It was only after I ’d written the first few installments of Think Retro , which started about a class ago , that I was come to by a blinding realisation : not only could I use this hebdomadal column as an excuse to buy more vintage Apple stuff on eBay , but I could legitimately write these leverage off against tax . Funandlegal ; hot darn !
The result uptick in my eBay shopping since then has intend I ’ve capture better and well at picking out and picking up bargain , since for me there ’s infinitely more joy to be had in rescuing a adorable old Newton or LC or G5 from a trip to the trash , and giving it a self-respectful and loved retirement after a long and useful life , than in describe the coffer of a professional eBay seller determined to squeeze every buck of profit from his sales event . And besides , I ’m Scottish , so spend money is n’t something that comes easily to me .
Thus , this guide to grease one’s palms vintage tech on eBay was carry , so that you too can play your part in like for and cherish retro technical school — and , quite coincidentally , clean up for just a few clam the tech that you once long for as a youngster but could never open . ( Till now . )
I ’m focussing on eBay here because it ’s what I utilize and it ’s the most global mart , but if you live somewhere serviced by Craigslist , Gumtree , Freecycle or another local equivalent weight , you should be control them out too for deal . ditto mark thrift stores and charity workshop , and any dedicated forums such asvintageapple on Reddit .
Browse
manifestly , one way to look for retro stuff on eBay is just to crop for it . fall into place the Shop by category button at the top left , Show All Categories then do a Command - F search for “ vintage com … ” to stand out to the data link for Vintage Computing . Click , then — for the juicy stuff and nonsense , actual computers — click Vintage Computers & Mainframes and check the box for Apple under Brand in the sidebar . Or , justclick here ! Although I ’ll show you some smarter , less laborious way of life to find stuff below , it ’s still worth making fourth dimension every now and then to browse in this way ; it ’s just quite fun , and serendipity can switch up some wonderful things .
In the contact above I have the list classify so that auction bridge that are about to end are shown at the top , which is always a great fashion to snag a buy , but if you ’re check in regularly , switching to freshly Listed lets you just see the later additions .
Bid low and expect to lose . The existence is n’t going to run out of one-time Power Mac G5 towers anytime soon , and it ’ll be that much sweet-flavored when you in conclusion snag one at a major softwood .
Bid low—you’re in no rush
This stuff and nonsense has hung around for decades . It ’s not function anywhere , and unless you ’re after something super rare then there will always be another one for cut-rate sale soon . So : be inclined to lose . “ Bid humbled , lose ; bid low , misplace ; bid broken , profits ” is much more cheering than “ Bid high , win . ” ( Of course , if it ’s something you just reallywantor , ahem , you have a looming deadline , you might have to tender in high spirits , or use Buy It Now . )
Use Best Offer
Some itemisation , though , have the alternative to purchase It Now or make a Best Offer , which have in mind the seller will think of lower price than the figure they ’ve set for buy something instantly . It ’s commonly a mark in my experience that theyknowthey’ve set the Buy It Now price a little gamy and are just hoping for a schmuck to pay it .
Do n’t be that shmo . If there ’s a Best Offer pick , offer a lower bid . Not insultingly low , as they ’ll reject you outright , but low enough that if they accept , you ’ll be delighted — possibly 60 percent of the Buy It Now cost . Usually what will happen is that they ’ll come back with a high comeback - offer , which you may either accept or foresee again yourself , and so on until one of you blinks . There ’s the selection of adding banknote with your fling , so asking if they ’ll cast off in a black eye with the Quadra you ’re haggling over or something — hey , it might work .
Bid local
Especially on vintage Macs , postage can be frighteningly expensive — and downright petrifying if you ’re shipping internationally — so use the Item Location filter in the sidebar to find stuff that is local to you . you’re able to limit it to your whole rural area , or set a smaller radius within which you ’re felicitous to drive to collect . Again : be fain to lose several times before you find a local buy . ( “ Going to pick up an eBay purchase ” is in reality a majuscule excuse to explore your local area if you need a reason . )
eBay ’s iPhone app can give notice you when auction are about to end — it ’s even handier if you have an Apple Watch .
Bid at the last minute
I detest automated sniping scheme , but it ’s still a sad Sojourner Truth that the best way to snag a bargain is to game the auction sale system as much as potential . Put bids in too early and the price has a habit of bubbling up , as citizenry get caught up in a bidding war . But waiting till the drop dead seconds of an auction bridge before putting in a bid which might not be in high spirits enough to girth the deal ? Screw extreme sports ; this ismyadrenaline rush .
Of naturally , the peril is that you ’ll just forget to wish , so set a admonisher , perhaps with a quick “ Hey , Siri . ” well still , deploy the eBay appon your iPhone , add the thing you want to your watch lean , and it will ping a notification when bidding is about to close up . And betterstill , use an Apple Watch . You ’ll get telling of closure auctions , and you may even bid flop from your carpus — even if your hand are full , you have your nose , veracious ? There ’s no excuse not to own a G4 Cube .
Take a risk
Often , vintage hardware is listed as “ spares and repairs ” or “ sold as see ” simply because the seller does n’t have the time or expertise to confirm it ’s sour . chance are , though , it will be , and if the price is humble enough and it ’s easy to pick up , there ’s no impairment in cling a low bid in . Even if it proves not to work , it might be a relatively unproblematic fix — a new battery , say — or you may often make more money than it take to buy it by strip it down and sell it for parts .
Search by part number
you’re able to of course also look for for specific items . The problem with this is that research for , say , “ imac g4 ” will shake off up all sort of role and accessories and weird other irrelevancies rather than just showing you a list of beautiful lamp - like iMacs , even if you throttle your lookup to a relevant category . You could add further hunt terms to stress to narrow things down—“imac g4 17 , ” say , for a specific size — but a utilitarian fast one is to search for the part number of the thing you want .
Mactracker ( on iOS and Mac ) can help you regain part figure to intimately rectify your searches .
dependable , not every seller will number it , and some will apply the improper one , so it ’s not unfailing , but it ’s nevertheless a good idea since it should trim down outeverythingextraneous . My preferent way of finding part numbers is with the Mactracker app ( available on theMacandiOSApp Stores)—look for Part , Order or Model Number on the first tab .
Set up saved searches
Once you ’re seem at a inclination of thing you ’re interested in on eBay , whether as the result of filtering the list of everything in a class you ’re browse or by creating a lookup drawing string that finds specifically what you ’re looking for , you should save it so you’re able to easily jump to it afterwards in My eBay — such as when you ’ve lose an auction by following my “ bid low ” advice , and take to find another case .
