[Coco] Coco Digest, Vol 111, Issue 6

[Andrew]

> Message: 1
> Date: Fri, 4 May 2012 04:47:02 -0400
> From: Rogelio Perea<os9dude at gmail.com>
> Subject: [Coco] Friday Ebay Madness...
> To: coco at maltedmedia.com
> Message-ID:
> 	<CAOYojoQN-FwK6C8u=qPnwTRm6rvEOLhxZH1yT-YebuyhY+GXpw at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>
> This made me chuckle. Original CoCo joysticks (pair) for a reasonable
> US$0.99 starting bid price. So far so good... but what about the shipping
> charge? XD
>
> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320899334820

I'm not one to typically do this, but I reported that listing for bad 
shipping price practices; there is no way it would cost $30.00 to ship 
joysticks from Ohio, unless it was international (if the guy got a bid 
from someone in AU for instance, it -might- be possible the shipping 
could run that high - maybe). I'd really like to hear his reason.

> Saw also a Deluxe RS232 and a J&M disk controller from an Australian vendor
> set for buy now at AU$99.00. Plus the shipping charge.
>
> Fellow CoConuts, hold on to your CoCo stuff... we're sitting on a gold pile

There are certain things in the CoCo (and other old computer) realms I 
would pay a "premium" for; but they are very few. I can recognize 
certain machines and parts as being truly vintage, collectible, and 
somewhat rare (every now and then I try to see what's available out 
there for the Altair, for instance). That's just the way some things 
are; I don't know if I'm part of the problem, though. :)

> Message: 6
> Date: Fri, 4 May 2012 11:48:03 -0300
> From: Juan Castro<jccyc1965 at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [Coco] Friday Ebay Madness...
> To: CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts<coco at maltedmedia.com>
> Message-ID:
> 	<CAGhS81GP10b2EtUU+3s-8D8Bs5E3NCXwHsi4tNP-Z4L=z+LzSQ at mail.gmail.com>
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>
> Who the intercourse sells MAINFRAMES on Ebay?

It's been a while, but in the past (before Ebay changed into a "store" 
style portal, away from a true auction portal) I've seen auctions for 
Cray supercomputers. More recently I've seen auctions for large 
multi-blade full-rack servers from Sun and SGI, going for a pretty hefty 
penny (and still a bargain, considering "new" prices).

As far as true "mainframes" - all I've ever seen is parts, and parts of 
parts. But I suppose someone could sell a complete system (given the 
houses, cars, and other high-ticket items are also sold on Ebay).

> Message: 7
> Date: Fri, 4 May 2012 10:54:24 -0400
> From: Louis Ciotti<lciotti1 at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [Coco] Friday Ebay Madness...
> To: CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts<coco at maltedmedia.com>
> Message-ID:
> 	<CAL1yNpwNp=A11vqasm0Bon=pjFHtan=KR=W0YZyYu5Na9DedVg at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>
> Looks like they are moving to using "Brands" as one of the clickable
> filters with Tandy as a Brand.

Two or more years ago they switched "formats" from being a strictly 
auction site to a "store portal" or something like that; they sent out a 
variety of emails, there were write ups on various sites, etc about the 
whole deal. I still don't understand why they did it (other than
from a potential business standpoint).

I think they saw that they had a ton of "power sellers", as well as a 
ton of people clamoring for "easy to set up and use" online stores (vs 
other methods like building your own web presence), and those already 
using Ebay as such - that they figured they were sitting on a gold mine 
in terms of fees on sellers and such. To heck with the buyers, I guess, 
who liked auctions and people selling buckets o' junk.

Since that time, it seems like the vast majority of items on the site 
are new condition, and from people acting as sellers, or direct from 
manufacturers (mainly China), or real retailers selling via Ebay as a 
side arm of their regular business.

There are still private/personal auctions, of people selling "junk" or 
personal items to others, but they are in the extreme minority compared 
to everything else. I think the fees Ebay charges now to sellers makes 
it a losing proposition for many items in such personal transactions, 
but you sometimes see interesting things still.

I still use Ebay with all of this in mind; it's been a real boon to me 
to be able to get cheap stuff (mainly electronics - components 
especially) easily from China. I occasionally also still find the "gem" 
of a deal on old computer/robotics/virtual reality junk that I can't 
pass up and no one else seems to want (though some of this stuff has 
gone through the roof, when it really isn't worth that much).

What I really want, though, is a site like the old Ebay; an old-style 
auction/flea-market/garage sale site with any and all crap up for 
sale/bid/etc on it, with the vetting and assurance between buyers and 
sellers. I haven't had much luck finding such a site (at one time I 
found something like it, but I lost the link, and at the time, the site 
was still small with few auctions).

Anybody know of something like that?

> Message: 8
> Date: Fri, 04 May 2012 15:02:14 GMT
> From: "tonym"<tonym at compusource.net>
> Subject: Re: [Coco] Friday Ebay Madness...
> To: "CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts"<coco at maltedmedia.com>
> Message-ID:<201205041102869.SM731824@[199.47.47.239]>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
> Oh there's been plenty of S/390's in the past... and parts.
>   What was the other IBM one, before the zSeries? 7xxx G5 I think?
>   Seen those quite often.

Same thing I noted above; most of the "mainframe" stuff you see on Ebay 
now is the "newer" stuff, dating from the late 1990s or so. I troll 
every now and then for SGI and Sun equipment (have yet to pull the 
trigger on anything, though). Some of that stuff is "tempting" in that I 
think about what I could do with some kind of 64 or 128-way SGI blade 
rack sitting in my garage (nowhere else to put it); then my fantasy 
"poofs" away when I realize I have no use or need for anything like 
that. Still, it is fun to dream. :D

--- Andrew L. Ayers, Glendale, Arizona