Thomas Hillebrandt
Experienced Member
Yo man, wazzUP?!!!? (What kinda language is that, anyway?? :roll: )
I was just wondering...What deals have you made, acquiring "new" members for your collections, that you would deem really good deals? I don't necesarrily then deal that got you the Apple I, Commodore 65 or ENIAC, it can be any old machine. It could easily be a deal where the starting price was hiiigh, and you managed to get it cheap after all.
To start things off, here are the fabled tales of how I got my Ericsson Portable, and my Epson PX-8 and Olivetti M-10.
I stumbled on a big, ugly, wine-red nylon-bag at a fleamarket a few years back. Upon further investigation, the bag revealed itself to contain a very nice condition Ericsson Portable PC, which an extra, external 5.25" floppy-drive and an extra roll of thermal paper for the build-in printer. I asked the price, and was met by dumb-founded faces. They didn't know! It turned out the guy who owned that particular stand at the fleamarket wasn't there at the moment. So, I proceeded to make them an offer of 100 dkr. (roughly $15). They declined, saying they wanted to find out what "he" wanted for it. So they called him on the cell...They then came back with the price 600 dkr. (roughly $85). Denied!!! I never pay that much for old machinery, unless it's something REALLY special (and I haven't found any of that yet). So I started haggling. They weren't interested in that, of course, since "he" wasn't there, so I asked when he WOULD be there. Turned out he'd be there soon, so I waited. 'Bout half an hour later, he showed up, and I recommenced my haggling-routines. "I'll give ya a hundred for it!" "Weeeell, I want 600!" "Oh, but it's an old piece of junk.." "Oh, but it's very nice, and I'm selling it for a friend!" (they're always selling it for a friend, when they don't want to sell it cheap). This went on for some time. I let him know that I could not possibly pay him more than 112,50 dkr, because that was all I had on me (which it was)...I ended up getting it for the 100,-...500 off...Don't mind if I do :D
Much later, I responded to an ad in the national want-ads paper. The ad had been for "an Olivetti M10: dkr. 100,- and an Esselte: dkr. 500,-". I responded only to the M10, because I figured maybe I could haggle that a little. I figured I could also haggle the other, but didn't think I could get it low enough, so I didn't concern myself about that (didn't even investigate what it was, since I didn't want to be sad I couldn't get it).
They guy sounded like a dimwhit, but he was reasonable. Over the phone, I expressed my interest in the M10, and denied any interest in the Esselte. I suggested that the price of the M10 be halved, and he wasn't refusing. So I went there (after him telling me repeatedly that it was on that-and-that streed, JUST across from City Hall, and he WAS HOME!!!), and knocked at the door. I was shocked at the sight that greeted me: And oldish man, probably somewhere in his sixties, maybe only late fifties. Gray hair, balding on the top, and wildly uncombed and long in the back and sides. Dressed like your stereotypical excentric school-teacher, only worse, and eyes crossed worse than Marty Feldman. Anyway, he welcomed me, and had me follow him to the top floor (it was a 4-story building with only narrow, winding stairs, so it was quite a feat).
Up here was a science lab in spe. He pulled out a very nice looking Olivetti M-10 (which he persisted to call Oviletti), in it's original leather casing. Niiice...I had two 50's in my pocket, preparing to pay him, either full or half price, what-ever we'd agree on.
It didn't take long, before he INSISTED that I also take a look at the Esselte (which he persisted to call Elselte, and which turned out to be an Epson). It too was nice, with the keyboard-cover, but nothing else - no PSU. I glanced at it and said "that's nice, but I can't afford that". This, appareantly, made his brain short-circuit, because he then put both the Epson and the Olivetti in my hands, and said I could have them both, no charge.
So I walked away, with both machines, and all my money... Now, that's the kind of discount I like!!!
Whew...Well, hope I'm not using all your server-space with my long texts here, Erik ...
Those were my short little descrete stories...Let's have yours...
I was just wondering...What deals have you made, acquiring "new" members for your collections, that you would deem really good deals? I don't necesarrily then deal that got you the Apple I, Commodore 65 or ENIAC, it can be any old machine. It could easily be a deal where the starting price was hiiigh, and you managed to get it cheap after all.
To start things off, here are the fabled tales of how I got my Ericsson Portable, and my Epson PX-8 and Olivetti M-10.
I stumbled on a big, ugly, wine-red nylon-bag at a fleamarket a few years back. Upon further investigation, the bag revealed itself to contain a very nice condition Ericsson Portable PC, which an extra, external 5.25" floppy-drive and an extra roll of thermal paper for the build-in printer. I asked the price, and was met by dumb-founded faces. They didn't know! It turned out the guy who owned that particular stand at the fleamarket wasn't there at the moment. So, I proceeded to make them an offer of 100 dkr. (roughly $15). They declined, saying they wanted to find out what "he" wanted for it. So they called him on the cell...They then came back with the price 600 dkr. (roughly $85). Denied!!! I never pay that much for old machinery, unless it's something REALLY special (and I haven't found any of that yet). So I started haggling. They weren't interested in that, of course, since "he" wasn't there, so I asked when he WOULD be there. Turned out he'd be there soon, so I waited. 'Bout half an hour later, he showed up, and I recommenced my haggling-routines. "I'll give ya a hundred for it!" "Weeeell, I want 600!" "Oh, but it's an old piece of junk.." "Oh, but it's very nice, and I'm selling it for a friend!" (they're always selling it for a friend, when they don't want to sell it cheap). This went on for some time. I let him know that I could not possibly pay him more than 112,50 dkr, because that was all I had on me (which it was)...I ended up getting it for the 100,-...500 off...Don't mind if I do :D
Much later, I responded to an ad in the national want-ads paper. The ad had been for "an Olivetti M10: dkr. 100,- and an Esselte: dkr. 500,-". I responded only to the M10, because I figured maybe I could haggle that a little. I figured I could also haggle the other, but didn't think I could get it low enough, so I didn't concern myself about that (didn't even investigate what it was, since I didn't want to be sad I couldn't get it).
They guy sounded like a dimwhit, but he was reasonable. Over the phone, I expressed my interest in the M10, and denied any interest in the Esselte. I suggested that the price of the M10 be halved, and he wasn't refusing. So I went there (after him telling me repeatedly that it was on that-and-that streed, JUST across from City Hall, and he WAS HOME!!!), and knocked at the door. I was shocked at the sight that greeted me: And oldish man, probably somewhere in his sixties, maybe only late fifties. Gray hair, balding on the top, and wildly uncombed and long in the back and sides. Dressed like your stereotypical excentric school-teacher, only worse, and eyes crossed worse than Marty Feldman. Anyway, he welcomed me, and had me follow him to the top floor (it was a 4-story building with only narrow, winding stairs, so it was quite a feat).
Up here was a science lab in spe. He pulled out a very nice looking Olivetti M-10 (which he persisted to call Oviletti), in it's original leather casing. Niiice...I had two 50's in my pocket, preparing to pay him, either full or half price, what-ever we'd agree on.
It didn't take long, before he INSISTED that I also take a look at the Esselte (which he persisted to call Elselte, and which turned out to be an Epson). It too was nice, with the keyboard-cover, but nothing else - no PSU. I glanced at it and said "that's nice, but I can't afford that". This, appareantly, made his brain short-circuit, because he then put both the Epson and the Olivetti in my hands, and said I could have them both, no charge.
So I walked away, with both machines, and all my money... Now, that's the kind of discount I like!!!
Whew...Well, hope I'm not using all your server-space with my long texts here, Erik ...
Those were my short little descrete stories...Let's have yours...