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eBay Auction for a "VERY RARE" XT-IDE board

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I can't comment on the seller - it might not be the original purchaser. Whoever it is, they are probably going to make a killing. With nearly two days left to go the card is up over $100. (I really hope it is not the original purchaser though. As Andrew says, "karma ....")

The sad thing about all of this is that if you do any Googling at all on the name of the card, the source of the card shows up. Those bidders are woefully misinformed and the winner is really going to get hosed. And there isn't anything we can do about it.
 
The sad thing about all of this is that if you do any Googling at all on the name of the card, the source of the card shows up. Those bidders are woefully misinformed and the winner is really going to get hosed. And there isn't anything we can do about it.

There is something you (and others here) can do about it: start offering XT-IDE cards in kit and pre-assembled form again! Duh!

The labor of whomever assembled that card does deserve to be compensated, and scarcity increases its value above and beyond that. So you missed the boat on this one -- too bad. But the next buyer could be yours... and you will be free to set the price at an amount that won't "hose" the buyer but will adequately cover your time and cost.
 
Once you start flooding the market the price drops quite a bit. There isn't that much of a demand for this stuff (over the cost to make one anyway).
 
There is something you (and others here) can do about it: start offering XT-IDE cards in kit and pre-assembled form again! Duh!

The labor of whomever assembled that card does deserve to be compensated, and scarcity increases its value above and beyond that. So you missed the boat on this one -- too bad. But the next buyer could be yours... and you will be free to set the price at an amount that won't "hose" the buyer but will adequately cover your time and cost.

"Duh?" Like this is some sort of business and we're not filling the needs of our customers?

I don't think that you get it. This wasn't a business. It was extraordinary that people pulled together to design the physical card, write a BIOS, debug it, and then do all of the work to create kits. If I remember correctly, Hargle did assemble quite a few of them.

We haven't done enough already?

You are also making the assumption that those people are bidding on the card because it is pre-assembled. I doubt it. The most rational explanation is that the bidders don't know where to get *new* version 2 kits from. If they were looking here and scared of the assembly process we would see more new users asking about it.
 
This wasn't a business. It was extraordinary that people pulled together to design the physical card, write a BIOS, debug it, and then do all of the work to create kits. If I remember correctly, Hargle did assemble quite a few of them.

We haven't done enough already?


Well, here in Brazil, people would kill to have a XTIDE, I got mine from hargle, a long time ago. I considered buying a lot of kits, mounting, and selling for the cost price, as hargle did to us, to help local vintage computing, but in a few weeks all the cards would be sold, and a few months later, I would see these same cards, listed at absurd prices! People around here is very mercenary, and this afraid me.
 
It’s my opinion that the people who are bidding on the card know exactly what they’re bidding on and what they’re getting. The reason why I say this is because why would you bid on something that you know nothing about? Does it work? Does it need drivers? Where is the manual? Etc. All of the answers to those questions are on this forum. The people bidding must have done some research on the card and they probably don't care.

The problem is that you can’t get one for cheap right now. I think pearce_jj will have some available in a few months. If you’re someone who can’t wait, the one on eBay right now, is the only one available.
 
It still doesn't sit well with me that the gang here is accusing this person of flipping the card for profit, three years after it was ordered and assembled. Unless you have contacted the eBay seller, none of you know the real backstory here, so please don't speculate and make public accusations against his character. It makes us look bad as a forum.

here's some backstory: The item location looked familiar, so I dug it out of paypal. While I can't rule out that TWO people in a town of about 2000 people might have somehow gotten ahold of this card, I think I can be pretty positive I have the original buyer's name, address, date of purchase, and purchase price. He paid $40 for it, postage included. I assembled and tested it. Matching this person's name up with a username here would not be difficult to do. He knew full well that ebay re-selling was not allowed.

I'll take your moral high road here and not publicly humiliate this person as I promised I would. It has been 3 years afterall, this guy might be completely out of the scene and needs to pay off medical expenses.

The final thing I'll say about it is that I'm actually quite impressed of how few of these things do end up on ebay. I set up a search agent on ebay looking for these to show up years ago and it hadn't popped until this auction- that's amazing considering how many are out there. (I think about 500)
 
Sometimes I miss the old days of eBay when you could actually see who was bidding on what, and could warn people that might be getting ripped off.
I wonder why eBay got rid of that.
vwestlife said
don't speculate and make public accusations against his character.
It's a public forum. Would secret accusations be better ?
patscc
 
There is something you (and others here) can do about it: start offering XT-IDE cards in kit and pre-assembled form again! Duh!

