes less sense than others.
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If you can endure the quest to speak to an actual person at ebay on a telephone, you can sometimes get relief.
The barriers to that are rather high, but it can sometimes be done if you have the patience.
It also helps a lot if you have a longer and stronger history than your buyer.
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These have been sold; please mark your topic title.