This is not the place to discuss this, but first of all you could have kept them for parts, since there was only one thing wrong with them.
Secondly, it's by no means certain they can't be repaired. Someone just needs to find out which part on the power board broke. Most ICs can still be obtained today.
The VAIO QR1 from 2001 for example suffers from a similar problem. The laptop is completely dead. The fault is a broken power related IC which can be replaced and the machine comes back to life.

I could keep everything I've got for spare parts - cars, engine components, bicycles, computers, cameras... all of it... but it's a question of space and time.

Space is always going to be physically constrained, and time... well... there is never enough of that to go back and fix everything.

I would have taken them for the cost of shipping. I'm sure that others would have as well. 🤷