eBay bargains - what's your latest conquest?

[weckart]

As a rule, whenever I remove stickers from books (my other hobby), I tend to use lighter fuel first. It's very volatile so evaporates the quickest and although smelly in use leaves zero trace when it dries off even on the most delicate of paper or plastic. It only works with some adhesives so my next step up is 99% IPA. That can loosen paint or ink if you rub too hard so you need to be careful. After that, I go for the proprietary label removers. There are a few. They should be OK on hard plastics but can leave a permanent stain on paper. You will just have to try one after the other until one works. Most use some form of limonene, which is toxic, so best handled with gloves and in a well aired area. The last resort is heat. Safer on paper and card but quite a risk with plastics to lift a well adhered sticker.

Never, ever go near acetone or nail polish remover. Quite effective on glue but even more so on breaking down plastics. It will scar your iBook. Goo Gone doesn't sell in my country so I can't advise on that particularly. I would just use IPA or rubbing alcohol if you have some. It's pretty effective on even dried and hardened glue residue once the paper is gone.

 

[m1maverick]

You should have a look at this thread.

Thanks, I'll give this a read when I have some time.

 

[m1maverick]

As a rule, whenever I remove stickers from books (my other hobby), I tend to use lighter fuel first. It's very volatile so evaporates the quickest and although smelly in use leaves zero trace when it dries off even on the most delicate of paper or plastic. It only works with some adhesives so my next step up is 99% IPA. That can loosen paint or ink if you rub too hard so you need to be careful. After that, I go for the proprietary label removers. There are a few. They should be OK on hard plastics but can leave a permanent stain on paper. You will just have to try one after the other until one works. Most use some form of limonene, which is toxic, so best handled with gloves and in a well aired area. The last resort is heat. Safer on paper and card but quite a risk with plastics to lift a well adhered sticker.

Never, ever go near acetone or nail polish remover. Quite effective on glue but even more so on breaking down plastics. It will scar your iBook. Goo Gone doesn't sell in my country so I can't advise on that particularly. I would just use IPA or rubbing alcohol if you have some. It's pretty effective on even dried and hardened glue residue once the paper is gone.

I didn't consider using lighter fluid as I thought it would mar the plastic. I have used it to clean non plastic surfaces (such as removing the dried lubricant on the auto eject floppy drives) so I have some. I also have IPA so that's of consideration too.

My thought was to try the Goo Gone on a less visible location (the sticker residue is located on the top of the lid in plain sight) first and, depending on the results, try to remove the sticker residue. I have a feeling that whatever I use the plastic underneath the residue will be ever so slightly different in color so there will always be a sign there was a sticker present.

 

[weckart]

My thought was to try the Goo Gone on a less visible location (the sticker residue is located on the top of the lid in plain sight) first and, depending on the results, try to remove the sticker residue. I have a feeling that whatever I use the plastic underneath the residue will be ever so slightly different in color so there will always be a sign there was a sticker present.

This is the danger with older plastics as used in the 80s/90s hence retrobriting is a thing. It's less of a problem with iBooks I have found but there are some that did yellow somewhat, particularly the plastic top of the first generation Mac Mini. I found the same issue happens with bleaching of book covers and library/sales/promo stickers so them's the breaks, I suppose.

I didn't find the websites of Goo Gone or Goof Off to be particularly helpful in finding out their compositions. This may be an issue in US disclosure laws regarding consumer products but my best guess is that Goo Gone contains limonene (hence citrus smell in the FAQ) and Goof Off is acetone based (hence harmful to plastics). Try not to breathe in Goo Gone too much. It's really not great for the lungs.

 

[Dronecatcher]

I didn't find the websites of Goo Gone or Goof Off to be particularly helpful in finding out their compositions.

Goof Off pro cleaner's main component is acetone (according to the safety data sheet) - so that's one to avoid!

 

[m1maverick]

This is the danger with older plastics as used in the 80s/90s hence retrobriting is a thing. It's less of a problem with iBooks I have found but there are some that did yellow somewhat, particularly the plastic top of the first generation Mac Mini. I found the same issue happens with bleaching of book covers and library/sales/promo stickers so them's the breaks, I suppose.

The good thing is this is a dark color so these kinds of issues aren't as noticeable.

I didn't find the websites of Goo Gone or Goof Off to be particularly helpful in finding out their compositions. This may be an issue in US disclosure laws regarding consumer products but my best guess is that Goo Gone contains limonene (hence citrus smell in the FAQ) and Goof Off is acetone based (hence harmful to plastics). Try not to breathe in Goo Gone too much. It's really not great for the lungs.

