Craig Box's journeys, stories and notes...


Posts Tagged ‘trademe’

Cool shit for cheap. Support a good cause!

Monday, June 25th, 2007

Note: this stuff is all sold.

Today's cool shit you can get for cheap:

  • IBM X220 4U tower server
  • IBM X232 5U tower server
  • IBM X346 2U rack server w/Windows 2000 SBS
  • IBM X300 1U rackmount server
  • IBM X225 4U rackmount server
  • Compaq Proliant ML350 G3 w/Windows 2000 SBS
  • IBM X200 4U rackmount server
  • 3Com OfficeConnect VPN Firewall
  • Cisco C1912 Catalyst 1U Rack 24x10Mbit/2x100Mbit
  • Farallon Ether10-T Starlet/16 Rackmount Hub
  • HP LaserJet 1000
  • Pleaides USB 2.0 / LAN disk enclosure

FoamyEspecially cool is the G3 server, which has its hard drives packed like this.

This should be the last run of servers we sell before I leave IT Partners. Also, be warned that the X200 is my personal machine, and the more you bid on it, the more money I can put on the bar at my leaving party!

Pimp my junk!

Tuesday, May 22nd, 2007

Note: this is all now sold. 

Compaq Proliant ML350 G3

Just because we don't need it any more, doesn't mean you don't!

The bottom three are servers we've used internally, and I'd be sad to see go if I was that kind of nerd. Especially the quirky one. Ever seen a 6GHz processor? That server has one, if you believe the BIOS. Or a 1.4GHz processor, if you believe the summary screen. Or a 3GHz processor, if you believe what it had when we bought it.

Freeview and MythTV

Wednesday, May 2nd, 2007

With the launch of Freeview, I've decided to upgrade my TV capture setup.

I bought a TechniSat SkyStar2 from Martin at Digiview.co.nz (he has them listed for $145 on Trade Me with a 1 year warranty).  Go buy one off him and tell him I sent you.

Thanks to David Zanetti's in-depth information at pvr.geek.nz, and the always up-to-the-minute information from Steven Ellis on the mythtvnz mailing list, I found out everything I needed to know. And, as you've come to expect, processed it into an easy-to-replicate format, and wrote it up: Freeview MythTV setup. I'm running Ubuntu Edgy, and other than some DVB test utilities I chose to play with, didn't have to install anything - a complete "out of the box" experience.

I'm enjoying watching Stargate SG-1 on the TVNZ widescreen test channel. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to plug the aerial back into Sky eventually.

Next step, moving the card into my server, retiring the dedicated MythTV machine, and setting up XBMC's MythTV scripts.

I like bargains

Wednesday, April 18th, 2007

 Note: this is all now sold.

ServerAnd I have many to offer today.

How about an IBM X226 server, kitted out with 3GB of RAM, for $1? Or perhaps you'd be more interested in a Mac Mini, for $1?

Cheap server

Tuesday, October 31st, 2006

Note: this is long since sold.

IBM X335, $1 reserve.

Obviously, close friends need not enter.

Trade Me replies...

Friday, September 8th, 2006

Got a reply from Trade Me on my pulled listing:

Dear Craig,

Thanks for contacting us.

It is assumed that members of the same household, workplace or close friends would purchase goods off each other outside of the Trade Me auction process. Hence bidding by family members, flatmates or friends is considered "shill bidding" and is in breach of our terms and conditions.
Re: section 4.2 of the Trade Me terms and conditions "You shall not manipulate prices through ghost-bidding or assuming multiple roles in a single transaction."

It appears that members that you are linked to were bidding on your auction #69170303 and this is considered shill bidding.

You are welcome to list this on the site again, permitted that no further shill bidding occurs. Unfortunately you will need to do this manually as we are unable to restore the listing.

If you have any further questions or if I can be of any further help please do not hesitate to contact me.

Regards,

Amy

I managed to get a copy of the original text out of Trade Me, via a friend IMing someone who worked there. (Ironically, it was the same friend who was trying to buy the laptop!) However, I paid promotion fees which I have not been refunded. I'll get back in touch (there is no 'reply' facility, I'll have to just use their contact form again).

My problem is that their initial assumption is wrong. People do not always conduct their sales outside of Trade Me, for reasons previously stated.

</rant>

Not technomarketplace

Wednesday, September 6th, 2006

A couple of days ago, I listed some Thinkpads on Trade Me on behalf of my employer, who has accumulated too many of them. He specifically wanted them listed so they would fetch what they were worth, rather than us putting a dollar figure on it and selling it cheap to a friend.

Then, I told you all about them. My boss likes to sell things off cheap. You might get a bargain. Promotion is everything.
A friend of mine, who now lives in Australia, said "Oh, yes, I'd like one of those", and created a Trade Me account for the purpose. Someone posted on the auction saying "Beware of saidperson, they're a new user in Australia", and I responded along the lines of "thanks, but I went to Uni with this person, and they're genuinely interested in purchasing it because of the favourable AUD-NZD rate at the moment"

NO! shouted Trade Me:

Dear Craig,

Your listing for THINKPAD X41 TABLET WITH DOCKING STATION (S=R)
Listing no. 69170303 has been withdrawn.It has been brought to our
attention that shill bidding has occurred on your auction.

Shill bidding occurs when members of the same household or friends bid on
each others auctions. We do not allow this on the site. This is because we
are unable to determine if this is with genuine intent to purchase the
item or is an attempt to increase the price on an auction.

It is a breach of our terms and conditions. Please ensure that you do not
allow friends or family members to bid on your auctions in the future.

Your co-operation in this matter would be greatly appreciated.

So, I try and take the path that leads to Trade Me making a successful sale, openly and honestly, and this is how I get rewarded.

Kyle very accurately observes "if it was happening to things you wanted to buy with sellers creating new accounts and bidding against their own items we'd be pissed off if they didnt stop it". Correct, but this happens all the time. My friends list auctions and say "Here is stuff I'm getting rid of", and if I'm interested, I bid. I only ever bid up to a point that I'm prepared to pay, should I win the auction. That's not shill bidding. Where's the beef?

Technomarketplace

Monday, September 4th, 2006

Want to buy a Thinkpad?