eBay bargains - what's your latest conquest?

[B S Magnet]

That will require a marathon of testing. The candidates would consist of my following gear:

• 15" 2012 MBP.
• 13" 2012 MBP.
• ERGO i7 PC w/ Win11.
• 2013 Mac Pro.

They all qualify as they have onboard USB 3.0 chipsets, right? This would exclude my 2006 MBP as it has a PCIe card.

It'll take me a while to work through them all. I'll get back to you on this one.

Because I’m off-topic like this, and because I have nowhere else to share them, my two all-time fave Wee-Bey interpretive reaction shots of all time:

Eye-glow of being blown away is good,



but… Dali surrealism is chef’s kiss:



Back to your latest eBay bargain finds: may yours be as surreal as the moment Stringer laid out a brilliantly planned strategy to Wee-Bey.

 

[ToniCH]

I loved my blue MZ-R55.

If any of you guys still use MD-players, did you know that there are modern Mac-software (Intel) for the NetMD-capable players/recorders? Much easier to name songs (copy+paste) than doing it manually or even with a MD-deck and a keyboard.

GitHub - Jo2003/cd2netmd_gui: A tool like Sonys NetMD Simple Burner

A tool like Sonys NetMD Simple Burner. Contribute to Jo2003/cd2netmd_gui development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

Platinum-MD - Platinum MD - Minidisc + NetMD Upload

Public facing website for Platinum-MD

platinum-md.app

 

[Amethyst1]

Ok, if I'm following everything properly, a Thunderbolt 3 dock with USB 3.0 ports connected to the Mac Pro will outperform its built in USB 3.0 ports? In the above tests, the TB3 dock yielded worse results.

@joevt refers to connecting the USB device to the dock's second (downstream) Thunderbolt 3 port, which is USB-C.

 

[joevt]

Ok, if I'm following everything properly, a Thunderbolt 3 dock with USB 3.0 ports connected to the Mac Pro will outperform its built in USB 3.0 ports? In the above tests, the TB3 dock yielded worse results. I do have a HP TB3 G2 dock but it won't function with my Macs unless its daisy chained after another dock.

I should probably spin this topic off into a separate thread because it's no longer eBay bargains related and has become a specific technical issue.

I'm saying that USB 3.1 gen 2 ports will usually do USB 3.0 faster than USB 3.0 ports.

 

[Dronecatcher]

Like my Sony radio, another elegant fusion of form and function - the Propellerhead Balance - a hardware interface companion for their famous soft synth/recording software Reason.

Alas, being from 2011, the unit came cloaked in the then de rigueur rubberised coating that subsequently decomposes into a film of contact adhesive - luckily, the previous owner diligently removed it all with spirits.

Even the packaging was premium - very Apple and peak era Nokia.

 

[MarkC426]

Like my Sony radio, another elegant fusion of form and function - the Propellerhead Balance - a hardware interface companion for their famous soft synth/recording software Reason.

Alas, being from 2011, the unit came cloaked in the then de rigueur rubberised coating that subsequently decomposes into a film of contact adhesive - luckily, the previous owner diligently removed it all with spirits.

Even the packaging was premium - very Apple and peak era Nokia.

View attachment 2425383

View attachment 2425384

That looks beautiful…….😍
Was it a bargain…?

 

[Dronecatcher]

That looks beautiful…….😍
Was it a bargain…?

I think so - £25 including the full version of Reason Essentials.

 

[TheShortTimer]

@joevt refers to connecting the USB device to the dock's second (downstream) Thunderbolt 3 port, which is USB-C.

I'm saying that USB 3.1 gen 2 ports will usually do USB 3.0 faster than USB 3.0 ports.

Got it. I've ordered some adapters and will begin testing with the USB-C port when they arrive.

(Time to create an independent thread for this topic.)

 

[ToniCH]

I’ve been looking for one of these at the right price for a long time - the teeny, tiny (pictured on 12” Powerbook for reference) Sony ICF-SW100 World Receiver.

Insane performance for such a small device and classic Sony over-engineering - pity Sony are not inclined to make such things nowadays.

View attachment 2422607

View attachment 2422608

I am too a great fan of Sony world radios. My dad had two of them. I was used to seeing and hearing them frequently when I was younger. Later on, few years ago I inherited his ICF-SW1 and my brother got his ICF-7600DS.

Here is the ICF-SW1:

He used it a lot and it is very worn, has a broken antenna and has a smd cap problem (they are common on this model). So, I searched and found a new case and antenna + a recap kit. One of these days I will overhaul it and it will be like new.

My dads radio on top and the good case etc. on bottom:

And I also wanted to get the 7600DS for our summer cottage so I bough one in great condition from fleabay. Been using it every summer now for few years.

When buying these one needs to pay attention. Not all markets got the full scale of frequencies. Even some European countries have limited scale (Germany?).

