Thread
$50 for an orange iMac - reasonable?
The campus PC repair shop has a "scrap pile" of old machines, mostly PCs, which are destined for the recycler. In the past year, I have purchased a desktop G3 and a 20" Apple ColorSync monitor, both for $30.
Now, they have an orange iMac and the shop owner is offering it for $50, but refuses to negotiate. A worker at the shop remarked that they could get $20 at the recycler for this iMac. They tested the iMac and said that it works, but they have wiped the HD on it after testing, and no one was able to tell me how much RAM is in the iMac, nor how large the HD is. So essentially I am buying it "as-is" and I don't know exactly what I'm getting.
I was prepared to offer $30-40 for this iMac. Is that reasonable, or is it really worth the $50, keeping in mind the situation which I described?
Now, they have an orange iMac and the shop owner is offering it for $50, but refuses to negotiate. A worker at the shop remarked that they could get $20 at the recycler for this iMac. They tested the iMac and said that it works, but they have wiped the HD on it after testing, and no one was able to tell me how much RAM is in the iMac, nor how large the HD is. So essentially I am buying it "as-is" and I don't know exactly what I'm getting.
I was prepared to offer $30-40 for this iMac. Is that reasonable, or is it really worth the $50, keeping in mind the situation which I described?
Seems a bit steep to me, unless it's in museum condition. The real question is: is it worth it to you? If the $50 won't lead to starvation and the iMac is something you'd get any use out of then I'd say go for it.
BTW, if you have an OS X install disk you can verify RAM, HDD etc -- if they won't let you do that then I'd be a little wary.
BTW, if you have an OS X install disk you can verify RAM, HDD etc -- if they won't let you do that then I'd be a little wary.
Any bootable CD should allow you to check those things. Bootable on that particular iMac that is.
If the HD appears on the desktop, select it and hit Apple-I for information. To check RAM and CPU, select About This Mac from the Apple menu (top left)
Didn't think the trayloaders came in orange. Check LEM or everymac.
IMHO trayloaders aren't worth the effort. They top out at 333MHz and you need laptop RAM. So if it is a trayloader, my opinion is that it's definitely not worth $50.
If the HD appears on the desktop, select it and hit Apple-I for information. To check RAM and CPU, select About This Mac from the Apple menu (top left)
Didn't think the trayloaders came in orange. Check LEM or everymac.
IMHO trayloaders aren't worth the effort. They top out at 333MHz and you need laptop RAM. So if it is a trayloader, my opinion is that it's definitely not worth $50.
Any legitimate recycler paying $20 for an old iMac is horseshit.
It generally costs recyclers money to deal with the CRTs. That means there has to be more than $20 in scrap value in the remaining parts, and there isn't.
Tray load CD - worthless
Hard drive - less than $1
Motherboard - small motherboard equals small scrap value
CPU - small scrap value due to lack of gold on those particular CPUs
Memory - small scrap value
Analog Board - almost no scrap value
CRT - negative scrap value
Copper Windings - reduced copper values
Plastics - less than 1¢
Steel - less than 1¢
Even if the recycler is fake and just dumps the CRT in a river they still aren't making $20.
It generally costs recyclers money to deal with the CRTs. That means there has to be more than $20 in scrap value in the remaining parts, and there isn't.
Tray load CD - worthless
Hard drive - less than $1
Motherboard - small motherboard equals small scrap value
CPU - small scrap value due to lack of gold on those particular CPUs
Memory - small scrap value
Analog Board - almost no scrap value
CRT - negative scrap value
Copper Windings - reduced copper values
Plastics - less than 1¢
Steel - less than 1¢
Even if the recycler is fake and just dumps the CRT in a river they still aren't making $20.
Excellent, now we've got the expert's evaluation.
Now I need to make up my mind whether I want to try and go in again. The problem was that all communication was through an employee, not the boss-man who set the $50 price. I went in yesterday at 2 PM and asked if it worked, and the owner said he'd have someone test it maybe later that day. I came in at 4 PM, still no. That was the last time I spoke directly to the shop owner. Twenty-four hours later, I stopped in a 4 PM again (today) and was greeted by an employee. This was the employee who gave the $20 figure. It was basically me talking to him, then he'd go over to the owner who was busy in the back with something else, then relay communications back and forth.
I figure it's either I have to confront the owner face-to-face and try to negotiate a deal, or just forget it. The problem is that he's always in the back somewhere, and there's always 4 - 5 employees swarming around. This is a somewhat small shop.
Now I need to make up my mind whether I want to try and go in again. The problem was that all communication was through an employee, not the boss-man who set the $50 price. I went in yesterday at 2 PM and asked if it worked, and the owner said he'd have someone test it maybe later that day. I came in at 4 PM, still no. That was the last time I spoke directly to the shop owner. Twenty-four hours later, I stopped in a 4 PM again (today) and was greeted by an employee. This was the employee who gave the $20 figure. It was basically me talking to him, then he'd go over to the owner who was busy in the back with something else, then relay communications back and forth.
