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PostPosted: Wed Dec 06, 2017 4:04 pm 

Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2017 10:39 am
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If I was to put up a sign on the road by my house, offering to buy used laptops and pc's, running or not, what would be the best price I could offer per laptop and pc so that I ultimately make a profit?



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PostPosted: Wed Dec 06, 2017 4:42 pm 
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Depends on what you’re taking and what you’re doing with it.
If your intending to fix, restore, resell them and/or part them out as working components; a single fixed rate is both uneasy and Unrecommended.
You’ll cut out many higher end products and pick up a lot of junk systems, or, over pay extensively for junk to get good ones.
To be profitable you’re going to need to do a bit of research and decide what works for your location; with a bit of trial and error.

For scrap unknown:
I usually try to pay a dollar per laptop or desktop for anything between 1998-2008. Higher for 92-98 and post 2008. Much higher for pre 1992, on a growth scale as the age goes back.

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PostPosted: Wed Dec 06, 2017 4:53 pm 

Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2017 10:39 am
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lostinlodos wrote:
Depends on what you’re taking and what you’re doing with it.
If your intending to fix, restore, resell them and/or part them out as working components; a single fixed rate is both uneasy and Unrecommended.
You’ll cut out many higher end products and pick up a lot of junk systems, or, over pay extensively for junk to get good ones.
To be profitable you’re going to need to do a bit of research and decide what works for your location; with a bit of trial and error.

For scrap unknown:
I usually try to pay a dollar per laptop or desktop for anything between 1998-2008. Higher for 92-98 and post 2008. Much higher for pre 1992, on a growth scale as the age goes back.



Any sources I could access to help in making the determination on price? I was planning on a combination of scrapping and selling (refurbed, or parted out.)




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PostPosted: Wed Dec 06, 2017 9:01 pm 
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The best sources outside of amazon marketplace prices (more new and used from $XX.XX) and newegg marketplace is the ebay search function.
Any search on ebay can be refined, and two of the best filters, in my opinion is the completed and sold filters.
Completed shows what people want to get for the last 6 months.
Sold shows what people actually get, for the last six months.

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PostPosted: Thu Dec 07, 2017 4:50 am 

Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2017 10:39 am
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I apologize for belaboring the point, but your pay scale.....What is it in dollar amounts? From bouncing around a different forum, I figured $1-$2 would be fair for say a flea market find, but I would love to have a general pay scale so I know I am giving a legitimate fair price, or at least as close to a fair price as I can get, and can plan according to what I might find in flea markets or what may be brought to me, and based on how much money I have. As always, I appreciate the help.


'98-'08?

'09 and up

'92-'97

pre '92


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PostPosted: Thu Dec 07, 2017 10:21 pm 
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Let’s keep this simple since there’s always exceptions to any set of rules and standards.
If some fool put a GeForce Titan in a 10 year old system I’m obviously going to be offering above a few hundred for it; if it turns on.

98-08 (pentium through core era)
Any computer newer than the late 90s no test conditions unknown I’m looking at $1-$5 for laptops and $1-$10 for desktops. Turn the case around on desk units and see how many cards are in it and pad YOUR resale estimate you $5 per card. So you should be adding $1-$2 per expansion card. Super tower cases that are clean and undented are worth at the least $40 used and cost starting $10-$25 to ship
So looking at that throwing an extra $5-$10 at a super tower case is also reasonably.
You get where I’m going with here

Working or has potential
98-08
Laptops >$10 bigger the screen higher the price
Desktops >$20. An empty back side and we’re at $1-$5. 5 card’s in a super tower I’ll pay $20 for no second thoughts

Anything newer than 08 I look up.
Everything working can be flipped easily enough. I tend to cap myself personally at $50-$60 here but there’s no reason to /not/ go higher for say, a core i7 with two titans etc.

92-97 (386-pentium)
From a bare bones 3rd party computer your raw scrap value is around$10-$25 depending on what materials are used. I tech enough to fix much of this so I tend to be less cautious and can get into the matching range for the 08+ range but I tend to suggest staying under $20-$25 if you don’t want to go the solder and tweezer route.
Keep in mind small things like EDO ram and goldstar cards can quickly sell into triple digits so if you can get a power on test and it works don’t limit yourself. A fully working fully loaded Packard Bell or leading edge with a goldstar 3D0 blaster and awe card and ecc memory is going to flip for over a hundred and part out for much more!

In scrap and resale both the real value lays in pre 92 stuff. With gold cap chips, Bank matched memory, gold and silver wires...!
Rarity plus precious metals keep this stuff fairly expensive. Broken IBM XT systems regularly surpass $100 on ebay WITHOUT shipping fees added in.
Some other 8088/8086 era stuff runs triple digits as well when broken .
Going back into the 4XXX era of the 70s and nothing working will be under a few hundred. So you find one as a door stop at a yard sale for $50 snag it, pay, and run.

