New in box PMG5s

[CJRhoades]

I stumbled across these two eBay listings:

*NEW IN BOX* Apple PowerMac G5, factory sealed | eBay

Power Mac G5, new in box, factory sealed. I am told these are very desirable in the financial industry due to their limited security vulnerabilities.

www.ebay.com

Apple Power Mac G5- new in box, factory sealed | eBay

Power Mac G5, new in box, factory sealed. I am told these are very desirable in the financial industry due to their limited security vulnerabilities.

www.ebay.com

No affiliation with the seller, just thought a collector here might be interested. Pretty strange to have two of these. They’re nice configs too with 2.3GHz dual core CPUs, 2GB of RAM, and the GeForce 7800GT graphics cards.

Even stranger, I looked at the sellers history and he’s already sold two more, in addition to several new in box Cinema displays. I wonder how that happens.

 

[TheShortTimer]

I wonder how that happens.

New Old Stock.

 

[eyoungren]

I stumbled across these two eBay listings:

*NEW IN BOX* Apple PowerMac G5, factory sealed | eBay

Power Mac G5, new in box, factory sealed. I am told these are very desirable in the financial industry due to their limited security vulnerabilities.

www.ebay.com

Apple Power Mac G5- new in box, factory sealed | eBay

Power Mac G5, new in box, factory sealed. I am told these are very desirable in the financial industry due to their limited security vulnerabilities.

www.ebay.com

No affiliation with the seller, just thought a collector here might be interested. Pretty strange to have two of these. They’re nice configs too with 2.3GHz dual core CPUs, 2GB of RAM, and the GeForce 7800GT graphics cards.

Even stranger, I looked at the sellers history and he’s already sold two more, in addition to several new in box Cinema displays. I wonder how that happens.

Not to be negative…but anyone can claim 'factory-sealed or 'NIB'.

When I got my son his iPhone 4s I assembled everything that came with the box that was period correct, including the old earbuds in original plastic, power plug, 30-pin cable (in original plastic), instruction booklet, plastic holder and stickers. I even had the correct box for the 8GB 4s. All I needed to do was shrink-wrap it and I could have claimed 'factory-sealed'.

I don't doubt the veracity of the auctions, but I always take these things with a grain of salt.

 

[velocityg4]

Yea, could be stuff that never sold. Could also have been some company bought a bunch and those were spares. Which were never needed.

 

[CJRhoades]

Not to be negative…but anyone can claim 'factory-sealed or 'NIB'.

When I got my son his iPhone 4s I assembled everything that came with the box that was period correct, including the old earbuds in original plastic, power plug, 30-pin cable (in original plastic), instruction booklet, plastic holder and stickers. I even had the correct box for the 8GB 4s. All I needed to do was shrink-wrap it and I could have claimed 'factory-sealed'.

I don't doubt the veracity of the auctions, but I always take these things with a grain of salt.

They could claim it, but you'd know once you got it, and eBay pretty much always sides with the buyer in disputes. Returns can be a pain, but since the seller has to pay return shipping they'll usually want to work something out and I've found "item not as described" usually ends up in my favor.

 

[TheShortTimer]

They could claim it, but you'd know once you got it, and eBay pretty much always sides with the buyer in disputes. Returns can be a pain, but since the seller has to pay return shipping they'll usually want to work something out and I've found "item not as described" usually ends up in my favor.

Amazon are also very good at dealing with rogue sellers, as I discovered when I purchased a TV that had been described as "new" but that was quickly revealed to be a lie when I unpacked it and saw that the remote control bore deep scratches and the supposedly new TV suffered from visible screen burn. When challenged, the seller still insisted that it was unused but Amazon intervened in my favour when presented with overwhelming evidence.

 

[Macbookprodude]

I stumbled across these two eBay listings:

*NEW IN BOX* Apple PowerMac G5, factory sealed | eBay

Power Mac G5, new in box, factory sealed. I am told these are very desirable in the financial industry due to their limited security vulnerabilities.

www.ebay.com

Apple Power Mac G5- new in box, factory sealed | eBay

Power Mac G5, new in box, factory sealed. I am told these are very desirable in the financial industry due to their limited security vulnerabilities.

www.ebay.com

No affiliation with the seller, just thought a collector here might be interested. Pretty strange to have two of these. They’re nice configs too with 2.3GHz dual core CPUs, 2GB of RAM, and the GeForce 7800GT graphics cards.

