HP Forum Archive 13

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Ebay Message #1 Posted by Howard on 22 May 2003, 12:28 a.m. I hope that the buyer was a sniper and only put in a plenary bid to win this item. See - http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3024706892&category=11713&rd=1 The item went from $78 to $159.28 in the last 10 seconds.

Re: Ebay Message #2 Posted by james on 22 May 2003, 8:08 a.m., in response to message #1 by Howard Ah, Therwil strikes again! At least he has something to put in his nice new box!

Re: Ebay Message #3 Posted by DougT on 22 May 2003, 12:14 p.m., in response to message #1 by Howard It's always entertaining to watch the bidding on choice HP items, even items I can't possibly afford. Some poor sap thinks his high bid will stand...but...denied! Therwil swoops in! I'm thinking that he HAS to have an addition on his house to hold all the HPs he's scored.

Worn out ENTER key Message #4 Posted by Michael F. Coyle on 22 May 2003, 1:28 p.m., in response to message #1 by Howard The enter button has been pushed a lot and the white paint on the "R" is worn off. Does this mean that the 97, from the Golden Age of HP, has silkscreened key legends, not double-shot molded? Tsk tsk, HP.

Re: Worn out ENTER key Message #5 Posted by David Smith on 22 May 2003, 4:40 p.m., in response to message #4 by Michael F. Coyle There is a range of production dates for the HP97 that are prone to a nasty little key problem. The white shot molding step on the right hand keyboard keys was not done properly and the plastic for the white lettering was not only thin and incomplete but tends to decompose. What looks like worn lettering is actually missing or decomposing plastic. Then ENTER key is particularly prone to this problem. On the subject of HP97 plastic problems... I have now seen three machines from the same date code series with identical cracks in the plastic case on the left hand vertical side of the case near where the printer sits.

Re: Ebay Message #6 Posted by Juergen (CH) on 22 May 2003, 1:41 p.m., in response to message #1 by Howard Some months ago, there was another guy (don't remember his eBay nick name) who bought many HP items for very high prices. And now, it's therwil. Sometimes I dream to be one of these guys having (too) much money to spend on eBay, but when I wake up, I have to admit that using HP calcs makes much more fun than just buying them. And when you buy dozens of calcs, you cannot use them all. Most of them end in (nice) boxes and wait for getting alive again... I think we have to found the HP socialists party: One HP calc for everybody! ;-) Juergen

HP Socialist's party Message #7 Posted by james on 22 May 2003, 5:46 p.m., in response to message #6 by Juergen (CH) I think we need a mandate for two HP's for everyone - I wouldn't want to lose my 41 but I yearn for some red led's - but not much joy on ebay as most of the sellers only ship to the US and no doubt when I find an international shipper therwil and texaspyro will be there too with their sackloads of greenbacks! Still - roll on the glorius revolution with the Carly-types swinging from the lamp-posts! A thought: are therwil and texaspyro minions of Carly tasked to buy-up all proper HP calculators in a vain hope that the world will forget how great they are and start lusting after Kingpo's? Must go and take my medication now........

Re: HP Socialist's party Message #8 Posted by Frank Wales on 23 May 2003, 3:10 p.m., in response to message #7 by james ...but not much joy on ebay as most of the sellers only ship to the US... I have found that sellers whose auctions say this are generally willing to ship overseas if you say you'll pay the extra. However, it might also be good to identify a friend in the U.S. who will be willing to be sent things on your behalf, just in case the item of your dreams is being sold by someone who won't go for the extra postage. ...are therwil and texaspyro minions of Carly tasked to buy-up all proper HP calculators in a vain hope that the world will forget how great they are...? Fear not; they don't have enough money.

Thanks for the advice Message #9 Posted by james (UK) on 24 May 2003, 5:16 a.m., in response to message #8 by Frank Wales Frank Thanks for the tip - I had just assumed that they didn't want the hassle of someone across the pond subsequently complaining that the item didn't work properly, etc (although I couldn't reconcile this with items such as books and manuals!) Mind you, it'll help my bank balance if they don't sell internationally - until I get a friend in the States!

Re: Ebay Message #10 Posted by Garry on 22 May 2003, 2:10 p.m., in response to message #1 by Howard See my post of 13 May 2003. Seriously, Ebay only shows a bid 1 step higher than the previous high bid. If I bid a maximum amount of say $100, and the starting bid is $5.00, you have to bid at least $101 to snipe me. I always use a fairly high proxy bid on items I want. If you snipe me, you pay above what I was willing to pay. If you don't bid against me, I get the item for whatever the bidding went up to. Sniping is a loosing game. You have to pay more than everyone else is willing to pay, as Ebay shows time and time again...G-man