The 80s are the most difficult era to price.
Kit computers are all over in value. I can buy TI 80s for $10 working, complete, with boxes and peripherals all day everyday day by the pallet.
But old Tandy computers can easily fetch thousands!

Generally anything older than 92 I don’t have set prices for and you’re experiences will be different from mine. It’s a place where a cell phone with internet is a needed partner.


All this doesn’t answer you directly. I realise that. All I can do is point out my opinions. Your location, technical experience, patience, etc all factor in to what you’d be willing to pay.
My best advice for doing this is buy a few, sell and scrap a few, and find what values work for you.

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PostPosted: Fri Dec 08, 2017 12:18 pm 

Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2017 10:39 am
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lostinlodos wrote:
Let’s keep this simple since there’s always exceptions to any set of rules and standards.
If some fool put a GeForce Titan in a 10 year old system I’m obviously going to be offering above a few hundred for it; if it turns on.

98-08 (pentium through core era)
Any computer newer than the late 90s no test conditions unknown I’m looking at $1-$5 for laptops and $1-$10 for desktops. Turn the case around on desk units and see how many cards are in it and pad YOUR resale estimate you $5 per card. So you should be adding $1-$2 per expansion card. Super tower cases that are clean and undented are worth at the least $40 used and cost starting $10-$25 to ship
So looking at that throwing an extra $5-$10 at a super tower case is also reasonably.
You get where I’m going with here

Working or has potential
98-08
Laptops >$10 bigger the screen higher the price
Desktops >$20. An empty back side and we’re at $1-$5. 5 card’s in a super tower I’ll pay $20 for no second thoughts

Anything newer than 08 I look up.
Everything working can be flipped easily enough. I tend to cap myself personally at $50-$60 here but there’s no reason to /not/ go higher for say, a core i7 with two titans etc.

92-97 (386-pentium)
From a bare bones 3rd party computer your raw scrap value is around$10-$25 depending on what materials are used. I tech enough to fix much of this so I tend to be less cautious and can get into the matching range for the 08+ range but I tend to suggest staying under $20-$25 if you don’t want to go the solder and tweezer route.
Keep in mind small things like EDO ram and goldstar cards can quickly sell into triple digits so if you can get a power on test and it works don’t limit yourself. A fully working fully loaded Packard Bell or leading edge with a goldstar 3D0 blaster and awe card and ecc memory is going to flip for over a hundred and part out for much more!

In scrap and resale both the real value lays in pre 92 stuff. With gold cap chips, Bank matched memory, gold and silver wires...!
Rarity plus precious metals keep this stuff fairly expensive. Broken IBM XT systems regularly surpass $100 on ebay WITHOUT shipping fees added in.
Some other 8088/8086 era stuff runs triple digits as well when broken .
Going back into the 4XXX era of the 70s and nothing working will be under a few hundred. So you find one as a door stop at a yard sale for $50 snag it, pay, and run.

The 80s are the most difficult era to price.
Kit computers are all over in value. I can buy TI 80s for $10 working, complete, with boxes and peripherals all day everyday day by the pallet.
But old Tandy computers can easily fetch thousands!

Generally anything older than 92 I don’t have set prices for and you’re experiences will be different from mine. It’s a place where a cell phone with internet is a needed partner.


All this doesn’t answer you directly. I realise that. All I can do is point out my opinions. Your location, technical experience, patience, etc all factor in to what you’d be willing to pay.
My best advice for doing this is buy a few, sell and scrap a few, and find what values work for you.



It is a starting place, and it certainly helps me and the wife once we are set up and able to do this.......I am deeply grateful, and if this thread is still on the 1st page of this section I would gladly look in to it for any other further information you can provide, at your own convenience of course.

Thank you.


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PostPosted: Fri Dec 08, 2017 5:10 pm 
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Nice and easy.
Working :
Anything in the last 5-7 years has current value; look it up.

Anything before that back to the late 90s is fairly low end resale value most of the time

Anything prior to the late 80s-90s has a market value starting in the $30 range.

Stuff from the late 70s-late 80s is all over the scale price wise. From a few dollars to many thousands. Intel, AMD, and Mac/Apple based stuff has double to triple digit value. Commodore and Atari stuff often runs in the triple digits range when they work and are clean. Everything else, including most 8-bit kit computers are totally random and constantly changing value. For reasons I won’t get into here.

Prior to 1984 and anything older than 78 you’re into very expensive technology. Scrap value alone makes these worth paying for. When they work in some cases like mini-computers and terminal units 5 digits is not unusual.

Doesn’t power up or can’t be tested. Assume it’s doa. Starting at my stated range of $1 (laptops) and $2 (desktops) I tend to be in that range back to the early 90s. Where I jump to a starting payout of $5 for laptops, $10 for for portable/luggables, and $20 for full desktop systems

With mini computers (small mainframe size of a washing machine) I’m starting at $50. Any thing larger I’m not willing to go much beyond $100 since you have to figure out how to move it yourself.

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