Even stranger, I looked at the sellers history and he’s already sold two more, in addition to several new in box Cinema displays. I wonder how that happens.

In my opinion, anything less than Quad Core is not worth it, new or otherwise. Now, if this was new in box Quad G5 - the price I imagine would be in 1500 range !

 

[CJRhoades]

In my opinion, anything less than Quad Core is not worth it, new or otherwise. Now, if this was new in box Quad G5 - the price I imagine would be in 1500 range !

Problem with the Quads, that I’ve personally experienced on two machines now, is that they’re just not reliable long term. They will require a lot of maintenance to keep running. Even if they’re still going today, the LCS will eventually fail, or degrade in cooling performance to the point where the fans run full speed all the time. You can convert them to air cooling, which I’m currently working on, but that requires obtaining heatsinks from the 2.3GHz models and chopping them up to fit.

Amazingly both of those eBay listings went for over $700 which surprised me. You can get a Quad in nice condition for less than half that but again, those have issues.

 

[weckart]

Not to be negative…but anyone can claim 'factory-sealed or 'NIB'.

When I got my son his iPhone 4s I assembled everything that came with the box that was period correct, including the old earbuds in original plastic, power plug, 30-pin cable (in original plastic), instruction booklet, plastic holder and stickers. I even had the correct box for the 8GB 4s. All I needed to do was shrink-wrap it and I could have claimed 'factory-sealed'.

I don't doubt the veracity of the auctions, but I always take these things with a grain of salt.

You would be surprised how many businesses go pop with unsold old stock that was never offloaded. I will never cease to be amazed by and insanely envious of this YouTuber's trip to one such defunct establishment

 

[velocityg4]

Problem with the Quads, that I’ve personally experienced on two machines now, is that they’re just not reliable long term. They will require a lot of maintenance to keep running. Even if they’re still going today, the LCS will eventually fail, or degrade in cooling performance to the point where the fans run full speed all the time. You can convert them to air cooling, which I’m currently working on, but that requires obtaining heatsinks from the 2.3GHz models and chopping them up to fit.

Amazingly both of those eBay listings went for over $700 which surprised me. You can get a Quad in nice condition for less than half that but again, those have issues.

It’s about rarity and condition. There’s a lot of G5’s out there in great condition. There’s even a fare amount of quad G5’s out there. There are very few which are new in box.

These are likely hard core collectors. To spend that much. I doubt performance matters. I’d be surprised if more than one of them even open the box. That would ruin the value.

Even older Apple products get even more insane new in box prices. I remember an Apple IIc went for a few thousand. While one in good condition will get a few hundred.

 

[TheShortTimer]

You would be surprised how many businesses go pop with unsold old stock that was never offloaded.

I actually wouldn't be surprised! Through the years, I've encountered and bought up so many items that way - from vinyl to 1980s joysticks to professional sound engineering equipment. In one instance I asked a shop owner how he'd managed to acquire particular stuff and he explained that it was old stock that over time had simply gone unsold.

During a stint working at one of the UK's well known consumer electronics retailers, my jaw dropped when I visited the stock room for the first time and saw a plethora of unsold old stock ranging from long superseded video game consoles to a Sony DAT machine - which I immediately snapped up.

Also there are people who quite simply purchase things and never use them and they remain boxed for years.

I will never cease to be amazed by and insanely envious of this YouTuber's trip to one such defunct establishment

There was a similar place in the UK that I became aware of - and in the couple of days that it took me to arrange transportation to visit the location, everything had been taken. Ah well, you can't have everything.

 

[Amethyst1]

a Sony DAT machine - which I immediately snapped up.

You lucky .......! *drools*

 

[weckart]

There was a similar place in the UK that I became aware of - and in the couple of days that it took me to arrange transportation to visit the location, everything had been taken. Ah well, you can't everything.

