gerry wrote on 2021-03-22, 13:33:

from a buyers point of view, as some of these are actually sold, I'd like to know why buy it […]
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from a buyers point of view, as some of these are actually sold, I'd like to know why buy it

just as one example; what does a Cyrix 5x86-120 do for $150 that any number of pentium 1's, 2's and early celerons dont do more of, for less?

i cannot imagine it keeping its value, it has no other feature that makes it special and that goes with so many vintage parts that seem to become 'collectable'

i can understand it with cars, for instance, because the argument 'what does a 1982 camaro z28 do that a [insert cheaper slightly later and more powerful car] doesnt'? is easy to answer - you experience the car directly, looking at it and sitting in it. Not something PC components give you!

and indeed, many components and PCs go unsold round and round on ebay or whatever for months and months never dropping price remaining unsold!

It's always the case with high end and/or desirable items (can be anything) that people want to pay a massive premium. A 1990s BMW M3 sells for many multiples the price of a contemporary 316i, while it's basically the same car for your neighbors haha.

Several reasons exist why people offer stuff for more than the 'fair market value'. Some(times) people offer stuff for sale (that they don't use anymore), but they don't really want to sell it, unless they can get a high price for it. Most old pc hardware doesn't take up a lot of space, it doesn't cost them anything to keep the stuff and if they don't need the money at the moment then it's quite likely that they price above fair market value. Others are simply very attached to their stuff, but have to sell for various reasons (but might not be in a hurry) and some have invested a lot of money in their stuff, which is why they ask more. Of course many people deal in vintage stuff, including 'collectors' and 'enthusiasts', who might simply try to earn a profit. They know that vintage stuff doesn't depreciate anymore, so why sell for little money (and not being able to buy back in the future for the same price)? Ebay offers free advertising (listing of goods), so naturally it becomes a place with a lot of such sellers.

vetz wrote on 2021-03-22, 13:15:

The high prices on some items leads other sellers to try and charge the same for less valuable parts driving up everything.

Its also a bit funny how prideful these sellers are, they dont really know what they are selling, but they rather let it be unsold than accept a reasonable offer.

I saw a guy who found an Amiga 4000T in his basement, thinks it belonged to a relative, entirely untested. I lowballed him, thinking maybe he didn't know what he had plus it was untested. He replied saying he Googled it and could only find reference of it in a museum and that he had already turned down $10k from someone else. I was like 'I can't match that but you should really take that $10k offer'.

For the next two years it was still listed.

SpectriaForce wrote on 2021-03-22, 21:02:

Ebay offers free advertising (listing of goods), so naturally it becomes a place with a lot of such sellers.

Pardon my being out of trend with eBay, but can you confirm that eBay no longer charges low-volume sellers to keep relisting their items even if they do not sell? If so, this would likely assist in price inflation.

SpectriaForce wrote on 2021-03-22, 21:02:

gerry wrote on 2021-03-22, 13:33:

from a buyers point of view, as some of these are actually sold, I'd like to know why buy it

It's always the case with high end and/or desirable items (can be anything) that people want to pay a massive premium. A 1990s BMW M3 sells for many multiples the price of a contemporary 316i, while it's basically the same car for your neighbors haha.

to some extent yes, but a 1990's M3 has distinct looks and feels different to drive (well, i guess!) but a CPU doesnt really, not in the same way as once installed the computer is a computer and there are less opportunities to experience the differences between similarly performing parts.

Several reasons exist why people offer stuff for more than the 'fair market value'. Some(times) people offer stuff for sale (that they don't use anymore), but they don't really want to sell it, unless they can get a high price for it. Most old pc hardware doesn't take up a lot of space, it doesn't cost them anything to keep the stuff and if they don't need the money at the moment then it's quite likely that they price above fair market value. Others are simply very attached to their stuff, but have to sell for various reasons (but might not be in a hurry) and some have invested a lot of money in their stuff, which is why they ask more. Of course many people deal in vintage stuff, including 'collectors' and 'enthusiasts', who might simply try to earn a profit. They know that vintage stuff doesn't depreciate anymore, so why sell for little money (and not being able to buy back in the future for the same price)? Ebay offers free advertising (listing of goods), so naturally it becomes a place with a lot of such sellers.

this is a great point! Yes indeed, if the seller doesn't need to sell it and there is no cost to store it nor keep it rotating on ebay then why not just ask a high price on the chance someone might buy it. In this sense it's a bit like gambling

feipoa wrote on 2021-03-23, 06:45:

SpectriaForce wrote on 2021-03-22, 21:02:

Ebay offers free advertising (listing of goods), so naturally it becomes a place with a lot of such sellers.

Pardon my being out of trend with eBay, but can you confirm that eBay no longer charges low-volume sellers to keep relisting their items even if they do not sell? If so, this would likely assist in price inflation.

