The Museum of HP Calculators

HP Forum Archive 04

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crazy ebay
Message #1 Posted by Thibaut.be on 20 Sept 2000, 7:21 a.m.

Have you seen these prices ? I can't beleive it !

http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=437328581

      
Re: crazy ebay
Message #2 Posted by Glynn on 20 Sept 2000, 8:02 a.m.,
in response to message #1 by Thibaut.be

Thibaut, that IS crazy... but that is not the auction I am MOST worried about...

Check out the one for the HP15c Manual, currently at $52 and not yet done.

http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=438169150

Wonder if the companion Advanced Functions book will go on a separate auction next week.

            
Re: crazy ebay
Message #3 Posted by Rupert on 20 Sept 2000, 4:07 p.m.,
in response to message #2 by Glynn

Who is willing to feel sick should read the post concerning eBay and an HP 71 on

http://cgi.peak.org/~dvtg/Ultimate.cgi (Calculators bulletin board:)

in the Collecting forum.

I cannot believe it.

--

                  
Re: crazy ebay
Message #4 Posted by Glynn on 20 Sept 2000, 7:36 p.m.,
in response to message #3 by Rupert

For those not willing to run to a different bbs to see what Rupert has referred to, the story, by "dburkett", is called "a 71b for .99" and tells of his find:

He noticed a listing for an "electronic abacus", and saw that the seller was not really aware of what he was selling-- an HP 71b (as identified by the keyboard).

It was indeed a 71b, plus 4 32K modules, plus an HP-IL interface-- all housed in an aluminum box with templates, one template saying "Abacus by Calculus Inc."

"dburkett" was the only bidder on the item, and it is apparently in great condition. Obviously, "dburkett" is one lucky dude with open eyes and a willingness to go at least a dollar for a "pig in a poke"... and this time, it paid off.

I have heard in the past of people actually giving away calculators; I have heard of the occasional dustbin find. We all hope to stumble in on that one yard-sale where the red-dot HP-35 sits next to the rubber-ducky on the ten-cent table. It happens.

"dburkett"'s moral is: ya gotta look, and that is true. eBay is a nice place to look, for sure: some of its charm is the convenience of visiting HUNDREDS of garage-sales from the comfort of your computer.

It is mostly always going to cost you more on eBay: lots of buyer competition results in the seller's market we see there. Only the most common things give us a vendor competition-- and only as long as oversupply to the market exists (and the market on eBay is huge).

But as the story Rupert pointed us to proves, IF you are expert enough to see what others don't, and willing to place your bet on a potential "hidden treasure", you CAN be a "winner".

What I don't "get" about eBay is this: what drives a BUYER to bid prices up on items that appear there at least every other week?

The psychology of the auction notwithstanding, it is a constant inflationary pressure that makes effective buying on eBay a long, slow and iterative task-- being second or third or fourth place on many auctions while the newbies fight for the right to pay lots more than an item can be had in the local classifieds.

                        
Re: crazy ebay
Message #5 Posted by Dave Hicks on 20 Sept 2000, 8:26 p.m.,
in response to message #4 by Glynn

"I have heard in the past of people actually giving away calculators; I have heard of the occasional dustbin find. We all hope to stumble in on that one yard-sale where the red-dot HP-35 sits next to the rubber-ducky on the ten-cent table. It happens."

A few years ago I started calling surplus/liquidation equipment dealers to ask about calculators. The typical answer was that when they got them, they threw them away "along with the half used pads of paper and broken pencils."

I managed to convince one of them to throw all the calculators in a box for me to come look at now and then and I bought HPs at a buck a piece from him. Recently, the price changed to $100. He discovered a new thing called "eBay". I have to find a new surplus dealer.

When I shop on eBay, I look for misspelled/miscategorized items. Like the "Digicom" (Digi-Comp 1) which sold for $27 instead of the usual $200-$400 and the "Interesting Tool" which was sold under the watches classification for $22 but which would have fetched $600 if it was properly identified as a "curta calculator." (One of my other Curtas came from a watch show where the seller knew it was a calculator but was surprised that I was willing to pay his full $50 asking price.)

Oh and I still receive give-away HPs from coworkers.


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