The labor of whomever assembled that card does deserve to be compensated, and scarcity increases its value above and beyond that. So you missed the boat on this one -- too bad. But the next buyer could be yours... and you will be free to set the price at an amount that won't "hose" the buyer but will adequately cover your time and cost.

Hi
If you are going to expect fully assembled and tested XT-IDE V2 boards from me please be prepared for units costing several hundred dollars each. This is a hobby so time spent on it is at least as valuable as billable hours. The home brew computing projects are a labor of love not a business.

Thanks and have a nice day!

Andrew Lynch
 
Well, here in Brazil, people would kill to have a XTIDE, ...

Hi
Well you could just get an XT-IDE V2 PCB and build it yourself.

That would seem to me to be a lot easier and safer than killing people :)

Thanks and have a nice day!

Andrew Lynch
 
Seeing the bids on that has got me thinking - seems like a potentially easy way to raise some of the capital needed to do a proper run of XT-CF boards.

Anyone with any objections, please raise their hand (since my project has benefited from plenty of community input).
 
Seeing the bids on that has got me thinking - seems like a potentially easy way to raise some of the capital needed to do a proper run of XT-CF boards.

Anyone with any objections, please raise their hand (since my project has benefited from plenty of community input).


This is a complicated thing... the money would be very good to our (I'm currently only a supporter, but a happy supporter) projects, but the original intentions are different. I know in Brazil a XT IDE card would easily sell for 300 USD. As I said, a complicated thing.
 
Hi
If you are going to expect fully assembled and tested XT-IDE V2 boards from me please be prepared for units costing several hundred dollars each. This is a hobby so time spent on it is at least as valuable as billable hours. The home brew computing projects are a labor of love not a business.

So you expect to be paid "several hundred dollars" for an assembled XT-IDE card, but the gang here has formed a virtual lynch mob against someone else selling one for ~$100 on eBay? Sounds like sour grapes to me...
 
Hi

No, like I said the XT-IDE PCBs are a hobby and a labor of love. *If* it were commercial in nature I am saying each board would cost several hundred dollars each once you factor time, labor, overhead, etc.

These are tiny batches of boards and essentially custom units. In industry they routinely spend thousands a piece for custom hardware boards. Regardless I am not going to be selling assembled units, partially assembled units, or kits.

You might want to try this on your own before criticizing the people who do contribute their time and effort. There is a *reason* why Hargle isn't doing it any more you know.

I very well could sell these on eBay. I choose not to out of respect for this community.

Thanks and have a nice day!

Andrew Lynch
 
Seeing the bids on that has got me thinking - seems like a potentially easy way to raise some of the capital needed to do a proper run of XT-CF boards.

Anyone with any objections, please raise their hand (since my project has benefited from plenty of community input).

Hi
Wasn't there some discussion of a kickstarter project at some point? Just the nature of the XT-CF boards is going to be much more capital intensive since they'll be fully assembled units. That's big $$$!

Either way, I believe you'll need to raise some amount of capital or have very deep pockets! Thanks and have a nice day!

Andrew Lynch
 
You might want to try this on your own before criticizing the people who do contribute their time and effort. There is a *reason* why Hargle isn't doing it any more you know.

Well said.
 
I am not totally sure if this is ethical of me to post this but since I really have no stake in it either way due to the fact that I elected to not bid on or attempt to purchase the card for reasons I previously stated a couple of days ago and the fact that I am certain the guy would readily respond to anyone else who simply took the time to ask him, if he already has not done so I have decided, what the hell!
But that said gentelmen; this is the reply I received from the eBay seller concerning the card in question and my discovering what a sore subject it is for those directly responsible for its development here. Below is the man's reply mail back to me concerning the origin of the card and its use:

Hello, Yes this is a modern made (well about 3 years old or so) homebrew device made by someone who felt a need for ide compatiblity
on our old XT units. you will find a bunch of info in the vintage computer fourms. thats where I found out about it. Or, you can google
"XT-IDE" I'm not positive, but i'm 99% sure that you can use this on a tandy 1000. as long as it is'nt the sx line.
I hope this helps. I sued it in a leading edge model D and a original IBM-XT with a 30 gig ide drive (remember dos only see's up to 6 gig) and it worked on both.

- topay


Yes he misspeled used and wrote sued; the above is a direct paste in of what was received from the man. I had asked him about the use in a Tandy 1000. But since I have working HD's on WD Controller Cards in three of my 1000's and a NOS spare HD and controller still in the Tandy box it is no major issue or itch at the present for me regarding my 1000's. I simply had thought it would be something to try out on one of the others that does not have an HD.