In my country ebay doesn't charge anything for relisting unsold items.

Yep, no charge for relisting anymore.

cyclone3d wrote on 2021-03-23, 14:37:

Yep, no charge for relisting anymore.

Interesting. I hope that practice keeps up when I, if ever, sell my stash.

Has anyone been selling complete systems with rare retro hardware? I haven't seen any decked out retro systems, e.g. with like an AMD K5-200, Voodoo1/2+TNT PCI, ADLib Gold or whatever. I've a few dozen systems each of which contain at least one piece of pricey hardware, but I guess I'd have to part 'em out to see a decent return? It would be a lot of work. Is there not much value in decked out optimised 90's systems?

feipoa wrote on 2021-03-25, 04:55:

cyclone3d wrote on 2021-03-23, 14:37:

Yep, no charge for relisting anymore.

Interesting. I hope that practice keeps up when I, if ever, sell my stash.

Has anyone been selling complete systems with rare retro hardware? I haven't seen any decked out retro systems, e.g. with like an AMD K5-200, Voodoo1/2+TNT PCI, ADLib Gold or whatever. I've a few dozen systems each of which contain at least one piece of pricey hardware, but I guess I'd have to part 'em out to see a decent return? It would be a lot of work. Is there not much value in decked out optimised 90's systems?

IMHO, much of the fun in this hobby is building or at least optimizing a system . I would not see the appeal in a pre-optimized system . Not to mention the fact that there are subjective components to the optimization process, so person A's dream retro machine does not necessarily match up with person B's .

Consequently, even if there is demand for pre-optimized decked-out systems, I can't really imagine that somebody would want to pay a premium for such a machine unless it is made to order . I could be wrong, of course .

feipoa wrote on 2021-03-25, 04:55:

Has anyone been selling complete systems with rare retro hardware? I haven't seen any decked out retro systems, e.g. with like an AMD K5-200, Voodoo1/2+TNT PCI, ADLib Gold or whatever. I've a few dozen systems each of which contain at least one piece of pricey hardware, but I guess I'd have to part 'em out to see a decent return? It would be a lot of work. Is there not much value in decked out optimised 90's systems?

As a seller I think with just about anything you'll make more money parting it out rather then selling it complete. Old car that doesn't run wont sell for much but you may be able to sell a panel or engine part for the same price even.

If your new to the hobby you wont know why system A is so much more expensive then system B
If your not new then you probably have your own ideas on what your building so good chance I'm paying more for a system I'm going to swap parts out anyway.

I've made a list I've shared with my wife and brother as I have a lot of money sitting in these boxes, explain what to do should anything happen to me.
The S478 for example would be lucky to sell for £100. it's GF6800 Ultra alone could probably sell for the same price.

feipoa wrote on 2021-03-25, 04:55:

cyclone3d wrote on 2021-03-23, 14:37:

Yep, no charge for relisting anymore.

Interesting. I hope that practice keeps up when I, if ever, sell my stash.

Has anyone been selling complete systems with rare retro hardware? I haven't seen any decked out retro systems, e.g. with like an AMD K5-200, Voodoo1/2+TNT PCI, ADLib Gold or whatever. I've a few dozen systems each of which contain at least one piece of pricey hardware, but I guess I'd have to part 'em out to see a decent return? It would be a lot of work. Is there not much value in decked out optimised 90's systems?

I haven't seen that - there might have been a market for a 'mini console' type thing (there was one called 'classic pc', haven't heard anything for a year or two though) but not really

however for casual gamers they'll either download from gog, play a few times on a browser or learn the small amount needed for using dosbox
for earlier windows they will again download from gog or steam or find that windows 10 copes with their game after a couple of easy patches or settings are applied, easily found on forums

to be honest while i can see the fun in a mini snes, its so easy to emulate irrespective of dubious legalities that i dont really see why someone would buy one - but i suppose its quite convenient and immediate

for people who find tinkering with old computers interesting the notion of a pre-packaged one wont seem much fun!

still, i wouldn't buy 'fun' like this at $100's as shown in some of the examples in this thread!

chinny22 wrote on 2021-03-25, 09:56:

I've made a list I've shared with my wife and brother as I have a lot of money sitting in these boxes, explain what to do should anything happen to me.

I don't even have a list of the hardware in each of my setup systems, let alone stand alone items like graphics cards, CPUs, etc. I started such an endeavour at one point and after 3 hours I realised it would take years to complete with the amount of free time I had. I gave up and never looked back.

Death is something on my mind more and more these days as age and health issues creep in. After my death, the handling of my collection is a point of concern for me. My quick solution was to send my wife and e-mail showing the contact information for John at AVICC with instructions to sell it all on consignment. Maybe the revenue could get the kids or grandkids started on their first home. I'm not sure how it all would get to AVICC though (I'll be dead, remember). Also of concern is how to value such a shipment for customs into the USA. Don't they only get $800 free? I might need to find a trustworthy local Canadian, which is a nearly impossible task.

