OhMyGod! IT'S UP TO $326!!!

[Watson A.Name - \"Watt Su]

"Chaos Master" <wizard_of_yendorIHATESPAM@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:MPG.1aaf3696888c1c819896cf@NEWS.INDIVIDUAL.NET...

Tim Wescott tava com a mulhegada quando eu cheguei gritando:

"Jerry Greenberg" <jerryg50@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:460a833b.0403021505.130ef029@posting.google.com...

-- snip --

As for paying hundreds of dollars for these, I would not believe
this
without seeing it.

You could probably sell blank sheets of paper for $50 each on ebay
if you
wrote the advert well enough.

I understand that buyers sometimes back out of these bids though --
I wonder
if all those absurd prices really hold in the long run?

And what would be an use for those old transistors/diodes?
Just collecting? Using in repair of old equipment? Modelling them in
PSpice?

Their performance is so poor, especially the point contact devices, that
they are not worth using in anything but old equipment. Some collectors
buy those CK722 transistors to build projects like the one transistor
radio that were featured in the old electronics magazines. But for the
most part, they're just (expensive) collectibles.

--
Chaos MasterŽ - Porto Alegre, Brazil!
Remove the "IHATESPAM" from my e-mail address to get a valid address.
Remova o "IHATESPAM" do meu e-mail para ter um e-mail válido.
IRC #XLinuxNews or #POA of irc.brasnet.org , nick Wizard_of_Yendor .

 

[Watson A.Name - \"Watt Su]

"Lewin A.R.W. Edwards" <larwe@larwe.com> wrote in message
news:608b6569.0403022116.482911a@posting.google.com...

You could probably sell blank sheets of paper for $50 each on ebay
if you
wrote the advert well enough.

Yes. You can sell a bag of shit on eBay, as long as you successfully
convey to bidders that it's /rare/ shit.

There's a sucker born every minute, according to ol' Phineas T., but
once they've been burned, they're a lot wiser, and don't make that
mistake again. So poo-poo has a _very_ limited value as an auction item
on Ebay. And you're liable to get a really bad reputation if you do
sell such a thing.

I've had a couple experiences on Ebay where things weren't what I had
expected. I won a 'thousand' 2N4401s, and found the bag had only 406.
The seller refunded 60 percent of my bid, so I'm satisfied. Another bid
came thru shipment with a broken case, so I complained to the seller and
I ended up getting a total refund. Most sellers are in it for the long
haul and won't risk their reputation, and will keep the customer
satisfied.

But there are a few who ruin it for others. Scams involving big ticket
items like cars, plasma TVs, laptops, etc., have been sold with the
seller never intending to deliver. See URLs below.

http://www.ifccfbi.gov/strategy/11403RomanianWarning.pdf

http://amazingforums.com/forum/MIZSYN/107.html

I understand that buyers sometimes back out of these bids though --
I wonder
if all those absurd prices really hold in the long run?

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I have, on several occasions, put up
pieces of common (VIC-20-related, mostly - some Sinclair and Atari
stuff also, on occasion) vintage computer hardware that I estimated to
have market values of, say, $5 - and had them bid up to $200.
Sometimes, people pay up. Sometimes, they don't. On the occasions that
people have paid, they have *never* received the goods and then
complained that they were ripped off; they either drop me a thank-you
email or just post positive feedback. You just don't know what people
are willing to pay for an item until you drop it into the "free"
market.

One man's junk is another man's treasure.

 

[Jerry G.]

There are people who collect this stuff to say that they have something
rare. These are hand made transistors, and are very rare these days. Back in
the late 60's someone would have most likely thrown them in the garbage or
who knows. These guys put this type of thing in a show case, or a drawer,
and are proud to say that they own such a rare thing, and can show it off to
others that may be impressed. I would rather take my money and use it for
something useful that can do something practical for me.

As for practicality, there is really none. It is the same reason why
someone would pay $100,000 for an old guitar, or $1,000,000 for an old comic
book, photo, or a playing card. It is a type of mind scam, that something is
worth something because of the history behind it.

I thought my grandmother was bad when she used to spend $15.00 for some
little figurine at the fleamarkets. It sat in a little showcase with the
rest of them for many years, and did nothing practical. Once in a while she
would have to dust them off, so they can sit some more. It's lucky that she
is not alive today, and knowing about internet auctions. We'd all be broke
over here, from these figurines!

--

Greetings,

Jerry Greenberg
===========


"Chaos Master" <wizard_of_yendorIHATESPAM@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:MPG.1aaf3696888c1c819896cf@NEWS.INDIVIDUAL.NET...
Tim Wescott tava com a mulhegada quando eu cheguei gritando:

"Jerry Greenberg" <jerryg50@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:460a833b.0403021505.130ef029@posting.google.com...

-- snip --

As for paying hundreds of dollars for these, I would not believe this
without seeing it.

You could probably sell blank sheets of paper for $50 each on ebay if you
wrote the advert well enough.

