sellers market

From: Sellam Ismail <dastar_at_ncal.verio.com>
Date: Fri Mar 19 11:59:11 1999

On Fri, 19 Mar 1999 Jgzabol_at_aol.com wrote:

> So someone needs to create another web site that is the opposite
> of what eBay provides. A site where you can advertise that you're
> looking for an Exidy Sorcerer computer, and woould be willing to
> pay about $15 plus $10 shipping. I suggest you call this new
> site yaBe.com ....
>
> -Lawrence (yes I want an Exidy, who doesn't?) LeMay
>
> >>
>
> I think this is a VERY, VERY GOOD idea !

It is a good idea but let me be the naysayer for a moment. Say someone
does go through the trouble to create such a cool site. A bunch of guys
sick of the ebay atrocity start posting want ads for stuff they want.
And they wait. And wait. And wait. And...nothing ever comes of it.
People who are selling this stuff come to the page, see someone wanting an
Exidy Sorcerer for $15 and go "HAH! I can get 20 times that on ebay!"
Then they go to ebay and get 20 times that.

Now I would think that many on this list are more interested in trading
computers in a sane manner with other like-minded hobbyists, and on the
strength of that alone will this work.

Now let's say that a trading board is added, where people can post stuff
they have for sale or trade there. Let's say some really cool things are
offered for sane prices, like S-100 systems and cards, interesting
micro's from the 80s, PDP-8 hardware and software, etc. Good stuff. All
being offered at reasonable prices because its offered by hobbyists
intended for hobbyists.

Now, along comes some jerk with a lot of money, he starts buying up
everything that gets posted, and then even worse, a couple weeks later
this stuff starts showing up on ebay and getting sold for the same old
ridiculous prices!

Now, what I'm trying to say is, while this sounds like a very cool idea,
it has the potential to get destroyed by the very thing we're trying to
avoid. A system needs to be designed to insure that there is a level of
integrity maintained, otherwise you just have another ebay, and one ebay
is bad enough.

I don't have any ideas on this (yet) but I think it should be well thought
out before anyone even bothers to set up the site.

Sellam Alternate e-mail: dastar_at_siconic.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't rub the lamp if you don't want the genie to come out.

                  Coming in 1999: Vintage Computer Festival 3.0
                   See http://www.vintage.org/vcf for details!
                        [Last web site update: 02/15/99]
Received on Fri Mar 19 1999 - 11:59:11 GMT

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.0 : Fri Oct 10 2014 - 23:32:21 BST