I think I may try the lighter fluid first.

 

[netsrot39]

I'm not really posting an eBay bargain this time but rather the lengths I go to get a G5 or Mac Pro undamaged. I'm thinking this post is fitting since we've had stories about damaged G5s in this thread. I wasn't really looking for it but I've come across an enticing local listing for a Mac Pro 5,1 yesterday (12core, 64 GB RAM) which I just couldn't pass on. The thing is the guy who sold it lives in another city which is more than 100km away from where I'm located. No original box left so I knew shipping was out of the question. I decided to pick up the Mac Pro personally and transport it home via public transport 😅 (I didn't want to use the car since gas is quite expensive right now and I have a yearly subscription, i.e. a flatrate, for all public transport in my country so taking the train, subway, bus, etc. is pretty much free for me in the entire country). I picked it up in a big city and relied on public transport only. People were looking because it is unusual that someone carries a Mac Pro on the sidewalk but whatever I decided to use one of my skateboards so that I can put the heavy beast on it and roll it instead of lifting and putting it down everytime. It worked really great. The point I'm trying to make is that if you really want to get a Mac Pro or G5 in an undamaged state you should pick it up yourself and never rely on shipping. The only exception to this would be if the original box is in good condition and used for shipping but even then with my experience I'd be wary.

 

[Dronecatcher]

The point I'm trying to make is that if you really want to get a Mac Pro or G5 in an undamaged state you should pick it up yourself and never rely on shipping.

I know that's the general rule but I've sold two Quads on ebay and both arrived undamaged.
I didn't have their original boxes but knew how to pack correctly - ie a box within a box and packing to ensure the handles are not a point of contact.

 

[MBAir2010]

I picked it up in a big city and relied on public transport only. People were looking because it is unusual that someone carries a Mac Pro on the sidewalk but whatever

GREAT STORY!
if there is a will to do something there will be a way!

 

[wicknix]

Guess I've been lucky. 2 G5's and a macpro all arrived undamaged. My other G5 was bent when i bought it. The macpro was shipped FedEx from over 3000 miles away. The key is good packing skills. For my 2.3ghz G5 i actually paid the extra and shipped a thick box with inserts and bubble wrap to the seller for him to use. It can be done if done right.

Nothing wrong with going to pick up either if its close enough.

 

[weckart]

I've been unlucky. Apart from the trashed G5, I also got an 8600 in the post with no option of pickup. It arrived undamaged on the outside but it has never booted up or even chimed although sold as working without issue. The seller left the processor card in the mainboard slot and I suppose the weight of the processor and heatsink must have flexed the mainboard during transit and broken a trace or two somewhere. It wasn't worth returning or putting a claim in so I cannibalised it for parts for the two 9600s I got later.

In my unscientific experience, the likelihood of a seller's packing your purchase adequately is directly proportional to the price you paid for it. I tend to go for speculative bargains, usually sold by people who don't really understand or appreciate computer hardware and tend to underestimate how delicate it can be in the wrong hands, i.e. any postal service's. The absolute nadir was getting a TiBook in the post in a padded envelope. The poor display had a torrid time of it and emerged from the envelope in instalments.

 

[Dronecatcher]

My worst packing tale was an Amiga A1200 - it arrived in a tightly wrapped dustbin bag (UK - these are as thin as cling film) - so zero packing or resistance to any knocks.

Incredibly the only damage was a broken key!

 

[B S Magnet]

I'm not really posting an eBay bargain this time but rather the lengths I go to get a G5 or Mac Pro undamaged. I'm thinking this post is fitting since we've had stories about damaged G5s in this thread. I wasn't really looking for it but I've come across an enticing local listing for a Mac Pro 5,1 yesterday (12core, 64 GB RAM) which I just couldn't pass on. The thing is the guy who sold it lives in another city which is more than 100km away from where I'm located. No original box left so I knew shipping was out of the question. I decided to pick up the Mac Pro personally and transport it home via public transport 😅 (I didn't want to use the car since gas is quite expensive right now and I have a yearly subscription, i.e. a flatrate, for all public transport in my country so taking the train, subway, bus, etc. is pretty much free for me in the entire country). I picked it up in a big city and relied on public transport only. People were looking because it is unusual that someone carries a Mac Pro on the sidewalk but whatever I decided to use one of my skateboards so that I can put the heavy beast on it and roll it instead of lifting and putting it down everytime. It worked really great. The point I'm trying to make is that if you really want to get a Mac Pro or G5 in an undamaged state you should pick it up yourself and never rely on shipping. The only exception to this would be if the original box is in good condition and used for shipping but even then with my experience I'd be wary.

