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Leaving the hobby

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AppleIIfan

Banned
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Aug 11, 2011
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I regret to inform everyone that after this warehouse is cleaned out. I will be leaving the hobby. My reasons are the skyrocketing prices of hardware makes it impossible to find the items I need to finish my collection, the overall feeling that I get is this is all about money and that's something I cannot and will not agree with. The little guys like me cannot afford to be in this. I took on the warehouse to find homes for this stuff affordable to people and not resellers, once that task is done I will put most of my collection up for sale at a low price. I expect this to take less then a year

Thanks for the fun and everything.
I'll check in from time to time

Steve
 
Sorry to know that you're leaving the vintage computing world, but the experience must've been at least somewhat enjoyable. Good luck with your future endeavors.

And thanks for the 5260.
 
DOS lives on!! said:
Sorry to know that you're leaving the vintage computing world, but the experience must've been at least somewhat enjoyable. Good luck with your future endeavors.
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Well, he is leaving the "collector's world", which is not the same than leaving the vintage computing world. You could keep just two vintage computers and be entertained for life, you know.
 
Sorry To see you leave. Prices go up and down. They may be up there for a while. But should come down in the summer. But a lot of sellers will not sell unless they get the big bucks. If they do not the item gets thrown out. Just not worth their time in their eyes. With the one Steve gone it spiked. When the other one goes will it have an impact I think so, but not as much.

All hobbies take $$ unless you collect rocks. Even some of those can get pricey.The more you get a hobby the more it is going to cost. The sought after items are always going to cost. If and when the economy picks up prices will go up. For a while buyers were from other countries. If and when the economy picks up the prices will go up for sure.

As for things costing $$$ that means more people are looking for them. When they can not sell them the price will drop, but there are a lot of people wanting them. So it will not fall that far. As prices drop there will be less items for sale. Less to chose from.

I think taking on this warehouse gig has burned you out. I mean all the work, of going thur everything them loading it then driving it to a storage center and unloading it again. This becomes a very,very low paying job. Not a hobby. A hobby is fun. Waiting for no shows, in this weather is not a hobby. All hobbies cost, and the more you get into them the more they cost. As for completing collections that is never done. Getting the Zip/Transwarps for free takes a bit of luck and being in the right place at the right time. It takes time, and more time. I would go for years before getting a collection, than thinking it would never happen again. This would be the last one. Maybe the last one will be the last one who knows.

Take Care
 
AppleIIfan said:
I will be leaving the hobby. My reasons are the skyrocketing prices of hardware makes it impossible to find the items I need to finish my collection, the overall feeling that I get is this is all about money and that's something I cannot and will not agree with.
Steve
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I have noticed that the price of vintage computers in the past couple of years has really jumped. Items like add-in cards have more than doubled in price. Hobbyists that are just starting to collect are at a disadvantage compared to say 5 years ago.
Some computers I would like to have are unachievable because of their rarity and only people with lots of money can afford them. I realized years ago that I will never own them.

It doesn't help that our economy sucks so bad. There are many people that have not been affected and still make good salaries. They can still afford what is out there. Others have been hit really hard and struggle just to keep food on the table. Wages are absolutely falling through the floor. Millions have lost good paying jobs and can only find jobs paying 50% of what they used to make(if they can even find a job).

I was lucky I started my collection 10 years ago. In that time I have bought many really nice and unusual machines that keep me entertained. There is nothing out there I just have to have anymore.

AppleIIFan - it might help if you post what items you are looking for. You never know, someone here might have what you want and make you a good deal as long as it isn't a really rare item.

Chuck
 
The key to enjoyment is to be happy with what you have, not obsessed with what you can not obtain.

Unless you have extremely deep pockets, you will never be able to have it all. Welcome to the real world.
 
mbbrutman said:
The key to enjoyment is to be happy with what you have, not obsessed with what you can not obtain.

Unless you have extremely deep pockets, you will never be able to have it all. Welcome to the real world.
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Wise words. I think the hobby of vintage computing and the desire to collect are different things. For example, my interests are mainly old UNIX and CP/M, but I have refused to take Alpha workstations that were offered to me for free because I already have more items that I can reasonably devote time to. (I don't want to hoard vintage items, what I really want is to experience the feeling of actually using them).