A friend works at an office that was having an IT clearout a year or two ago. It had a room full of old stuff - all PCs and Apple stuff going back to the 90s and earlier and the IT manager just wanted shot of it any way possible, so I got my friend to make a tentative offer to haul the stuff away.

The clearout got deferred for various reasons and one director unfortunately sussed that the old kit had a value and asked for an inventory. The IT manager got replaced and I never did get my hands on that booty, which mysteriously vanished one day. Still bitter about it now.

 

[m1maverick]

In my opinion, anything less than Quad Core is not worth it, new or otherwise. Now, if this was new in box Quad G5 - the price I imagine would be in 1500 range !

I wonder how well the LCS would hold up over all these years. I suspect it would depend on the conditions under which the system was stored.

 

[m1maverick]

It’s about rarity and condition. There’s a lot of G5’s out there in great condition. There’s even a fare amount of quad G5’s out there. There are very few which are new in box.

These are likely hard core collectors. To spend that much. I doubt performance matters. I’d be surprised if more than one of them even open the box. That would ruin the value.

Even older Apple products get even more insane new in box prices. I remember an Apple IIc went for a few thousand. While one in good condition will get a few hundred.

Agreed but how would one know if what they acquired was truly NIB or not? Unless one knows the history of a particular item one cannot be certain.

 

[TheShortTimer]

You lucky .......! *drools*

If you think that was lucky then this story will blow your mind! Years later, I snagged another one for free - fully working and it was also boxed. Someone listed it on a local Freecycle group and as soon as I saw the alert, I got in touch and swiftly made arrangements to collect it that same night. It's amazing what's offered on there: a U-matic a machine was given away and I regret not taking it.

A friend works at an office that was having an IT clearout a year or two ago. It had a room full of old stuff - all PCs and Apple stuff going back to the 90s and earlier and the IT manager just wanted shot of it any way possible, so I got my friend to make a tentative offer to haul the stuff away.

I've been in that situation. For a while I worked at my Local Education Authority and gained access to a similar room that was laden with redundant hardware within in a similar chronology to what you've described. The deputy IT manager also wanted rid of the whole lot. A colleague urged me to arrange to collect it all because they knew I'd make use of it and otherwise the hardware would be left in the room to rot - a fine use of the Council Tax!

The clearout got deferred for various reasons and one director unfortunately sussed that the old kit had a value and asked for an inventory. The IT manager got replaced and I never did get my hands on that booty, which mysteriously vanished one day.

Likewise with my scenario, I'd spoken to a family member who owns a van and they were onboard to help and proposed that we store it all in an empty room in his house and we could keep some for ourselves, especially for when we want to run older software and distribute the rest to people in need. Unfortunately I was too slow and in a matter of days, the deputy IT manager ended up paying someone to take them away.

Still bitter about it now.

I feel your pain.

 

[Amethyst1]

If you think that was lucky then this story will blow your mind! Years later, I snagged another one for free - fully working and it was also boxed. Someone listed it on a local Freecycle group and as soon as I saw the alert, I got in touch and swiftly made arrangements to collect it that same night. It's amazing what's offered on there: a U-matic a machine was given away and I regret not taking it.

Indeed - amazing deals can sometimes be had on Freecycle but so far I've not been able to secure one for myself.

 

[CJRhoades]

It’s about rarity and condition. There’s a lot of G5’s out there in great condition. There’s even a fare amount of quad G5’s out there. There are very few which are new in box.

These are likely hard core collectors. To spend that much. I doubt performance matters. I’d be surprised if more than one of them even open the box. That would ruin the value.

Even older Apple products get even more insane new in box prices. I remember an Apple IIc went for a few thousand. While one in good condition will get a few hundred.

I guess what was more surprising to me is that these went for about twice as much as the previous two new in box G5’s he sold about 2 weeks ago. Those were 2GHz dual core models with the standard graphics though so spec definitely has something to do with it.

 

[AL1630]

Indeed - amazing deals can sometimes be had on Freecycle but so far I've not been able to secure one for myself.

People in my area very rarely have mac stuff, especially at reasonable prices. That goes for Craigslist, FB marketplace etc. The only listings on my local freecycle right now are for fabric softener and a used mattress. I guess it just makes it more exciting when a deal does pop up.

