RCR Episode 157: eBay and retrocomputing

Panelists: Jack Nutting (hosting), Earl Evans, and Paul Hagstrom

Host’s Topic: eBay and retrocomputing

“Atari 800 – RARE – $1,000 – L@@K!!1!”. Why do such listings exist? They are becoming more and more common. Does anyone ever accidentally buy from these outrageous listings? Memorabilia – especially recent-ish (90s, 2000s). Sometimes the vintage section of eBay is absolutely cram-packed with this stuff. Does anyone buy it? Is there value to having these items listed, or is it just yard sale stuff cluttering up the category? (Super common with Apple stuff.) “Not tested” – why not? Some items may indeed be difficult to test, but in other cases, it would be simply “hook it to the TV”. Do we assume that the alleged “cannot test it…” items are broken? Books – often overpriced on eBay. Should always check to see if the used Internet bookstores (including Amazon) have a lower price. Total junk – 4X internal CD-ROM units. Why? Among all the noise, decrease of actual interesting stuff that isn’t selling for 5x the price it should go for.

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