[Coco] For anyone interested...

[Mark McDougall]

On 7/12/2012 3:41 AM, Luis Antoniosi wrote:

> It already has 5 bids and is 158 by now. Told you guys evil bay is
> impossible to buy anymore...

Retro computing/gaming prices have been ridiculous for some time now. And if 
you want to complain about prices in the US, I have no sympathy for you.

Until recently the Coco (and TRS-80) was relatively obscure here, and you 
could pick them up for a song.  But now, even the Coco is outside my price 
range. Basically *any* retro micro now will set you back at least $50, and 
some of them regularly fetch $200. And that's just the computer itself.

As others suggested, retro computing is "in vogue". But it's not the 
collectors that are driving up the prices IMHO, it's the profiteers looking 
to make a buck. Even on "friendly" groups like local video game traders 
groups on Facebook I've recently seen complaints of resellers going straight 
to eBay after buying stuff for 'decent' prices.

Of course there's nought anyone can do about it; where there's a market it 
will attract people looking to make money. It's human nature. No point 
complaining or fighting it or blaming the auction house.

I've always found the best way to pick up stuff is to just get chatting to 
people. As I think I mentioned the other day here, I bought 4x Apple 
keyboards via eBay the other day, and when I went to pick them up I got 
talking. Walked away with 6x Apple keyboards, a Coco 2, 2x Apple IIe 
Platinums, and 2x Apple II disk drives - for $10.50.

Regards,

-- 
|              Mark McDougall                | "Electrical Engineers do it
|  <http://members.iinet.net.au/~msmcdoug>   |   with less resistance!"