• Please review our updated Terms and Rules here
  • From now on we will require that a prefix is set for any items in the sales area. We have created regions and locations for this. We also require that you select a delivery option before posting your listing. This will hopefully help us streamline the things that get listed for sales here and help local people better advertise their items, especially for local only sales. New sales rules are also coming, so stay tuned.

WTB: IBM Model M Keyboard

N

NeeGo

New Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2011
Messages
4
Hey guys, I'm new here and I'm having a really hard time looking for this keyboard at the right price (right = cheap :)). To be honest, I'm actually more interested in finding out where you guys find these so called "thrift/surplus" stores that has keyboard for cheap or free from leftovers because I often times see people say "oh I got this for only $X.00 at the thrift store" or something along that line and it makes me sad that I only have expensive feeBay to work with :(.

If you're from North O.C., let me know your sources!
 
Most of my Model M's came from recyclers, the keyboards you find at thrifts tend to be newer PS/2 and USB varieties.

O.C. being?
 
open your yellow pages, or a online business search page. search for "thrift" and go visit as many as you can as often as you can. I've noticed computer equipment RARELY lasts more than a day or two, unless its horribly priced, broke, etc. Eventually you find that most of the thrift stores dont have the stuff you want ever and a select one or two will have old hardware appear often. Call it what you want, but thrift stores in neighborhoods with a high percentage of affluent elderly TEND to have the best items.
 
You really have to be lucky, meaning at the right place at the right time. I was given one by a member of these forums, then they seemed to just pop up all over the place. I found 2 behind a business that had just closed their doors and were throwing them away. One was sticking out of the box. It turns out that there were thee very nice 1987 model M keyboards. The garbage collector was due the next morning. My wife found a small thrift shop an luckily, they had just gotten a delivery of old computer equipment (Nothing I was looking for though, bummer) but they had several she bought them all for only $3.00 each. We had 8 of them in all. My wife and I are using 3 of them on our computers right now, the rest I gave to friends and family. Going the rout you are, you could end up waiting for months end even years. Your best bet is to try looking in your local CraigsList or EBay.
 
The thing with recyclers and thrift stores is that you have to hit them all the time because things come and go quickly. The more you buy from a recycler the more they let you poke around out back (and the more stuff you find) plus they might hold things for you if they know what you are looking for.
 
Unknown_K said:
Most of my Model M's came from recyclers, the keyboards you find at thrifts tend to be newer PS/2 and USB varieties.

O.C. being?
Click to expand...

Ha, sorry about that. O.C. is Orange County in Southern California. And thanks for your other advice because I didn't know that.

luckybob said:
open your yellow pages, or a online business search page. search for "thrift" and go visit as many as you can as often as you can. I've noticed computer equipment RARELY lasts more than a day or two, unless its horribly priced, broke, etc. Eventually you find that most of the thrift stores dont have the stuff you want ever and a select one or two will have old hardware appear often. Call it what you want, but thrift stores in neighborhoods with a high percentage of affluent elderly TEND to have the best items.
Click to expand...

Yellow pages, got cha. I'm so young, I totally forgot about the yellow pages. Luckily I'm old enough to know what it is. =P


bettablue said:
You really have to be lucky, meaning at the right place at the right time. I was given one by a member of these forums, then they seemed to just pop up all over the place. I found 2 behind a business that had just closed their doors and were throwing them away. One was sticking out of the box. It turns out that there were thee very nice 1987 model M keyboards. The garbage collector was due the next morning. My wife found a small thrift shop an luckily, they had just gotten a delivery of old computer equipment (Nothing I was looking for though, bummer) but they had several she bought them all for only $3.00 each. We had 8 of them in all. My wife and I are using 3 of them on our computers right now, the rest I gave to friends and family. Going the rout you are, you could end up waiting for months end even years. Your best bet is to try looking in your local CraigsList or EBay.
Click to expand...

I definitely agree that I'd have be lucky (right place, right time). But reading so much of these types of stories online tricks me into thinking that it's a very common thing except in my area. Stories like yours makes me sad :(, but a good one nonetheless. About Craigslist, now I'm using Crazedlist to search all of America hoping to find someone who's willing to ship one, although unlikely.

I'll keep trying guys, thanks to all who responded! :grin:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top