 

[eyoungren]

It’s about rarity and condition. There’s a lot of G5’s out there in great condition. There’s even a fare amount of quad G5’s out there. There are very few which are new in box.

These are likely hard core collectors. To spend that much. I doubt performance matters. I’d be surprised if more than one of them even open the box. That would ruin the value.

Even older Apple products get even more insane new in box prices. I remember an Apple IIc went for a few thousand. While one in good condition will get a few hundred.

I have often wondered just how far that value goes over time.

What's the value of a NIB item held for so long that the thing inside wastes away? How do you put a price on something that will never be used, something that you will never see because you dare not open the box lest you ruin it's value?

Essentially you're buying a product you can only look at but never use. Even then, all you get to see is the box, not the item inside. There is a certain type of glass art in Russia that's like this. It was made with radioactive glass. You can buy it, but you can never ever handle it or use it. But at least you can see it (from a distance).

I just don't see the point. Eventually this whole NIB thing is going to cave in on itself, just as the box and the item inside ultimately will - with no one ever having benefitted from actually using it. And what's the value in that?

 

[AL1630]

I have often wondered just how far that value goes over time.

What's the value of a NIB item held for so long that the thing inside wastes away? How do you put a price on something that will never be used, something that you will never see because you dare not open the box lest you ruin it's value?

Essentially you're buying a product you can only look at but never use. Even then, all you get to see is the box, not the item inside. There is a certain type of glass art in Russia that's like this. It was made with radioactive glass. You can buy it, but you can never ever handle it or use it. But at least you can see it (from a distance).

I just don't see the point. Eventually this whole NIB thing is going to cave in on itself, just as the box and the item inside ultimately will - with no one ever having benefitted from actually using it. And what's the value in that?

I've never understood why NIB stuff holds so much value either. I would much rather have the item outside the original box, that way I know I actually own the item, and then I can also look at the box as well. And of course there's the chance the item is totally ruined inside anyway (mmmm old caps and PRAM batteries, my favorite). I can have an empty box AND the item outside of it, which I can use, or I could have a box that supposedly has the item in it that I can't use because it would ruin the value.

I remember reading a couple years ago about how some tech youtuber bought a sealed iPhone 2GS for a few thousand dollars and had it X-rayed, only to see that it had obviously been taken out and resealed. I've heard other stories (not sure if they were true) of people buying "New old stock" items and opening them, only to find metal weights. The whole thing just isn't worth it imo.

 

[eyoungren]

…or I could have a box that supposedly has the item in it that I can't use because it would ruin the value.

Yep, that's pretty much what I'm saying.

At some point you aren't paying that price for the actual NIB item, you're paying for the idea of a never used, NIB item. The item in the box, whether it really is NIB or not, is no longer relevant.

Of course, whether that item actually functions or not would also affect the price, but because opening the box to determine that would 'ruin' the value no one knows.

It's all a house of cards based on the human desire to feel special about owning something no one else has used.

 

[velocityg4]

I have often wondered just how far that value goes over time.

What's the value of a NIB item held for so long that the thing inside wastes away? How do you put a price on something that will never be used, something that you will never see because you dare not open the box lest you ruin it's value?

Essentially you're buying a product you can only look at but never use. Even then, all you get to see is the box, not the item inside. There is a certain type of glass art in Russia that's like this. It was made with radioactive glass. You can buy it, but you can never ever handle it or use it. But at least you can see it (from a distance).

I just don't see the point. Eventually this whole NIB thing is going to cave in on itself, just as the box and the item inside ultimately will - with no one ever having benefitted from actually using it. And what's the value in that?

Schrödinger's Computer

 

[DearthnVader]

I was watching one of these G5's NIB, first not very good photos of the box, can't really tell if it's been opened or not.

Next, it sold for less than $800 and the price new without the BTO upgrades it had, was $2500.

So, basically the investment quality of these things NIB is negative, and you've pretty much have to be an idiot to pay $800, when you could put the money in an index fund.

I mean, $2500 in an S&P index fund in 2005 would be worth what now?

At the very least you'd have $10k, but yah, $800 smackaroos for a $2500 "investment".

 

[CJRhoades]

So, for fun I asked the seller what the story was with these.