So someone listed a Compaq Presario 5032 w/ original accessories locally for $375. Pie in the sky price, so offered him $200.

He responded by insulting me accusing me of not minding my own business "Ive been an eBay seller for 30 years I know what Im doing blah blah blah" and then blocked me after saying he'd part it out if he couldnt sell it complete. For something you know he got for free. This shit boils my blood, these fucking vampires just see our hobby as a profit center for them.

So I'm using every connection I have to make sure this guy never sells that thing: DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM RON FRAILEY, OF ELDORADO IL. HE IS AN ASSHAT, AND A SCALPER ENGAGED IN UNETHICAL PRACTICES.

Definitely seems like a very high price for a local sale, unless it has some really nice parts inside... which I don't think these do. Or, maybe it was in the box and included the monitor? Still. In my area I'd never be able to sell anything like that locally, period. Regardless of the price.

But, to look at this objectively... what were the exact messages you sent to him before he blocked you?

Ozzuneoj wrote on Today, 19:25:

Definitely seems like a very high price for a local sale, unless it has some really nice parts inside... which I don't think these do. Or, maybe it was in the box and included the monitor? Still. In my area I'd never be able to sell anything like that locally, period. Regardless of the price.

But, to look at this objectively... what were the exact messages you sent to him before he blocked you?

No box, but it had the original monitor, keyboard, mouse, and speakers. Which is the only reason I offered what I did, and I was probably still overpaying by about $100 at that price because this thing is literally completely non-desireable aside from its completeness.

"I'd offer you $200. If you want to wait a few days and see if you get a better offer, that offer does stand for the next week but I'd genuinely be shocked if you get any other offers in the 3 digits. The computer is a very common low end PC, the only value comes from the novelty of having all the original accessories together in one lot. I'm guessing you tried to price this based on eBay listings, but for this sort of thing they are very deceptive because what your actually paying for online with vintage PCs is the complexity, cost and liability of shipping something that has almost no chance of surviving shipping (unless it's sent palletized freight, which is outrageously expensive) meaning the seller is going to pay out a refund for it in the end and eat alot of shipping and packaging costs."

He responded to that with a laugh emoji and

"Yeah I've been selling on eBay for about 30 years and that's where it's headed because locally this is the kind of messages you always get. Everybody likes to go around telling everybody their business when they didn't ask for it. So for your information I thought I would offer it as a complete unit before I part it out on eBay it will part out for more than I'm asking. Thanks Mr helper"

This is a very very rural area, and I know for a fact I'm about the only game in town as far as retro computers go. That's why I usually open up with the "If you wnat to wait for a better offer, that offers stands for a while" because I know they aren't getting a better offer.

What a tool. I hate boomers so much man. All they care about is money, they don't care what harm they do while trying to get it. And no, it was completely stock. He showed the Windows system info panel and it said "REGISTERED TO: SALINE COUNTRY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY" so you know its just a basic office PC (and that he got it for free). These don't have AGP anyways.

Anyways I take pride in knowing hes doing exactly what I warned him was a terrible idea, and he will soon be out his item and his shipping and packaging costs when it arrives destroyed (assuming he sells any of it, which I find highly unlikely)

TheAbandonwareGuy wrote on Today, 19:30:

No box, but it had the original monitor, keyboard, mouse, and speakers. Which is the only reason I offered what I did, and I was […]
Show full quote

Ozzuneoj wrote on Today, 19:25:

Definitely seems like a very high price for a local sale, unless it has some really nice parts inside... which I don't think these do. Or, maybe it was in the box and included the monitor? Still. In my area I'd never be able to sell anything like that locally, period. Regardless of the price.

But, to look at this objectively... what were the exact messages you sent to him before he blocked you?

No box, but it had the original monitor, keyboard, mouse, and speakers. Which is the only reason I offered what I did, and I was probably still overpaying by about $100 at that price because this thing is literally completely non-desireable aside from its completeness.

"I'd offer you $200. If you want to wait a few days and see if you get a better offer, that offer does stand for the next week but I'd genuinely be shocked if you get any other offers in the 3 digits. The computer is a very common low end PC, the only value comes from the novelty of having all the original accessories together in one lot. I'm guessing you tried to price this based on eBay listings, but for this sort of thing they are very deceptive because what your actually paying for online with vintage PCs is the complexity, cost and liability of shipping something that has almost no chance of surviving shipping (unless it's sent palletized freight, which is outrageously expensive) meaning the seller is going to pay out a refund for it in the end and eat alot of shipping and packaging costs."

He responded to that with a laugh emoji and

"Yeah I've been selling on eBay for about 30 years and that's where it's headed because locally this is the kind of messages you always get. Everybody likes to go around telling everybody their business when they didn't ask for it. So for your information I thought I would offer it as a complete unit before I part it out on eBay it will part out for more than I'm asking. Thanks Mr helper"

This is a very very rural area, and I know for a fact I'm about the only game in town as far as retro computers go. That's why I usually open up with the "If you wnat to wait for a better offer, that offers stands for a while" because I know they aren't getting a better offer.

What a tool. I hate boomers so much man. All they care about is money, they don't care what harm they do while trying to get it. And no, it was completely stock. He showed the Windows system info panel and it said "REGISTERED TO: SALINE COUNTRY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY" so you know its just a basic office PC (and that he got it for free). These don't have AGP anyways.

Anyways I take pride in knowing hes doing exactly what I warned him was a terrible idea, and he will soon be out his item and his shipping and packaging costs when it arrives destroyed (assuming he sells any of it, which I find highly unlikely)

Lol I'd pay maybe 180-230 at most for that and only the higher end if the HDD sounded and acted healthy and wasn't like the HDD in the Compaq laptop I just posted about in a different forum. Sounds like that seller is like the one on eBay I paid like $100-something for undisclosed hardened hinges and an HDD so bad even controlled bumps (enough to loosen things up but not head crash it) didn't help much and was in such bad condition that to have any chance (spoiler it succeeded enough that everything except a few system files got off just fine, making it usable in safe mode) of copying the whole Compaq customized WinME fast enough for it to not die I had to among other shenanigans perform a mechanical repair (which is a miracle that it worked with just a fan to reduce risk a little, I can't exactly use the fab cleanroom at work for hobby data recovery per security policies lmao) only to discover that there was a likely drop induced head crash gouge almost an inch long on one of the two 7.5GB platters....