devius wrote on 2020-06-25, 18:04:

The only thing that worries me is that they're starting to push their Galaxy client a lot and who knows if some years from now it will be the only way to install games.

What happens years from now no one can tell for sure; however, anything you buy now from GOG is completely DRM-free and does not require any "clients" or anything online. You cannot hack DRM into an offline installer that does not have it, so those games will certainly be safe.

When people buy things from 'cheap' sellers and put it up for sale again for a much higher price.

Last month I sold my IBM 5170 with working IBM hard drive, memory expansion, several other cards and a working IBM CGA monitor.

I wanted to sell it because I was not really using it, ever. This wonderful combo deserved better. So I didn't want much for it, as I dislike the high prices people dare to ask of IBM stuff. I wanted to give less wealthy collectors a chance.

Sold it for 185 euro and a MAG 1024x CRT monitor, because i really wanted a CRT for my Pentium 1/2 PCs.

The monitor has made me very happy, so I am glad I made this deal.

A day later the 5170 unit was for sale again without the memory expansion and cga monitor. Guy didn't even bother to change the memory setting so it shows an error now.

Sure you own it now, so do whatever. but really?

dr_st wrote on 2020-06-25, 18:41:

Oh yeah, I buy physical copies for collecting purposes as well, when I feel like it.

However, from the purpose of being able to play the games - the GOG releases are probably even better than most physical copies, because physical copies also frequently have DRM, which can suddenly break / become unsupported. Older titles frequently have CD copy protection techniques, while newer ones require an active Steam/Uplay/Epic account and online connection, even if you installed the game from the physical media.

More and more games I see at thriftstores Will no longer work because their code requires attachment to an account, or online activiation. It has most certainly been used already. I've had this happen a few times.

Its a pity.

T4600C wrote on 2020-06-29, 09:08:

When people buy things from 'cheap' sellers and put it up for sale again for a much higher price. […]
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When people buy things from 'cheap' sellers and put it up for sale again for a much higher price.

Last month I sold my IBM 5170 with working IBM hard drive, memory expansion, several other cards and a working IBM CGA monitor.

I wanted to sell it because I was not really using it, ever. This wonderful combo deserved better. So I didn't want much for it, as I dislike the high prices people dare to ask of IBM stuff. I wanted to give less wealthy collectors a chance.

Sold it for 185 euro and a MAG 1024x CRT monitor, because i really wanted a CRT for my Pentium 1/2 PCs.

The monitor has made me very happy, so I am glad I made this deal.

A day later the 5170 unit was for sale again without the memory expansion and cga monitor. Guy didn't even bother to change the memory setting so it shows an error now.

Sure you own it now, so do whatever. but really?

Freaking scalpers... That's why I keep my stuff even if I don't want it, because I would much rather just give it to a close friend and fellow nerd for free, than see it sold for an abysmal insane price mere minutes after having sold it myself for a reasonable price.
EDIT: I didn't really know what "abysmal" meant. Whoops.

Sellers who say: "Well, this generic 486 PC is on eBay for 300 euro, so me asking 150 euro is a bargain for you!"

Not understading that seeing something up on eBay doesn't mean those items sell for those amounts. And if they did, that person had way too much money.

I sometimes make offers on items that are about what the sold listings are, and communicate that to sellers, got a few accepted that way that were way lower than asking price.

Anyone else getting tired of people locally thinking their garbage is gold? Its gotten really bad here lately, 3 of the last 4 local sellers I've ran into have wanted prices I would only consider acceptable for a fully restored, recapped, and retrobrighted machine. This guy had a 386 tower, an iMac G3 Bondi with KBM, A G3 Tower, and a PowerBook G3. I asked him what he wanted and he took 2 days to respond with the insane price of $400. I guess it took him 2 days to look up what people were asking on eBay. I replied with "I'll give you $100, no one is going to pay you more for them. Message me when you come to that realization. Also if you sell them on eBay be prepared to take a return at your expense when the buyer finds the smallest problem with it"

It's making it impossible to get anything lately. This is all just scrap to anyone else. I need to switch tactics and start making offers instead of letting people try to conjure up their own insane prices. /rant.

Well, eventually the market will top off and prices will drop again. Just a matter of time. Probably (hopefully) your local market is reaching peak. I was at a garage sale about a year or so ago and an old guy had a box of 10 sealed floppy disks on his table. When I offered him a few bucks he ripped it off the table and yelled at me that it was a rare vintage item and he'll just sell it on Ebay. I was like, "Ok, have fun when reality hits you in the face."

liqmat wrote on 2020-06-29, 16:11:

Well, eventually the market will top off and prices will drop again. Just a matter of time. Probably (hopefully) your local market is reaching peak. I was at a garage sale about a year or so ago and an old guy had a box of 10 sealed floppy disks on his table. When I offered him a few bucks he ripped it off the table and yelled at me that it was a rare vintage item and he'll just sell it on Ebay. I was like, "Ok, have fun when reality hits you in the face."

When he gets a return because one of the disks was bad, because 30 year old disks and people are stupid.

I guess I'm the only one who wouldn't return and instead try and find a solution to have it working myself? 😀

TechieDude wrote on 2020-06-29, 12:19:

Freaking scalpers... That's why I keep my stuff even if I don't want it, because I would much rather just give it to a close friend and fellow nerd for free, than see it sold for an abysmal price mere minutes after having sold it myself for a reasonable price.

I suppose that's a silver lining on the wildly out of control shipping costs where I'm at. Reselling is likely a smaller problem when the post office gets all your profits

About those Aureal Vortex sound cards (AU8820/AU8830), Diamond MX300 etc - what on earth did happen here lately !?

Seems like I missed a few steps, and they are now selling for $100 ++ ?? 🤣

Last time I checked they were in the $10-20 region... granted, that is a few years ago, but not THAT long ?
And those triangular Montegos used to be more or less given away. Weird...

Seriously, just look at item number 143592441322... $750 for sealed Montego box ??????

( I 'collected' a handful for having a midi daugther card connector, while accidentally acquiring an attched Yamaha DB50XG in the process as well, not paying enough attention to the item description )

3000 € for old Atari ST games that no one remembers (Black Sect by Lankhor. A very good game, but please...) on eBay.

It's totally insane.

Almost all vintage/retro stuff has skyrocketed lately. Wrings hands at large stash.... I should be able to retire... heh.

I've seen prices double, triple, quadruple or more over just the last year on a lot of things.

even scrap lots are expensive nowadays.

I have a bunch of Aureal chipped cards from when compgeeks was blowing them out cheap plus my MX300 that I purchased new and still have in use. Either too many new people are getting into the hobby or the supply is just hoarded or recycled.

I believe it's both, a lot is being thrown away still, and interest in retro hardware is on the rise, a lot of youtube channels around and a lot of publications have started doing articles on retro hardware.

I blame alot of it personally on stuff being thrown away en mass during the ewaste incentives years ago.

Prices are bad, yeah, but I don't think theyl ever get as bad as retro console gaming has started to reach.

Atleast with retro PCs you can get games for cheap on GOG/Steam instead of having to pay up the ass for cartridges
on eBay.

the nice thing about PCs is that you can get a pretty decent retro PC still without getting any of the rare and special expensive parts, just stick to common hardware, it'll still be awesome :3

People wanting $100 for an Atari XE GS light gun, and many times more for the bare computer, no keyboard, no joystick, no power supply... If I were rich, I think I would just buy some of these things, then visit the people at their homes, and slap them with what I bought until they stopped screaming.