Also, I have more joy in something I find for free or rescue from the junk yard, than from something I pay for. Because anyone with the money can pay, but only he who is lucky and knowledgeable can save and give use to vintage items he found in the wild / abandoned building / junk yard / etc.

Vintage computing to me is not about collecting, is about putting old kit to actual use.
 
Sorry to hear that too, but completeness is near impossible usually. There's too many nitpicky factors going in there, like does anyone really need to collect all different models or different revisions of X model? It would just take so much space, time and money it's not at all feasible. That's the same reason I've tried to stay away from consoles. I mean there's no way in hell I'd want to try and complete any console collection, that would mean every game for it which is never a good deal. Given I came close twice but there are always those unreasonable priced items keeping it from being practical. Plus at that point it would end up being collecting but not likely playing.

BTW, you've had lots of very nice items for sale here before. I've wanted to buy so much and your prices are usually reasonable for most folks, so it's been a pleasure having you here. Alternatively instead of collecting there are certainly a share of users here who keep only a handful of system around at a time, fix them, play with them, then sell them to another person to enjoy. Not a bad way to make a fun hobby and practical as well if you're not cluttering up the house.
 
All hobbies take $$ unless you collect rocks.
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That doesn't make any sense at all - unless you replace the word "take" with "can". For one thing, I've not found that it is necessary to spend any money on hobbies, although I have chosen to buy things from time to time. It is simply not a necessity. Second, I can't believe you said that about rocks. Living in an area of unusual mineral diversity and where you see people doing hand mining for both fun and profit, I can tell you that the cost of collecting rocks is even more variable than vintage computers could possibly be - even if you collect mainframes. It is not unusual to put hundreds of thousands into that "hobby".

mbbrutman said:
The key to enjoyment is to be happy with what you have, not obsessed with what you can not obtain.

Unless you have extremely deep pockets, you will never be able to have it all. Welcome to the real world.
Click to expand...

Exactly! In my case I happen to be lucky enough to have grabbed a pile of stuff to play with when it was just becoming obsolete, but the biggest vintage computer enjoyment I get is reading stuff on the net - particularly here at the VCF. Seriously, if you can afford an internet connection, then you're in.
 
Why not save your collection for retirement. It will be worth a fortune. Better return than most any other investment option there is today, imo.
 
I'm actually surprised at the prices stuff is being listed for sale. This is the same stuff thats still very common. I might have some money to devote to the hobby, but I'm not that foolish. I'm lucky I grabbed all my Apple II stuff when I did, I certainly wouldn't be buying it at today's prices even if I could afford it. Its bizarre to think that I have old "junk" thats somehow appreciated in value over 10 years.

I'm still looking for a nice Amiga though. In my 14 years or so of waiting, prices have remained stable on those systems. I thought they were overpriced in 1998 when I was making very little money. I still think they are overpriced today even though I can easily afford one now. Thats before adding in the skyrocketing shipping costs! I have also been noticing an odd trend with the pricing of used goods in general the past couple of years. The prices seem to be going up on all old technology, like MiniDV camcorders and older audio/video equipment, sometimes to the point that buying new is actually a better deal! Even used cars are at all time high prices.
 
njroadfan said:
I'm still looking for a nice Amiga though. In my 14 years or so of waiting, prices have remained stable on those systems. I thought they were overpriced in 1998 when I was making very little money. I still think they are overpriced today even though I can easily afford one now. Thats before adding in the skyrocketing shipping costs!
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It largely depends on the model. The desktop Amigas are the ones that command the high prices, what people will pay for even a stock 4000 is silly, and "towered" versions are just obscene. If you can live with a keyboard wedge, it's generally a lot less expensive. 500s can be had for pocket change if you're patient and watch the auction sites, and while 1200s cost a bit more, they offer significantly more power out of the box and are more cheaply upgradable than either the 500 or the desktop systems.

It's not a cheap platform to get in on, but it's not as spendy as you'd think looking at some of the outliers on eBay.
 
AppleIIfan said:
... the overall feeling that I get is this is all about money and that's something I cannot and will not agree with.
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Ok, I am gonna say it, most of the things you have for sale on this site are on the high side, not in the gouge range, but certainly rather high and more than a few people here have balked at them. So I think it is quite ironic that this is the reason you are getting out of the hobby.