There was another member here who decided to let go of his stash due to health issues and he couldn't find someone to sell it all even with a 25% commission. Perhaps I can train one of my three kids if they ever develop an interest in this bizarre hobby.

Cyrix DRx2 33/66 with attached factory heatsink sold for $300 USD on eBay today. It was on eBay for more than a day before it was sold. I thought it would have gone faster.

Was it boxed at least? It seems kind of steep. I've seen bare ones go for $50-$60 fairly recently.

Not boxed, but had the heatsink factory set on the CPU. The heatsink and CPU look fairly pristine. Photos here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/174800978273

Where have you seen DRx2 33/66 sell for $50?

Maybe it's because it came with the super valuable fasmath FPU.

The one I'm talking about sold on ebay within the last 6 months. I'm pretty sure it was a BIN and sold instantly.
Of course, now I can't find it in the 'sold' history. Probably a region dependent issue.

Anonymous Coward wrote on 2021-06-15, 00:30:

Maybe it's because it came with the super valuable fasmath FPU.

The one I'm talking about sold on ebay within the last 6 months. I'm pretty sure it was a BIN and sold instantly.
Of course, now I can't find it in the 'sold' history. Probably a region dependent issue.

Yeah it's good to know the whole story. Good to see prices rising:

feipoa wrote on 2021-06-14, 10:16:

Cyrix DRx2 33/66 with attached factory heatsink sold for $300 USD on eBay today. It was on eBay for more than a day before it was sold. I thought it would have gone faster.

I don't want to be a killjoy, but is terms of user experience - once its installed and set up and the buyer is facing a monitor with keyboard at the ready - what's the experience available to them that isn't also available to someone with a far cheaper 486 or (dare i say it) some other later machine with the same OS, video, sound card etc?

gerry wrote on 2021-06-15, 10:05:

feipoa wrote on 2021-06-14, 10:16:

Cyrix DRx2 33/66 with attached factory heatsink sold for $300 USD on eBay today. It was on eBay for more than a day before it was sold. I thought it would have gone faster.

I don't want to be a killjoy, but is terms of user experience - once its installed and set up and the buyer is facing a monitor with keyboard at the ready - what's the experience available to them that isn't also available to someone with a far cheaper 486 or (dare i say it) some other later machine with the same OS, video, sound card etc?

It is simply all in one's head. Value, joy, and satisfaction are artificial creations. In the grand scheme of one's purpose, it is rather meaningless, but continue due to obsession and addiction issues that are internally unresolved.

Well, that kind of thinking is not uncommon outside of retro forums. If everyone was thinking like that, there would be no purpose for retro/vintage forums.

XT<286<386<486<....<Ryzen ... so why bother with old stuff when new is so much better 😉 Much better it is... but old hardware/software is also very interesting and fun 😀 Everything is in details... upgraded 386 with 486DRx2 is very rare and unique experience. Add a X2 FPU and you have a really special system. Not the fastest but very interesting, at least in my opinion. It's nothing wrong if you don't care about it and go straight to 486DX or a Pentium system... but these are all too common and it seems everyone had one at one time. I like to play with hardware that was not available for me at that time - price or region wise. Unfortunately it's still rare and/or expensive today...

kixs wrote on 2021-06-16, 15:29:

Well, that kind of thinking is not uncommon outside of retro forums. If everyone was thinking like that, there would be no purpose for retro/vintage forums.

XT<286<386<486<....<Ryzen ... so why bother with old stuff when new is so much better 😉 Much better it is... but old hardware/software is also very interesting and fun 😀 Everything is in details... upgraded 386 with 486DRx2 is very rare and unique experience. Add a X2 FPU and you have a really special system. Not the fastest but very interesting, at least in my opinion. It's nothing wrong if you don't care about it and go straight to 486DX or a Pentium system... but these are all too common and it seems everyone had one at one time. I like to play with hardware that was not available for me at that time - price or region wise. Unfortunately it's still rare and/or expensive today...

Yes I understand that, I can see why someone would want to experience authentically the times of having a 486, as example, but some components are not particularly experienced as unique things - a certain mhz in cpu speed enabling certain games to be played - yes that is something - but the specific model of cpu that's doing it, that doesn't seem as important as whichever we choose the resultant experience is the same

I think what I'm saying is that if hardware x and hardware y give just about the same performance and experience but x is more expensive then why would an enthusiast choose x? in that case it isn't to experience it in use unless of course if its because of specific enthusiasm for hardware - the configuring, benchmarking, trying things out - then it's a direct experience and those small differences, not really noticeable if we don't go looking for them, are part of that

i could have shortened that and just said "yes, in such cases you're right" 😀