Dog Cow hit the nail on the head. It is still possible (though less common) to get these machines for nothing or next to nothing. Those who want to pay off debt or get some spending cash (employed or not) are selling them at high prices. The target market? Teenage collectors who are still running off mom and dad's money.
We have some very knowledgeable teenage members on this forum. However, I'm sure we all know that many of the younger collectors who don't know just how common 128Ks are will ask their parents to get them one of the "rare originals". Even some older folks are the same way (although they usually pay for them out of their own pocket). Anyone who was around to witness these Macs in their heyday will know just how common the 128K was. It was, after all, the only Mac model on the market for the better part of 1984, and continued to sell reasonably well into 1985 due to its lower price point than the original Mac. Some were upgraded to Pluses, but many more remained original or were simply upgraded to 512Ks.
There seemed to be a 128K "shortage" when eBay was young. I think a lot of people were holding on to their 128Ks hoping they would gain value. Now that a lot of people are looking for machines to sell, the 128Ks that had been in closets and on display are finding their way to the online auction sites. High prices used to be reserved for pristine examples with all original materials but are now the norm due to both people wanting more money and some incorrect perceptions of older Macs.
All Macs have indeed gone up in price on eBay. I remember buying a 512K in 2001 on eBay and feeling as though I had paid a small fortune, as it had gone for $25 (at the time it was uncommon to see anything over $100 and most Macs were about $10-15 before shipping). I think with the age of these machines and the lack of availability in school surplus many are inflating the prices. Unfortunately, the number of these computers still around isn't really changing. The Macs that were going to be disposed of most likely already were years ago when schools and companies downsized.
Another thing--I'm sick of seeing the words "rare" and "vintage" in eBay auctions. Aside from a few models like the elusive Macintosh ED, there are very few "rare" Macs. Pluses, SEs, Classics, 512Ks, and 128Ks (!) are all quite common. As some of you know, I had been a volunteer at the Goodwill warehouse (and plan on doing it again this summer) where many donated older Macs were stored. There were piles of compacts of all models from 128K to Classic II, including SE/30s and Color Classics. There were also tons of LCs. Not one of those models is uncommon. Also, we all know these machines are old. Someone looking for a 128K probably already knows that it is from 1984-1985, and if they don't know the exact year, they certainly have a good idea that it wasn't made in, say, 2002. The seven characters wasted on "vintage", four characters expended on "rare", and the space in between them could be used to describe something else, such as "working 400K", alerting the potential buyer that they won't have to repair a floppy drive upon arrival. (For novices, this could be a major selling point).
The best way to get old Macs at fair prices (or fair trades) is on sites such as this one or LEM Swap, where the actual value of the machine is recognized. eBay works fine for some things, but Mac 128Ks going for $500 and broken Mac Classic analog boards going for $100 are not among them.
We have some very knowledgeable teenage members on this forum. However, I'm sure we all know that many of the younger collectors who don't know just how common 128Ks are will ask their parents to get them one of the "rare originals". Even some older folks are the same way (although they usually pay for them out of their own pocket). Anyone who was around to witness these Macs in their heyday will know just how common the 128K was. It was, after all, the only Mac model on the market for the better part of 1984, and continued to sell reasonably well into 1985 due to its lower price point than the original Mac. Some were upgraded to Pluses, but many more remained original or were simply upgraded to 512Ks.
There seemed to be a 128K "shortage" when eBay was young. I think a lot of people were holding on to their 128Ks hoping they would gain value. Now that a lot of people are looking for machines to sell, the 128Ks that had been in closets and on display are finding their way to the online auction sites. High prices used to be reserved for pristine examples with all original materials but are now the norm due to both people wanting more money and some incorrect perceptions of older Macs.
All Macs have indeed gone up in price on eBay. I remember buying a 512K in 2001 on eBay and feeling as though I had paid a small fortune, as it had gone for $25 (at the time it was uncommon to see anything over $100 and most Macs were about $10-15 before shipping). I think with the age of these machines and the lack of availability in school surplus many are inflating the prices. Unfortunately, the number of these computers still around isn't really changing. The Macs that were going to be disposed of most likely already were years ago when schools and companies downsized.
Another thing--I'm sick of seeing the words "rare" and "vintage" in eBay auctions. Aside from a few models like the elusive Macintosh ED, there are very few "rare" Macs. Pluses, SEs, Classics, 512Ks, and 128Ks (!) are all quite common. As some of you know, I had been a volunteer at the Goodwill warehouse (and plan on doing it again this summer) where many donated older Macs were stored. There were piles of compacts of all models from 128K to Classic II, including SE/30s and Color Classics. There were also tons of LCs. Not one of those models is uncommon. Also, we all know these machines are old. Someone looking for a 128K probably already knows that it is from 1984-1985, and if they don't know the exact year, they certainly have a good idea that it wasn't made in, say, 2002. The seven characters wasted on "vintage", four characters expended on "rare", and the space in between them could be used to describe something else, such as "working 400K", alerting the potential buyer that they won't have to repair a floppy drive upon arrival. (For novices, this could be a major selling point).
The best way to get old Macs at fair prices (or fair trades) is on sites such as this one or LEM Swap, where the actual value of the machine is recognized. eBay works fine for some things, but Mac 128Ks going for $500 and broken Mac Classic analog boards going for $100 are not among them.