Re: Ebay Message #11 Posted by James M. Prange on 24 May 2003, 7:56 a.m., in response to message #10 by Garry Sniping is a loosing game. You have to pay more than everyone else is willing to pay, as Ebay shows time and time again...G-man Well, the "winner" always has to pay more than everyone else bid ("Dutch" auctions excepted). But some buyers apparently don't bid what they'd really be willing to pay, apparently thinking that they can always put in a higher bid if someone tops their bid; I guess that they just don't "get" the proxy bidding system. So a sniper does have the advantage over those folks. If there's a losing game, it's first off, bidding early, second, not using the proxy system sensibly, instead waiting until someone tops your bid before you raise your bid, and worst, getting into a bidding war and ending up paying more than you wanted to just to keep someone else from "winning" an item that you're bidding on. On the other hand, the "winner" has to fork over his money, while the "loser" gets to keep his, so maybe the terms should be reversed. If I always "won" everything I bid on, I wouldn't be able to bid on so many things. Regards, James

Re: Ebay Message #12 Posted by Trent Moseley on 25 May 2003, 12:43 a.m., in response to message #10 by Garry My question is about the "gummy wheel". I just got my 67 back for the third time for card reader repair in 20 years. Even though this Ebay machine has been sitting on the shelf all this time, is the gummy wheel any good. I thought it deteriorated over time whether it was used or not. tm

Re: Ebay Message #13 Posted by Ellis Easley on 25 May 2003, 1:12 a.m., in response to message #12 by Trent Moseley My 67, which had been attacked savagely with a screwdriver, looked otherwise like it had never been used. I think someone went crazy trying to figure out how to open it in order to figure out what kind of battery it needed (at least the voltage and polarity). Anyway, the copper springs that keep the cards lined up showed zero wear. The rubber wheel was completely gummy but also clear and adhered to the nylon roller in one spot (I never tried using the reader before opening it up). The wheel actually came off in one piece - it looks just like a pineapple flavor gummi lifesaver.

HP-67 for $885 Message #14 Posted by Juergen (CH) on 23 May 2003, 2:38 a.m., in response to message #1 by Howard therwil news: HP-67 for $885 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3024916572&category=11713&rd=1

Re: HP-67 for $885 Message #15 Posted by james (UK) on 23 May 2003, 3:41 a.m., in response to message #14 by Juergen (CH) Amazing - whatever next? How long before the first $1,000 dollar case (in brand-new condition in original wrapping mind you!)?

Re: HP-67 for $885 Message #16 Posted by Ellis Easley on 23 May 2003, 6:03 a.m., in response to message #15 by james (UK) Was it a 65 NIB that went for $1300 a few months ago? Also a new 35 without the hard case went for about $650, the seller said in the ad that he got it for free in a trade. The same time frame, tomd (I think) grabbed a (red dot?) 35 for $69 BIN. Another good topic for Archive summaries! (Actually two topics - Ebay and complaints about Ebay discussions!) NIB=New In Box, BIN=Buy It Now

Re: HP-67 for $885 Message #17 Posted by David Smith on 23 May 2003, 4:20 p.m., in response to message #15 by james (UK) It has happened many times already. The last two NIB HP67's sold for $1300+ and $1500+. Therwil got him a bargain! The last NIB HP65 went for $1900+.

Re: HP-67 for $885 Message #18 Posted by ToddG on 23 May 2003, 8:07 a.m., in response to message #14 by Juergen (CH) The next highest bidder (k6ad) bid $875, up from the third highest bidder (texaspyro) of $478. k6ad is probably still shaking his head and wondering what hit him.

Re: HP-67 for $885 Message #19 Posted by Howard on 23 May 2003, 8:29 a.m., in response to message #18 by ToddG This sure makes my snipe look small fry. I hope k6ad was a friend of the seller and the ambit bid by him was to trap therwil. This might be the way to stop him.

What's the problem ? Message #20 Posted by Bob on 23 May 2003, 10:16 a.m., in response to message #19 by Howard What is the issue with "Therwil" buying calculators at higher prices ? They are only worth what he is willing to pay for them. I doesn't really seem to drive up all of the other auctions as far as I can see. Complaining about someone elses good fortune to be so wealthy to be able to afford whatever he wants is poor manners. The fact that he swoops in at the last minute and grabs the item from another's grasp is the nature of an auction, isn't it ? I think that suggesting that there should be an attempt made to "stop him" is sour grapes and probably wouldn't work. As I said, they are worth what he is willing to pay. If he wants it, he has demonstrated that he has the resources to buy it and you can't cover every auction. Besides, showing that HP calcs are highly prized could have a postive effect on future offerings. Bottom line is, the jealousy doesn't fit with the general atmosphere of the forum.

Re: What's the problem ? Message #21 Posted by Patrick on 24 May 2003, 12:37 a.m., in response to message #20 by Bob I totally agree, Bob. It is reasonable to lament one's misfortune at not being able to afford (or not wanting to pay) $885+ for a nice item, it is quite another to insinuate that there is something wrong with someone who can. Like it or not, this is the freemarket system at its best.

What's the problem??? Message #22 Posted by Mike on 24 May 2003, 1:20 a.m., in response to message #1 by Howard I think he got a bargain. Absolute bargain. The application packs alone are worth over $100 (5 at a low $20 each). The external battery charger could get $40. The AC Adapter $20 The manual $40 So, not counting the 97, he got $200 worth of items (very conservatively), for a bid of $159.00. Keys can be replaced. I have at least 5 machines that I use for parts, so keys could have been replaced easily. This was a very good buy!

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