Reply 4000 of 4893, by Ozzuneoj
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TheAbandonwareGuy wrote on 2022-12-27, 03:29:Anybody else noticed this thread moves slower than years prior?
I feel like dumpster finds in general, much less of the age that this forum covers, are getting more rare. Illegal in alot of states to put this stuff on the curb, recyclers are less and less willing to let you buy from them due to liability and legal bs. Coworkers and acquaintances are more likely to hock them on eBay now that it seems scalping has entered the general mindspace, etc.
Kind of sad really.
Yes, it is definitely less common to find things, mostly because so much time has passed now. As time goes on, more and more people who were into computers are going through different phases of their life and have moved this stuff on already, have died or have left it behind where it ends up getting scrapped or resold. I have actually never been able to get anything from a recycler in my area except for one contact I have (who is no longer in that business) who could get me newer systems from a business. I live in a very very sparsely populated part of the US and have managed to get several lots from guys who are retired\retiring and just want to be rid of the stuff quickly. Often times these guys were into tech when being "into tech" meant that you had a great job, so these guys generally don't care if they get any money from this stuff because it's a drop in the bucket to them compared to the hassle of dealing with buyers.
I do agree that all the attention retro-computing has garnered has meant that more people are aware of their value... though I do not agree that there is anything wrong with people selling the stuff for what someone will pay. Some people horde stuff they can get for cheap or free. Some people impulsively buy whatever is featured in the latest techtuber "wow, look, old stuff is neat!" video regardless of the price. Some people seek out specific items for nostalgia or collection purposes. Some people find old computer equipment that they know nothing about and either choose to do their research to see what it might sell for, or they choose to just destroy it, sell it as scrap or sell it cheap because they can't be bothered to expend any effort on it. Still others actually know about this stuff and are willing to expend time and effort finding components, repairing them, testing them and often time warrantying them to some degree. I do think it's a very lame that organizations like Goodwill accept donations while giving donors the impression that these items go back to their community... all the while having the good stuff packed onto a truck and sold on ebay... but whatever, it's been going on so long that people should know about this by now.
Anyway, this is just how it goes. Time passes, things change. No one is guaranteed the ability to spend almost nothing to get weird old items that have been meticulously stored for decades. Those opportunities get more and more limited as these items make it into the hands of people who want them (or scrap them). It's like this for cars, toys, glassware, tools... this happens to basically everything and the internet has just accelerated it.