In my humble opinon, it does not appear to me the man is being sneaky or anything about this. Maybe he was or is not aware of the "No SELLING ON eBay PROMISE" or simply forgot. It has been three years. Hell, at my age now and with all of the daily crap I sometimes find it hard to remember what I had for supper three days ago much less three years ago!
 
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I don't understand some people... Hargle and others worked very hard into the first version of the card, a lot of people could finally use IDE devices on XTs (including me), and selling this work on ebay is a very bad thing, at least to me. I'm just a kid here, but I get mad when I see that super human effort to make things works gone to others (wrong?) hands. I'm not saying that the seller is aware or not about the card history, but it just make me sad. I felt the same way when I see some members complaining about this forum, or entering here with a low respect attitude about other members. Eric and Mike works really hard and I feels that a few people notice this. And I'm going to defend hargle, andrew lynch, and others, forever, there's no money that pay that effort, it is a love work, as Andrew said.
 
I don't understand some people... Hargle and others worked very hard into the first version of the card, a lot of people could finally use IDE devices on XTs (including me), and selling this work on ebay is a very bad thing, at least to me. I'm just a kid here, but I get mad when I see that super human effort to make things works gone to others (wrong?) hands. I'm not saying that the seller is aware or not about the card history, but it just make me sad. I felt the same way when I see some members complaining about this forum, or entering here with a low respect attitude about other members. Eric and Mike works really hard and I feels that a few people notice this. And I'm going to defend hargle, andrew lynch, and others, forever, there's no money that pay that effort, it is a love work, as Andrew said.

Well young man, and from your own choice of words I think I can use that term and with all due respect, while I am not a kid by any means I am however a newbie here to say the least. I hope your not taking it the wrong way concerning my thoughts regarding this card. Personally I would not touch the damn thing with a ten foot pole for $1.00 USD much less $100.00 USD or whatever it ends up being sold for and for reasons I have already stated. Pardon me but I tend not to judge people unless I know the whole story, which I do not and neither do you and from what I can read here neither does anyone else. I am also not one to tell another man how to run his business and in this case I suppose it would be Hargle, whom I do not know or have had the pleasure of speaking with. But that said; if it were me I would simply mail the seller and inform him that it is or was my card he is selling and find out if he is in fact the person it was sold to three years ago. If so I would then ask him is he not aware of the "GENTLEMANS AGGREEMENT" regarding the resale of said card or cards and what are the circumstances regarding him going back on his word if that be the case. Of course I would also do this privately and then after I was satisfied as to his answer for good or bad I would then put this to rest here by posting that fact that for good or bad that it is resolved between the only two people it really concerns anyway, him and me. I have also never been one for the "BIG SHOW" or one needing an audience to call another man out on something I feel he is slighting me on; I'm an OLE SKOOL old man from over on this side of the pond and some of us still do things like Gregory Peck or John Wayne in the movies and catch them by themselves and handle our business. But hey, that is just me. How Mr. Hargle decides to handle this affair is his own business and again, I don't judge; in the neck of the woods in Texas where I grew up it usually ends up not being a healthy or wise decision on a man's part to start telling another man what to do with what is his.

All of that said, the only reason I posted the mail the man sent me regarding the card was due to the fact that I read Hargel's last post on the subject at 08:21 AM today:



here's some backstory: The item location looked familiar, so I dug it out of paypal. While I can't rule out that TWO people in a town of about 2000 people might have somehow gotten ahold of this card, I think I can be pretty positive I have the original buyer's name, address, date of purchase, and purchase price. He paid $40 for it, postage included. I assembled and tested it. Matching this person's name up with a username here would not be difficult to do. He knew full well that ebay re-selling was not allowed.

I'll take your moral high road here and not publicly humiliate this person as I promised I would. It has been 3 years afterall, this guy might be completely out of the scene and needs to pay off medical expenses.

The final thing I'll say about it is that I'm actually quite impressed of how few of these things do end up on ebay. I set up a search agent on ebay looking for these to show up years ago and it hadn't popped until this auction- that's amazing considering how many are out there. (I think about 500)



I personally respect the hell out of the man for that and it sounds to me as though that for good or bad he is at peace with it or at least has made the decision not to pursue it any further for reasons of his own; or that is what he has said. That is good enough for me. However, if others have a problem with the man's decision I suppose that is between him and them. I've done nothing dishonorable; I passed on the card due to my own personal convictions. I could backslide on that and buy the card and nobody would be the wiser here. I'm not presently rich but that little dab of money is nothing; its simply in this case "DIRTY PAPER" and not worth it or my honor for going back on something I said I would not do!:cool:
 
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