Computers at goodwills

Yesterday I was in a goodwill and they had an old dell inspiron desktop for 5 bucks, no hd but everything else. I didnt pop but now im regretting it. Do you guys usually buy desktops for that price? I could go get today I think before class. Also check out my other finds at an estate sale. I got the laptop and phones for 6 bucks. The phones work but dont have chargers and the guy said the laptop doesnt have a charger and hasnt been used in years. I think it works but need a charger. http://i.imgur.com/bFklYXj.jpg

Scrap wise, you are close to breaking even with the phones and laptop after shipping them. I think it was a good buy though. Put them on ebay. Sell the laptop as an untested parts laptop. $5 is ok for the computer, I would buy it, but some people wouldn't. Driving out just for that isn't worth it though.

Originally Posted by rawresale

Driving out just for that isn't worth it though.

I agree, but once you are already at Goodwill it becomes a totally wasted trip if you leave with nothing. I would have left with the desktop. The hard drives really aren't worth that much (about a dollar). I wouldn't have a problem paying 6.00 for a complete computer, I wouldn't have a problem paying 5.00 for an older computer without the hard drive.

Originally Posted by Phantoms001

I agree, but once you are already at Goodwill it becomes a totally wasted trip if you leave with nothing. I would have left with the desktop. The hard drives really aren't worth that much (about a dollar). I wouldn't have a problem paying 6.00 for a complete computer, I wouldn't have a problem paying 5.00 for an older computer without the hard drive.

Hmm that is a good way to look at it. I never thought about never leaving with nothing since using the gas to get there already. The funny thing was there were way older beat up computers there for 20 to 25 bucks. Idk why they would charge that much more. The pricing at goodwills is always random though i think.

College, if its no too late, check the label on the underside of that lappy, make a note of what Input Voltage/Watts/Amps are written on the label. Then, when U pickup that $5 tower, check if there are any chargers available. Worth a risk if the charger is onlu a few bucks. U never know, that lappy might just boot (if you are really lucky

The laptop is pretty nice for an old one. If I can get a charger for a good price I think I could get maybe 40 bucks for it. Worth a 5 dollar gamble. I pass by the folsom goodwill on my way to class so I may stop in and pick it up. Thanks for the reply!

Originally Posted by mikeinreco

no offense but it will take more than one computer but it is a start....Break it down and see if you like it then go looking for more.....Spring is around the corner and yard sales are good place to find cheap older towers.....Find a neighborhood with 4 or 5 yard sales to conserve on gas and hit em all asking about old towers.....Most people have em in a closet or garage and don't even think to set them out..........Offer em 5 bucks and you'll be suprised at what you might get

No offense at all. I plan on collecting the computers/parts over the course of a year or 2 then selling all the non working as scrap. Good advice on the yard sales. I go to a lot of them and ill ask about them now.

commence the beatings... i picked up a powerbook 100, a 386 with no hd and two towers @ good will last sat, they all got broken down into the scrap bins. i'm really thinking about ebaying again. i did save the 5.25 floppy drive though.

Originally Posted by badkarma506

commence the beatings... i picked up a powerbook 100, a 386 with no hd and two towers @ good will last sat, they all got broken down into the scrap bins. i'm really thinking about ebaying again. i did save the 5.25 floppy drive though.

Was the powerbook in good condition? Those models have a rare SCSI laptop HD collectors pay money for.

it was complete with ac adapter and external 3.5 floppy drive. i'll have to go dig the hd out of the pile

Originally Posted by badkarma506

it was complete with ac adapter and external 3.5 floppy drive. i'll have to go dig the hd out of the pile

A bit late to check if it works now (if you scrapped the laptop). Put the external floppy on ebay if you havn't ripped it apart.

well thats fustrating.. i dont like to lose money, especially when it has minimal investment required. i havn't been a ebay fan in a couple years. i got tired of dealing with paypal and ebay fees and fees for selling in the morning. and fees for selling in the afternoon, and fees for keeping track of all the fees and by the time you sell a $10 item you have 8dollars in fees and 6 bucks for shipping.

Honestly I don't see why somebody would bother scrapping a complete vintage laptop (how much time to trash it for a little circuit board worth $1?) when they can make a quick $10 after fees (or much more) flipping it on ebay and sticking it into a flatrate box. I can understand the issue with big and heavy vintage systems, but small items?

Sure some stuff is just broken junk and you need to know the system to spot a valuable part, but specializing is where people make some coin.

As far as paypal/ebay fees go its a fact of life, don't you think the scrapyard you drop stuff at isn't making the same money you are from your hard work?

i know they are atleast doubling what they pay out. that's the name of the game, everyone has thier margins that they work in, i've been working with my local yard to start grading better and to ship volume to ewasted. there is no good buyers here in the northwest for escrap, my local yard pays 5 cents a lb for boards for example. they are selling to a large yard who is selling to a broker who is selling to a refiner so they at most are paying 6% of what the commodity is worth @ the refiner. ****sner steel has a mafia hold on the scrap market here. so it's been rather difficult to convince the yard manger to brak from thier ways.
as far as that laptop is concerned, i bought it in the bin @1.59 a lb figuring that atleast i'd pay for fuel scrapping it out. and there was a a finger board and a dvd player board laying in the bin next to it so i had scrap on the mind. it would be ausume if there was someone local that would ebay for me on a precentage basis.

i had issues at the time with with paypal and my bank as i was with navy fed credit union, and i had moved back to oregon, and the closest one is in whidby island 250 miles ish. i'm sure it was more my poor money managment more than anything else, i had a motorcycle loan through them and i was behind, it was my primary transportation at the time and they wouldn't let me transfer the title to oregon so i could register it, it was just a fustrating situiation, all my own fault though. so i quit ebaying and foucused more on craigslist and scrap to make ends meet, which after a while they did., it just took me longer than it was supposed to. bla bla bla