You say
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1337280294
You'll notice Mike's bidding for $86 right now, and he's the high bidder so far. If he succeeds in finally getting this mint, new machine for a $100-$150 high bid, or less, you'll see he reselling it very soon for an outrageous $400.
My comment
This is not going to be bought for $100 to $150. This is where you are wrong. It will sell for over $400. I can give you a list of people that I know are waiting to bid that at the very end.
The one in the auction may or may not be unused. I'm bidding because of the translator module and the card reader and the Utilities manual.
The one below, however, is absolutely MINT condition. It is as if it was just plucked from the mold. There is no way to find a nicer HP-71B than the one below. Plus, the value is not in the 71B. It is in the 128K of RAM that is included. The 71B below was NOT bought on eBay.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1337038507
You say
So you see, some poor soul swallowed the hook and paid Mike the modest, bargain $400 he asked for. As you see, he can make as much as $200-$250 in a single transaction !!.
My comment
You have no clue what I paid for these items. But let me tell you. The 71B cost me $75.00 for the calc itself. The Memory Modules cost $40 average (for these; that's $160). The HP-IL device cost me $50 for the IL and the Box. The manuals came part of another auction and cost approximately $50 for the set ($25 each).
So that comes out as $75 + $160 + $50 + $50. Then, when you figure that I had to pay shipping for each of these to get them AND I had to pay fees to list these. How much profit do you think was made on this auction?
You have no real clue what is going on here. You see me buy a $50 71B that may be junk then sell a Mint (different one) and think it is the same calculator. You are wrong.
You remember the 6 that I bought a while back. I gave half of them away at no charge. But I bet you think I sold them for high profit, right? None were (or will be) sold. I just sent one to the Netherlands so that a guy could replace his 71B logo. I did not even charge him postage for this. Totally free.
You say
By the way, if you are interested in a brand new, absolutely mint HP-71B, you'd do well bidding for the first one mentioned here, before Mike wins it, lest you'll have to pay him three times the money you'd have paid the original seller.
My comment
Don't fool yourself into thinking that this is going to be cheap. I know of many who are waiting to bid at the last minute for the same reason that I am. We want the translator module.
See... buying large packages to get one item is the only real way to get something at a reasonable price, on eBay.
Value of that package on eBay: 71B (with box) $150+, Card Reader $100+, 41 Translator $150+, Utilities manual $30. I'm not the only one that knows this. What do you think it will sell for?