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I love this. Public transit is how I brought home — also on wheels — my Power Mac G5 (though I did have to fight with days-old snow trying to clog those wheels!). That you could travel 100km and still manage to do this all on public transit is a testament to the utility and necessity of cities (and inter-city travel) having comprehensive public transportation.

If only I could do this for listings located beyond my own metro area, then it would open up so many possibilities with an added bonus of getting to see the countryside by rail.

 

[B S Magnet]

I know that's the general rule but I've sold two Quads on ebay and both arrived undamaged.
I didn't have their original boxes but knew how to pack correctly - ie a box within a box and packing to ensure the handles are not a point of contact.

Notwithstanding utterly crappy packaging on behalf of the seller, such as what we saw on here earlier, if they were being transported from within the UK, I would fathom the risks are lowered somewhat — both due to lower distances travelled, generally, and also an increased likelihood that one carrier will handle the entire transport (like Royal Mail, or DHL, or similar).

Meanwhile, here in Canada, I’m watching an item I bought from one state over the border from my province (maybe a six-hour drive, if direct, by private vehicle), being bounced now to a sorting centre much further away (and far deeper into the bowels of the U.S.), and now being handed off to a second of three handlers (first USPS, now Pitney Bowes, and lastly, Canada Post). [It is already days late, I ought to add.] It is a laptop, so I’m a bit anxious at the condition it might be once it eventually gets here.

 

[MBAir2010]

My package is being "Patriot acted" in JFK since Thursday Morning.
just decals for a racing bike made for the TDF in 1993.
Im begging to lose trust in Ebuy users trying to push bad MacBook for quite a lot or money lately.
these being sold don't work, and only $200 will help them forget they possessed such a laptop!

 

[B S Magnet]

My package is being "Patriot acted" in JFK since Thursday Morning.
just decals for a racing bike made for the TDF in 1993.
Im begging to lose trust in Ebuy users trying to push bad MacBook for quite a lot or money lately.
these being sold don't work, and only $200 will help them forget they possessed such a laptop!

I’ll let you how it goes. The above laptop I mentioned was from there and from a 100 per cent-rated user with several years on there, and the item was listed and shown as working and used. Even if there are issues with various parts, I can use my existing, almost-identical laptop for donor parts, or vice-versa.

Generally, as it relates to computing products which I anticipate to receive in used, but working condition from there, any seller who enjoys less than a 100 per cent feedback rating faces a much higher ledge to climb before I can take their listing at their word.

The last two Macs I bought from there previously were, however, “not working or for parts”, yet both ended up working completely and flawlessly (the A1139), or mostly completely (which, well, has been my A1138 test box for all the SL-PPC work). Then again, both of those were in Canada, and whereas one was handled by a total of one handler/courier, the other I collected locally.

 

[TheShortTimer]

I love this. Public transit is how I brought home — also on wheels — my Power Mac G5 (though I did have to fight with days-old snow trying to clog those wheels!). That you could travel 100km and still manage to do this all on public transit is a testament to the utility and necessity of cities (and inter-city travel) having comprehensive public transportation.

Snap! On separate occasions, of course - I too lugged home a PM G5 and a Mac Pro from the vicinity of Oxford Circus to SE London using public transport. Though I didn't have anything as creative as wheels! I carried them across a couple of streets (with a periodic breather because they're extremely heavy!) and to a bus stop where Bus A took me back to my borough and to a connecting bus stop where Bus B then dropped me right outside my front door.

It was the best mode of travel as it kept my walking and carrying to a minimum. I used an extra large jumbo shopping bag to protect them from potentially getting scratched up during the journey in the event of a mishap and to ward off unwanted attention from the nosey - including elements of my neighbourhood who will burgle you if they spot anything remotely interesting in your possession.

Notwithstanding utterly crappy packaging on behalf of the seller, such as what we saw on here earlier, if they were being transported from within the UK, I would fathom the risks are lowered somewhat — both due to lower distances travelled, generally, and also an increased likelihood that one carrier will handle the entire transport (like Royal Mail, or DHL, or similar).