I figure it's either I have to confront the owner face-to-face and try to negotiate a deal, or just forget it. The problem is that he's always in the back somewhere, and there's always 4 - 5 employees swarming around. This is a somewhat small shop.
mars, not everyone lives in new york, not everyone lives in a city, hell if i want to see a curb i have to drive 10 min and I have never found a Macintosh on one (found a 386 in a ditch one time but no mac on a curb)
and round these parts, the hillbillys will try to sell you a beat up pos bondi for 150$
so just cause you happen to live in a place where people treat the streets as a dumpster (and urinal) doesn't mean its not worth while to someone else in a whole different situation
and round these parts, the hillbillys will try to sell you a beat up pos bondi for 150$
so just cause you happen to live in a place where people treat the streets as a dumpster (and urinal) doesn't mean its not worth while to someone else in a whole different situation
I once got a snow 700mhz model for free from Freecycle. I also got an indigo for free once, so you can do a lot better than $50 for one. If he wants to scrap it for $20, let him because it's not worth more than that. Heck, you can get a 1.42ghz eMac for $100 or less on ebay now so $50 for an orange iMac is no bargain.
Just saw this on CL, for comparison.
Good point, and one that always gets overlooked in these "what is x worth" discussions... out here on the prairie life is hard and I have to drive an hour through a blizzard (barefoot) to get to the nearest Value Village. Given the circumstances, just about anything locally available is worth at least $50 to me – I'd even call it a bargain.
No hillbillies here ('cause there aren't any hills) but the biker that runs the pawn shop will happily sell you an LCIII for that kind of cash (because it's an awesome graphics workstation... and no, it's not negotiable!).
Fortunately we have a recycling depot that doesn't lock the gate at night, so there are pickings to be had – you just have to be ready to run if the cops drive by.
I'm in the midwest too (Kansas) and still don't think a G3 iMac is worth much of anything. Ya, we don't have much to choose from around here, but they are actually probably the easiest Macs to get. My question is, what do you want it for? Are you planning on actually using it for anything? If so, make sure its already maxed out in RAM as 256MB and 512MB sticks of PC133 RAM are stupid expensive and you don't want to have to buy any. It had better have an Airport card in it, and the HD should be upgraded from the piddly 6GB it probably was originally. Unless its got 768MB of RAM or better and a wireless card, its pretty well useless. Personally, I couldn't be bothered with an iMac under 600MHz. If you don't even plan on doing anything with it, then pass entirely. Find another one for free or $5.
Yep. On the other hand, if it is slot loading you could put those coloured case bits onto a 600MHz or 700MHz iMac. $50 is very expensive if you are only going to use the exterior of the case though.*If* the inner grey plastic is in good condition as well that might be useful for a faster iMac that has fallen apart inner grey plastic. Again, expensive but to some people in some areas it *might* be worth it.
Unfortunately the OP has not yet been told of the condition.
As I mentioned in my second post to this topic, it's to be given to a friend of mine, to replace an original bondi iMac which I gave him 2-3 years ago.
Thank you everyone for all of your suggestions so far. I will come in to the shop next week and attempt to reason with the shop owner directly.
That is all for now.
You can't really compare bulk lots to singles. Bulk lots are always cheaper because the seller is offloading the hassle of picking them up, sorting them and throwing out the dead ones to you instead of doing it themselves.
If it was a faster slottie with a fair amount of RAM, maybe
$50 is NOT resonable for a mac of such age. A 733MHz G4 tower maybe, but not a G3.
Offer at least $30, they're still making a buck. That'll at least fill the tank on one of the techs Chevrolet Cavaliers I'm sure. :lol:
If they won't budge, then it's not worth your time personally.
I was able to get three iMac G3's for free(sadly they're all gone :'( ) so paying for one in my eyes doesn't seem like it's worth it in the end really.
I just checked my local craigslist and someone is trying to sell a 400Mhz with 320MB of ram for $50. I don't even think that's worth it. I don't care how good it looks. http://chicago.craigslist.org/nch/sys/1561426783.html
Offer at least $30, they're still making a buck. That'll at least fill the tank on one of the techs Chevrolet Cavaliers I'm sure. :lol:
If they won't budge, then it's not worth your time personally.
I was able to get three iMac G3's for free(sadly they're all gone :'( ) so paying for one in my eyes doesn't seem like it's worth it in the end really.
I just checked my local craigslist and someone is trying to sell a 400Mhz with 320MB of ram for $50. I don't even think that's worth it. I don't care how good it looks. http://chicago.craigslist.org/nch/sys/1561426783.html