I mean no disrespect by this comment, nor do I mean any insult. Just stating the obvious. We will still you're input on the forums though, good luck in your future endeavors!
 
All hobbies are poisoned by money and greed, its only to be expected, If I have something of value, I would be a fool to let it go for nothing, and so the saying goes....
 
gerrydoire said:
All collecting hobbies are poisoned by money and greed, its only to be expected, If I have something of value, I would be a fool to let it go for nothing, and so the saying goes....
Click to expand...

There, I fixed that for you.

I have little vintage items, and I want to keep it that way. But what I have I would not sell, first because I don't need the money, and second because if I were not using them I would just pass them on to another hobbyist (not to a collector). After all, your are not taking your kit with you to the grave.

My IBM XT, it was given to me for free by a friend on 2002, he was cleaning his old office (he also included the computer desk with it). It came with less than 640 KB RAM and someone in a mailing list in USA sent me the extra chips to bump it to 640 KB, for free, he even paid the postage.

You cannot buy that, no matter how much money you have.

If someday I cannot keep my IBM XT, or my IBM PS/1, or my Amstrad 6128, I will find a home for them and pass them on. The price? Taking care of them will be enough.
 
I have met so many cool people and learned so much since I dusted off my PCjr and put up a web site twelve years ago. This particular web forum just accelerated the goodness by getting many more people together. Some of these people I have traveled to meet in person, and others I owe a beer to when we finally meet.

Most of what I have gathered wasn't that expensive. I have detailed records in Quickbooks so I know. ;-0 For well less than $600 per year I've had a blast and built up a great collection. Some purchases I regret but that's normal. And I'm never going to own everything that I want, but I realize it is going to take a few lifetimes to fully understand/appreciate what I have already.

In return I have donated countless hours supporting PCjrs, XTs, ATs, etc. I wrote (and gave away) what I think is the best TCP/IP code for the older PC family, as well as other utilities and I know there are people who have done even more. The XT-IDE project and its progeny are great examples of community collaboration. I have spent many many hours here "tending the garden" so that this forum can be enjoyed by a wide variety of people. I have also been running a small PCjr parts depot on the side letting replacement parts go for pretty must cost + shipping.

In light of all that I have experienced it is hard for me to understand how somebody claims "the hobby" is too expensive and it is just about the money. You can find a bad Apple anywhere you want to look but I prefer to see the overwhelmingly good parts.


Mike
 
I agree with the others. You can enjoy the hobby without spending a lot. When I started this interest I made up a list of machines I wanted to get. It was a very limited list...I wasn't after everything. I still don't have all I want but I am patient. I also accept that I might never get all the models I want.

But that really doesn't matter. I've had so much fun meeting new people, learning new skills and sharing what I've done. For me the hobby is not about amassing stuff. It's about exploring historical classic technology, learning new skills, meeting likeminded people and sharing/preserving knowledge. That wouldn't change, even if I went broke tomorrow and couldn't afford any new machines.

Tez
 
hopefully u keep a small peac of it to sit back and injoy from time to time

does not want to think about how much i've spent on collecting parts for my 8a build
 
lutiana said:
Ok, I am gonna say it, most of the things you have for sale on this site are on the high side, not in the gouge range, but certainly rather high and more than a few people here have balked at them. So I think it is quite ironic that this is the reason you are getting out of the hobby.

I mean no disrespect by this comment, nor do I mean any insult. Just stating the obvious. We will still you're input on the forums though, good luck in your future endeavors!
Click to expand...

Hmm... I'm going to have to utterly disagree with you. If you follow Apple II hardware and follow eBay closely you'll see that Steve's prices are no where near what is being sold for on eBay. For instance, I haven't seen a Quadra 950 go for less than $375 on eBay the past 9 months or so and Steve offered his (with a lot of extras) for only $100. Same goes for other items he's put up here like the IIgs monitors, haven't seen a decent working one go for less than $65 on eBay in several months and he was selling them for $25 plus shipping.

I've been lurking here for quite a while and I'd love to see an example of something you feel he's put up for sale that was overpriced. I've always been shocked at how low his prices have been on certain items.
 
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