Unfortunately not. I sent a TV from London to the South coast of England and it was destroyed in transit due to unbelievably careless behaviour by the carrier. When the delivery driver arrived to collect it and insisted that he could carry a boxed 50" TV (which included accessories) on his own, down a flight of stairs and across the street to the van without my assistance, I knew that it wasn't going to end well.

Meanwhile, here in Canada, I’m watching an item I bought from one state over the border from my province (maybe a six-hour drive, if direct, by private vehicle), being bounced now to a sorting centre much further away (and far deeper into the bowels of the U.S.), and now being handed off to a second of three handlers (first USPS, now Pitney Bowes, and lastly, Canada Post). [It is already days late, I ought to add.] It is a laptop, so I’m a bit anxious at the condition it might be once it eventually gets here.

Fingers crossed.

 

[B S Magnet]

Snap! On separate occasions, of course - I too lugged home a PM G5 and a Mac Pro from the vicinity of Oxford Circus to SE London using public transport. Though I didn't have anything as creative as wheels! I carried them across a couple of streets (with a periodic breather because they're extremely heavy!) and to a bus stop where Bus A took me back to my borough and to a connecting bus stop where Bus B then dropped me right outside my front door.

By “wheels”, we’re talking one of these, semi-unfurled and using a lot of bungee cords to hold the G5 in place… on lumpy, dirty, days-old snow:

But far cheaper than the above spendy trolley with nice, knobby tires — as in, a $5 deal found at a cheap dry goods shop in one of our local Chinatowns and made of the very cheapest of materials. In fact, that trip home with the G5 (and, did I also mention, an acrylic 20-inch ACD was also strapped on?) was what finally killed it.

It was the best mode of travel as it kept my walking and carrying to a minimum. I used an extra large jumbo shopping bag to protect them from potentially getting scratched up during the journey in the event of a mishap and to ward off unwanted attention from the nosey - including elements of my neighbourhood who will burgle you if they spot anything remotely interesting in your possession.

Dang. That’s just cold.

Unfortunately not. I sent a TV from London to the South coast of England and it was destroyed in transit due to unbelievably careless behaviour by the carrier. When the delivery driver arrived to collect it and insisted that he could carry a boxed 50" TV (which included accessories) on his own, down a flight of stairs and across the street to the van without my assistance, I knew that it wasn't going to end well.

🤦‍♀️

Fingers crossed.

Indeed.

 

[Herbert123]

Very happy today: I finally secured a Sinclair ZX Spectrum 128k on eBay, also lovingly referred to as the "Toastrack" Speccy. A relatively rare model, and sought after by collectors (like myself). Usually they go for ridiculous prices, and I was very lucky and thankful to the seller for letting it go for a reasonable bid.

It was the last model released by Sinclair before Amstrad acquired the company: an unfortunate event in computing history, on par with Commodore's demise.

I am looking forward to cleaning, recapping and restoring it to full functionality.

Here's a pic (not of the actual one I got, but it's the same model):

 

[Dronecatcher]

I finally secured a Sinclair ZX Spectrum 128k

That's great! I let so many of these - and QLs - slip through my fingers 'when I had a life' but in recent years they're just crazy price territory.

 

[MarkC426]

and to ward off unwanted attention from the nosey - including elements of my neighbourhood who will burgle you if they spot anything remotely interesting in your possession.

Wow this is outrageous.....🤨, (from a fellow brit).
A job for the 'equaliser' (Edward Woodward)....

 

[weckart]

My worst packing tale was an Amiga A1200 - it arrived in a tightly wrapped dustbin bag (UK - these are as thin as cling film) - so zero packing or resistance to any knocks.

Incredibly the only damage was a broken key!

This is how a lot of books are shipped, amazingly enough. Sold as VG+ condition and arriving with bumped or broken corners. Sometimes cheap/free postage means you pay for shipping by receiving a book in much a much worse state than when they left the seller.

 

[Dronecatcher]

A job for the 'equaliser' (Edward Woodward)....

 

[m1maverick]

A friend of mine has the OEM power supply which I plan to pick up this weekend. Once I have it I can see if it works.

I picked up the power supply this morning and...no dice. Nothing. No activity whatsoever. It appears I have another project on my hands.

 

[Riviera122]

I decided to pick up the Mac Pro personally and transport it home via public transport 😅

Learned this lesson the hard way - bought an iPod HiFi off eBay and it came completely destroyed. Flimsy cardboard box with no padding. Bought two more since using public transport, multiple hours away but thankfully they JUST fit in my Patagonia hiking backpack. Too beautiful of an item to risk destroying through careless couriers.