 

[Dronecatcher]

He used it a lot and it is very worn, has a broken antenna and has a smd cap problem

Shame the antenna is broken - they're quite rare now.

 

[ToniCH]

Shame the antenna is broken - they're quite rare now.

Well, if you look at the second pic carefully you see the broken antenna is pointing left from the top radio and a new antenna on the table left side of the radio and new case. So, I managed to find that too. 👍

 

[Dronecatcher]

Well, if you look at the second pic carefully you see the broken antenna is pointing left from the top radio and a new antenna on the table left side of the radio and new case. So, I managed to find that too. 👍

Oh, sorry - I misread, I thought you meant the active antenna was broken.

 

[MarkC426]

I think so - £25 including the full version of Reason Essentials.

That most definitely sounds like a bargain…👍

 

[ToniCH]

Found another Apple TB2 50cm cable. These seem to be discontinued here, but you can still quite easily find the 2m ones, the short ones are rare. These were around 40-50 euros new, this one was 6 euros.

 

[ToniCH]

Ah, and another I could not resist: Belkin Thunderbolt Express Dock for 10€ + 4€ shipping. Condition is listed as new. For this price its ideal for the wife to operate as a USB hub as she is running low on connections. 👍

 

[ToniCH]

Ah, and another I could not resist: Belkin Thunderbolt Express Dock for 10€ + 4€ shipping. Condition is listed as new. For this price its ideal for the wife to operate as a USB hub as she is running low on connections. 👍

This arrived today and its indeed "new" as in unused! Still has all the protective films on it and all. Tested it and it works too. 👍

 

[Doq]

Alright, neither Power nor Mac, but I sourced a sealed NIB ATI Radeon X800 XT All-in-Wonder in the AGP flavour for about $170.

Which is about how much a used one will go, but this one's still sealed.

At least it better be when it gets here tomorrow. I got a unique (and apparently rare) P4 box to put it in that I somehow failed to mention in this thread.

MSI MEGA 865. A Shuttle-style PC with a Northwood Celeron (soon P4) and a whole stereo strapped to the front. I'm getting the X800 XT so that I have a GPU known compatible with XP Media Center Edition. Because what other OS better fits a "stereo PC"? Illustrious in the inventory.

 

[Tratkazir_the_1st]

NIB

Does this stands for "New in Box" ?

 

[Amethyst1]

Does this stands for "New in Box" ?

Nothing In Box
(Just pulling your leg, your interpretation is spot-on.)

A couple of minutes ago a Blackmagic RX580 eGPU sold for 155 euros (no, I didn’t bite) which can be considered a bargain because my DIY Akitio Thunder2 RX460 eGPU setup ended up being slightly more expensive — but significantly less powerful.

 

[ToniCH]

A couple of minutes ago a Blackmagic RX580 eGPU sold for 155 euros (no, I didn’t bite) which can be considered a bargain because my DIY Akitio Thunder2 RX460 eGPU setup ended up being slightly more expensive — but significantly less powerful.

In what country was this and what was the shipping quote on it? Many good deals are spoiled by excessive shipping. Sometimes its the seller charging too much for shipping but sometimes its the shipping company.

Our local post is so expensive that its really difficult to sell anything to other countries. For example several years ago a return postage on item that shipped for 11 euros from Netherlands (and arrived broken) was almost 60 euros.

 

[B S Magnet]

In what country was this and what was the shipping quote on it? Many good deals are spoiled by excessive shipping. Sometimes its the seller charging too much for shipping but sometimes its the shipping company.

Our local post is so expensive that its really difficult to sell anything to other countries. For example several years ago a return postage on item that shipped for 11 euros from Netherlands (and arrived broken) was almost 60 euros.

I am so done with silliness like this:

 

[Amethyst1]

In what country was this and what was the shipping quote on it?

Germany. 10.49 euros for domestic shipping.

Many good deals are spoiled by excessive shipping.

And/or import taxes if applicable.

 

[TheShortTimer]

And/or import taxes if applicable.

This is a particular issue for me now, thanks to Brexit.

I still get lucky though if the transaction doesn't involve eBay etc.

 

[Doq]

Does this stands for "New in Box" ?

You are absolutely correct.

And it also absolutely works flawlessly.

 

[weckart]

In what country was this and what was the shipping quote on it? Many good deals are spoiled by excessive shipping. Sometimes its the seller charging too much for shipping but sometimes its the shipping company.

Our local post is so expensive that its really difficult to sell anything to other countries. For example several years ago a return postage on item that shipped for 11 euros from Netherlands (and arrived broken) was almost 60 euros.

Ditto. Had to pass up on a couple of books I really wanted. Got an offer of £10 for the pair (ridiculously cheap) from the US but shipping was $89...