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Life of a Vintage Computer in Oceania

M

mark0x01

Experienced Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2015
Messages
226
Location
Kaiapoi, New Zealand
Recent high freight charges and lack of stock have really impacted us who live in more remote parts of the planet.
Repairs now take many months longer than before.

I have given up using RS Components, which was my main source of parts,due to there massive shipping fee - minimum of NZ$35.
I now use Element14 for anything I cannot source locally, and can manage their NZ$15 freight minimum.
These are probably insignificant compared to Ebay, but then that would be last resort purchases, and only if the item is vintage and of higher value.

Interesting that Element14 can deliver my components from the UK for $15 using DHL but Ebay costs much more.

The local alternatives like Jaycar have an increasingly limited range, so I'm lucky to have an alternative in South Island Components, but much is out of stock.

It's almost like getting back to the bad old days of the 80's, but at least I don't have to wait months for things to arrive, just maybe years for stock to perhaps reappear, or not.
 
I haven't had much issue as I aquired enough spares/systems in the lates 90s early 2000s and have around 85% of all the software I've purchaced since the late 1980s when I first got interested in computers.. It was a work requirement so had to do it...

Jaycar here in Palmy are very helpful I've found.

I'm still finding interesting stuff on TardeMe like the recent Appian ISA video accelerator cards.

US merchants have jacked up shipping prices of DHL and such to boost US shipping agencies such as FedEx, US Postal Service etc..
;)
 
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Dick Smith Electronics was THE place to go to for computer hobbiests way back when -'70s '80s and '90s Similar to what JayCar is now. JayCar wasn't in NZ back then. Now DSE if they exist in your town/city are just boutique type stores.
 
I try to have less than 1/2 the cost in freight, but hard to do sometimes.

I still have tubes of parts I have saved like 42156 and even tubes of new 4164's & 6264's and TTl 74xx
Since starting repairs, I have even created a database to try to keep track of bits.
Next I will need to build a memory tester to handle everything other than DIP, as I have boxes of them to test.

A few more years and it will be time for a garage sale.
 
I had a friend in Oz that I used to send items to before the USA P.O. ended allowing shipping normal parcel packages even it if did take forever to arrive. Cost to ship via air ended a lot of that. About all I can suggest is to try to do group purchases and split the costs with others in NZ. Or find friends traveling to far away places that will bring goodies back in their luggage.
 
Here in Brisvegas it's much the same story as our Kiwi cousins above. A $50 USD PDP-11 board becomes close to $200 local dollarydoo's by the time the exchange rate, postage and import tax are factored in. I have to choose pretty carefully about what I really really want or need to get my machines running. Other times I just think 'Stuff It' and get it anyway.
Postage prices used to be reasonable until eBay started pushing sellers to use the Global Shipping Program through Pitney Bowes. I have a description for PB I won't use here, but monopolistic highway robbery is a polite fit. But the flip side is that US sellers don't have to worry much about shipping overseas, good for them I suppose.
 
Times are getting tougher down this end of the world.

The choices have shrunk again as my local South Island Components has gone.

Not touching Element14 again either.
They use DHL who just plain lose stuff and you are then left out of pocket, as Element14 don't care either.

Looks like my collection may end up as ewaste.
 
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