I understand that buyers sometimes back out of these bids though -- I
wonder
if all those absurd prices really hold in the long run?

And what would be an use for those old transistors/diodes?
Just collecting? Using in repair of old equipment? Modelling them in PSpice?


--
Chaos MasterŽ - Porto Alegre, Brazil!
Remove the "IHATESPAM" from my e-mail address to get a valid address.
Remova o "IHATESPAM" do meu e-mail para ter um e-mail válido.
IRC #XLinuxNews or #POA of irc.brasnet.org , nick Wizard_of_Yendor .

 

[Jerry G.]

I saw that! I am very surprised! It point is if he will come across to the
seller with the payment! I have read where some actually back down.

--

Greetings,

Jerry Greenberg
===========


"Jamie" <jamie_5_not_valid_after_5_Please@charter.net> wrote in message
news:104b1u87gqcg80a@corp.supernews.com...
878 or what ever it was dollars was the winning price on
those!
my god.
i guess i should put my lot of germanium transistors up
for bit! )
i have some old special types made back in the days of when
they first made transistors.!)


Watson A.Name "Watt Sun - the Dark Remover" wrote:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3800110452&category=4666&sspagename=STRK%3AMEBWA%3AIT&rd=1


I didn't think it would get much past $200! The sky's the limit!!
And there's still five hours to go!!

 

[Tim Wescott]

"Watson A.Name - "Watt Sun, the Dark Remover"" <NOSPAM@dslextreme.com> wrote
in message news:104bnpbk2nh444e@corp.supernews.com...

"Tim Wescott" <tim@wescottnospamdesign.com> wrote in message
news:104a6797fa8e097@corp.supernews.com...

"Jerry Greenberg" <jerryg50@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:460a833b.0403021505.130ef029@posting.google.com...

-- snip --

As for paying hundreds of dollars for these, I would not believe
this
without seeing it.

You could probably sell blank sheets of paper for $50 each on ebay if
you
wrote the advert well enough.

So, why aren't you out there doing that?

-- snip --

Because I'm propagating urban legend, for crissakes!

Besides, I'm old enough to know that if I did something like that I'd have
to add it to the list of things to feel bad about until the end of my life.
If I do sell something on ebay it'll be of real value, thank you very much.

 

[Harry Conover]

"Watson A.Name - \"Watt Sun, the Dark Remover\"" <NOSPAM@dslextreme.com> wrote in message news:<104bnpbk2nh444e@corp.supernews.com>...

"Tim Wescott" <tim@wescottnospamdesign.com> wrote in message
news:104a6797fa8e097@corp.supernews.com...

"Jerry Greenberg" <jerryg50@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:460a833b.0403021505.130ef029@posting.google.com...

-- snip --

As for paying hundreds of dollars for these, I would not believe
this
without seeing it.

You could probably sell blank sheets of paper for $50 each on ebay if
you
wrote the advert well enough.

So, why aren't you out there doing that?

I understand that buyers sometimes back out of these bids though -- I
wonder
if all those absurd prices really hold in the long run?

Seldom happens. I'd say that the bidders are not making those "absurd"
bids on a whim. Most have a spotless history, and are not going to risk
their hard-earned reputation by reneging on a bid.

Agreed. In this case the buyer had over 400 positive feedback and no
negatives or neutrals. That says almost everything. (I didn't check
out the history of the seller.)

A buyer with this amount of eBay experience knows exactly what he is
doing, and for collectors, there is sometimes practically no limit to
the price that they will pay to fill their collections. I've watched
'New in Box' Lionel train sets sell for over $6,000, Erector sets for
well over $2,000. Most of the purchasers for such items are
financially well off MDs, attorneys, and businessmen for whom this is
simply pursuing their hobby.

By comparison, the auctions held on eBay are, for serious and wealthy
collectors, simply small change. The big bucks change hands at the
major auction houses where whimsical purchases cost millions.

It's good to be rich! Remember the old saying: "The only difference
between men and boys is the price of their toys!"

I don't know about you guys, but for me buying things I want sure
beats the numbskull that throws his money away at the casinos in
'Vegas, where in the long run you'll always lose!

Harry C.

 

[Harry Conover]

"Jerry G." <jerryg50@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:<c24rt6$ssa$1@news.eusc.inter.net>...

I saw that! I am very surprised! It point is if he will come across to the
seller with the payment! I have read where some actually back down.

The bidder has over 400 positive feedbacks, with no negatives.

The chances of him backing down on the contract are about zip! Follow
the buyers feedback for a week or two to determine the bottom line.

Heck, don't you people know how to use the features on eBay?

Harry C.

 

[Watson A.Name \"Watt Sun]

Jerry G. wrote:

There are people who collect this stuff to say that they have something
rare. These are hand made transistors, and are very rare these days. Back in
the late 60's someone would have most likely thrown them in the garbage or
who knows. These guys put this type of thing in a show case, or a drawer,
and are proud to say that they own such a rare thing, and can show it off to
others that may be impressed. I would rather take my money and use it for
something useful that can do something practical for me.

