If I may jump in here again;
Maybe "gouging" is not the best word. I think over-hyping a common
item like a basic IIgs is unfair because it probably will only suck in
the un-informed. In turn this person will be turned off to what can
be a cheap hobby. We can blame the buyer for not doing some
research, but still, if I buy an item that is beyond my area of
expertise I like to believe the description is at least REASONABLY fair.
It see this at thrift shops even with newer hardware like early
Powermacs. Some "little old lady" is looking for a PC for her
grandkid's homework. I don't know how many times I've pointed out that
a $100 PPC machine will not run Windows. If Grandma spends the money
for the Mac it is likely money down the drain as there is often little
support for Macs in schools and family or neighborhood help is also
likely limited. Likewise, it would be a waste of money for Grandma
to buy a $100+ 486 era PC .
I had the same philosophy when I owned a craft store. People would
come in looking for a dollhouse kit for a child for Christmas. The
kits with the fanciest box, the prettiest color picture and the "Easy
to Assemble" label were in fact EXTREMELY time consuming to
assemble. I carefully warned people about the assembly time, I lost
sales because of this warning ! I knew some people would buy a
similarly bad kit at a big box craft store where the staff didn't know a
thing. I just could not send someone home with a kit knowing there was
no way in he** that the child would every has an assembled dollhouse
suitable for play.
As for the "$3 IIgs"; I had about a dozen basic IIgs units in my
closet. I would have been happy to get $3 each if it was a local
sale. I've kept some, pulled parts from others and tossed a few. My
town only does computer recycling 2-3 times a year. I'd like to at
least recycle items but I will be moving around february and the next
recycling day is probably late spring. I have a Mac SE, Mac Classic
and some others I cannot even give away on the local Freecycle list.
Paul
James Fraser wrote:
on 11/10/05 11:36 AM, Warren 'Llama' Ernst at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
I see my post has created a minor BRU-HA-HA, so let me tell everyone that
the reason I wrote this post is let those people trying to gouge the Apple
II market that this is an inherently inexpensive platform.
What, exactly, constitutes "gouging?"
Whenever anyone talks about "gouging," it seems that it's because a given
item or service is selling at a price point that they, personally, are not
happy with. The last time I looked, private property was something that
could be sold at *any* price point; that's what makes it private property.
If anyone wants to try to "gouge" the Apple II market, shouldn't they be
allowed to try doing so? It would seem that if the price they ask is too
far out of line with what anyone is willing to pay, then no one will accept
the price that they're offering, right?
Of course there are rare and valuable hardware bits out there that we would all
like to get for next to nothing, and that's not realistic, and NOT what I'm
talking about.
Okay...
But I'm sick of seeing something like this on ebay: "Rare Apple II GS
keyboard. Add this bit of history to your collection. $60."
Why is asking $60 for a 20- (okay, 19) year-old keyboard not a "realistic"
price? It would seem that if someone willingly pays that price...that
that's as "realistic" as it gets. [shrugs]
Best,
James Fraser
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