From: jrr@flippers.com   
      
   On 2022/11/15 10:58 a.m., Cursitor Doom wrote:   
   > On Mon, 14 Nov 2022 14:41:27 -0800, John Robertson    
   > wrote:   
   >   
   >> On 2022/11/14 5:58 a.m., Cursitor Doom wrote:   
   >>> On Mon, 14 Nov 2022 09:21:39 +0000, liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid   
   >>> (Liz Tuddenham) wrote:   
   >>>   
   >>>> Cursitor Doom  wrote:   
   >>>>   
   >>>>> I thought I had everything covered when I acquired a huge spare parts   
   >>>>> inventory from some chap who was emigrating a while ago. However,   
   >>>>> despite now being the proud owner of tens of thousands of caps,   
   >>>>> resistors, transistors, diodes, ICs etc etc etc., I can never seem to   
   >>>>> find a suitable part to replace one that's blown in whatever item of   
   >>>>> equipment it happens to be I'm fixing.   
   >>>>   
   >>>> If you need the spares for repair only, a lot of modern equipment   
   >>>> doesn't have room for improvisation with replacement parts (perhaps made   
   >>>> up from several components).  That means your collection is not   
   >>>> particularly useful.   
   >>>>   
   >>>> If you are designing one-offs, a collection of parts like that can be a   
   >>>> huge benefit as long as you are able to adapt your design to use parts   
   >>>> which you already have.  It saves tracking down an exact part, ordering   
   >>>> it - waiting for it to be delivered (or finding it is out of stock and   
   >>>> on back-order) - fitting it - finding it isn't quite what you needed -   
   >>>> ordering another replacement - waiting for that to arrive - discovering   
   >>>> that it changes the operating conditions so that another component needs   
   >>>> changing - ordering that  - waiting for that to arrive....... etc   
   >>>   
   >>> Well, that is the one saving grace that's keeping me from throwing the   
   >>> lot out. Actually I'd just re-sell 'em. There are some rare and   
   >>> valuable spares strewn about amongst them.   
   >>   
   >> Build a web site and get one of the google bots to find it. Sales will   
   >> come in if the prices are reasonable and shipping is available and the   
   >> customer can choose speed/costs.   
   >>   
   >> I've had an online store since around 2010, we've done just under 1/2   
   >> million dollars USD in sales since then just on that part of our   
   >> business. And that is without a full time person working the site. I   
   >> have a guy in three times a week for half days, and I add stuff when I   
   >> have time. I do have a LOT of semiconductors to put up...gah...   
   >>   
   >> Listing the items, with photos and dimensions, is a royal pain and is   
   >> the most time consuming part of the operation. Once listed they sell   
   >> themselves...if I have them priced properly. If too cheap, they get   
   >> sucked out quickly, if too expensive they sit & sit. Most of my   
   >> inventory is New Old Stock parts from the 70s through the late 80s and   
   >> related to the coin amusement industry. I currently have over 10,000   
   >> parts listed.   
   >>   
   >> A work in progress!   
   >>   
   >> John :-#)#   
   >   
   > Sounds interesting, but how do you set the price for the rarer stuff   
   > when there's none around to compare against?   
      
   I simply try and figure out what it could possibly be worth to someone   
   and price accordingly. Not aiming for the folks looking for a deal - the   
   person who NEEDS that chip and is willing to pay for it. I also factor   
   in staff costs to create the parts listing. I have some chips that sell   
   once a year or two, but I get $XXUS for them. The cost once up is zero.   
      
   I have several thousand semiconductors to put up that I bought from a TV   
   parts supply house...pricing those is fun. I do search to see if it is   
   available and price accordingly, or guess at what someone might pay, and   
   if I have three or 1,000 of the part. I guess wrong a lot.   
      
   eBay is one way for trying to find the value of something, but I've   
   always hated the fact that you can bit in the last micro-second   
   (snipping) and no-one has the time to counterbid. To me it should be run   
   like an auction house - those guys know how to squeeze a buck out of   
   something, leaving little if anything on the table. So, if there is a   
   last minute bid, then that sets a timer "going", pause (no more bids?),   
   "going", pause (no added bids?) GONE to the highest bidder. Or "going"   
   (new bid), "going" (pause no bids), "going" (new bid - some minimum   
   increment), "going" (pause)...."GONE".   
      
   John :-#)#   
   --   
   (Please post followups or tech inquiries to the USENET newsgroup)   
                         John's Jukes Ltd.   
           #7 - 3979 Marine Way, Burnaby, BC, Canada V5J 5E3   
             (604)872-5757 (Pinballs, Jukes, Video Games)   
                         www.flippers.com   
           "Old pinballers never die, they just flip out."   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)