As for practicality, there is really none. It is the same reason why
someone would pay $100,000 for an old guitar, or $1,000,000 for an old comic
book, photo, or a playing card. It is a type of mind scam, that something is
worth something because of the history behind it.

I thought my grandmother was bad when she used to spend $15.00 for some
little figurine at the fleamarkets. It sat in a little showcase with the
rest of them for many years, and did nothing practical. Once in a while she
would have to dust them off, so they can sit some more. It's lucky that she
is not alive today, and knowing about internet auctions. We'd all be broke
over here, from these figurines!

I'm glad that you're not the curator of the Louvre Museum. If you had
your way, you'd have the Mona Lisa cut up and sold for place mats! ;-)

Didja see the segment on TV about that original ELvis master
reel-to-reel tape recording made back in the early fifties, and they're
cutting it up into 2 inch pieces and selling them on Ebay? Weird!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3801570110&category=2012

 

[Chaos Master]

Walter Harley tava com a mulhegada quando eu cheguei gritando:

If you look at the winning bidder's other purchases, there is a long string
of antique transistor manuals, old transistor testers, and the like. I
think it's a (decreasingly) wealthy person starting a transistor museum.

This is what I can call an expensive hobby!

--
Chaos MasterŽ - Porto Alegre, Brazil!
IRC #XLinuxNews or #POA of irc.brasnet.org , nick Wizard_of_Yendor .
Powered by NetHack (www.nethack.org) , Slackware 9.1 (Linux User #327480 - at
work)
CygWin, GnuWin32, and so on..

 

[Chaos Master]

Watson A.Name "Watt Sun - the Dark Remover" tava com a mulhegada quando eu
cheguei gritando:

I'm glad that you're not the curator of the Louvre Museum. If you had
your way, you'd have the Mona Lisa cut up and sold for place mats! ;-)

Didja see the segment on TV about that original ELvis master
reel-to-reel tape recording made back in the early fifties, and they're
cutting it up into 2 inch pieces and selling them on Ebay? Weird!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3801570110&category=2012

LOL! As the Brazilians would say, "There are idiots everywhere and for all
things in the world".

[]s!

--
Chaos MasterŽ - Porto Alegre, Brazil!
IRC #XLinuxNews or #POA of irc.brasnet.org , nick Wizard_of_Yendor .
Powered by NetHack (www.nethack.org) , Slackware 9.1 (Linux User #327480 - at
work)
CygWin, GnuWin32, and so on..

 

[Jim]

"Harry Conover" <hhc314@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:7ce4e226.0403021711.1c0488c3@posting.google.com...

"Tim Wescott" <tim@wescottnospamdesign.com> wrote in message
news:<1049jje7pfv89d4@corp.supernews.com>...
"Watson A.Name "Watt Sun - the Dark Remover"" <NOSPAM@dslextreme.com
wrote
in message news:c22b5b$66gq9$1@hades.csu.net...


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3800110452&category=4666&sspagename=STRK%3AMEBWA%3AIT&rd=1

I didn't think it would get much past $200! The sky's the limit!!
And there's still five hours to go!!

You seem to have an unhealthy fascination with these -- or are you
really
the seller, trying to drum up interest?

I'm tempted to dig down to the bottom of _my_ antique transistor stash
and
start the auction, but they're all Philcos, and some of them have
(gasp!)
_four digit_ numbers.

Do it, since a credible winning bidder payed over $800!!!!! (By
credible, I refer to a bidder with over 400 positive feedbacks, and no
negatives.)

I always find it interesting to see what other purchases have been made by
the winning bidder. In this case it is clear he is a *real* enthusiast (with
deep pockets) for 50s/60s electronics and has a big shed to put them in. Or
maybe he's a dealer/investor if there is such a thing.

Jim

 

[Lewin A.R.W. Edwards]

There's a sucker born every minute, according to ol' Phineas T., but
once they've been burned, they're a lot wiser, and don't make that
mistake again. So poo-poo has a _very_ limited value as an auction item
on Ebay. And you're liable to get a really bad reputation if you do
sell such a thing.

Ah, I was not advocating dishonesty. It's always a bad policy. The
point is, as you said, there's no accounting for taste, and value is
assigned by the buyer, not the seller.

pieces of common (VIC-20-related, mostly - some Sinclair and Atari
stuff also, on occasion) vintage computer hardware that I estimated to
have market values of, say, $5 - and had them bid up to $200.

One man's junk is another man's treasure.

Yeah, but I've got a pretty close finger on the pulse of the value of
these particular items - I'm a collector, after all - and the prices
they sold for are waaaaay more than the "real market value". There are
hidden forces at work. For instance, someone could be talking about,
say, the VIC-20 version of Gorf on some newsgroup or chatroom, and all
the readers could suddenly get nostalgia for that particular game -
causing a spike in the eBay end pricing for that cartridge. Since
supply is very limited, a relatively small poke on the demand side of
the equation can drive prices up dramatically, at least for the short
term.