mattferris@hotmail.c wrote on 2022-02-24, 02:46:
Where is everyone buying all of this stuff? I assume not ebay? If there is a local outlet for old hardware, how would one go about locating it?
A silverback nerd such as myself hunts in a territory of about 50 square miles, seeking his prey in thrift stores and yard sales.
.. come to think of it, church (or similar organisations) bazaars and rummage sales around here are highest "hit" rate, something like one in three will have something interesting. Got a PS/1 PC330 486 at one 6 or 7 months ago. Ham radio fleamarkets are worth paying admission for, you'll usually see something, and some have too much to decide what to bring home.
eBay I use for bits and pieces, mainly just gone obsolete stuff at the moment, it's just at junk pricing. If I really, really need a perfect thing to complete something I could see myself paying a bit.... but the silverback nerd is a wily hunter, he will wait until his prey is at it's weakest, even if it means following it for long periods of time, and then when it is complacent, he will strike.
Unicorn herding operations are proceeding, but all the totes of hens teeth and barrels of rocking horse poop give them plenty of hiding spots.