Deksor wrote on 2020-06-18, 15:13:

But I wouldn't pay high money for a computer motherboard that is totally ruined by a battery leak, especially the kind with multiple layers and I'm sure no one will. These I use only as part donors (when there's still connectors or chips to salvage which haven't been coroded yet)

Neither would I. Interesting you bring up battery corrosion because it's claiming more and more victims every day.
I just saw a guy bragging about his 386 he put in storage 25 years ago. People told him about the battery curse and he checked the machine to find this:
I see a lot of boards with the battery still attached, it's sad.

devius wrote on 2020-06-18, 16:24:

I also enjoy fixing stuff. It's part of the charm, although at least once I'd like to get one of those pristine-brand-new-looking-and-perfectly-working old computers that everyone else around here seems to be able to find 😆

Those Dallas chips aren't that bad now, are they? 😁

devius wrote on 2020-06-18, 16:24:

I also enjoy fixing stuff. It's part of the charm, although at least once I'd like to get one of those pristine-brand-new-looking-and-perfectly-working old computers that everyone else around here seems to be able to find 😆

most of my somewhat pristine parts are "ruined" by having at least one very visible scratch somewhere x3

but yeah I also like fixing stuff....
collection rant: I have to spend so much money on tools for repairing stuff, currently on my wishlist is a good hot-air station x3 and I need to get me some of that good flux.

Miphee wrote on 2020-06-18, 17:01:

Those Dallas chips aren't that bad now, are they? 😁

yep, at least you can be somewhat sure it's not corroded to bits ^^
if only all vendors would have had them socketed in the first place.

I love Dallas batteries. When I see one I know the board will look immaculate 😁

konc wrote on 2020-06-13, 08:41:

Well that's a nice rant thread, people actually sharing what annoys them and hasn't taken (yet) the usual turn to personal disputes.

*waves*

Rest assured that if the conversation devolves to (even thinly veiled) attacks against each other with personal disputes, this thread is getting locked, and some may end up in the trash.

imi wrote on 2020-06-18, 17:48:

if only all vendors would have had them socketed in the first place.

The hot air station will fix that for you!
They are quite expensive so I use a heat gun instead. Crude but effective, I use it with plenty of tin foil to protect parts I don't want to heat up/melt.
Only recommended az a last resort but very useful for replacing dead SMD components.

Stiletto wrote on 2020-06-18, 19:06:

konc wrote on 2020-06-13, 08:41:

Well that's a nice rant thread, people actually sharing what annoys them and hasn't taken (yet) the usual turn to personal disputes.

*waves*

Rest assured that if the conversation devolves to (even thinly veiled) attacks against each other with personal disputes, this thread is getting locked, and some may end up in the trash.

It's good to be proactive, but I feel this is actually turning out to be cathartic . It feels like a group therapy session for retro stuff buyers .

darry wrote on 2020-06-18, 19:27:

It feels like a group therapy session for retro stuff buyers .

pretty much this x3

darry wrote on 2020-06-18, 19:27:

It's good to be proactive, but I feel this is actually turning out to be cathartic . It feels like a group therapy session for retro stuff buyers .

I agree that it's good for now. But I also side with konc that eventually these sort of threads devolve. So, y'all, prove us wrong. 😀

Well, just now I received another PC that was packed improperly with newspaper and one tiny piece of soft foam. It arrived damaged. At least the seller refunded me the full price, minus shipping and did it promptly, admitting their mistake.

Oh man, that hurts, that hurts a lot...I can't imagine those are very common computers so finding replacement parts is likely a no go.

Yea they aren't super easy to come by. There are a few versions of this same case though (ex: FIC Ice Cube). I may get lucky in the next few years finding a replacement.

wiretap wrote on 2020-06-18, 20:34:

Yea they aren't super easy to come by. There are a few versions of this same case though (ex: FIC Ice Cube). I may get lucky in the next few years finding a replacement.

I hope there is a special place in hell for those who actively destroy packages like that.
A single "worker" could cause thousands in damages but you don't hear about them getting fired for their handywork.
It seems that these guys are untouchable in every country.

Miphee wrote on 2020-06-19, 02:39:

I hope there is a special place in hell for those who actively destroy packages like that. A single "worker" could cause thousan […]
Show full quote

wiretap wrote on 2020-06-18, 20:34:

Yea they aren't super easy to come by. There are a few versions of this same case though (ex: FIC Ice Cube). I may get lucky in the next few years finding a replacement.

I hope there is a special place in hell for those who actively destroy packages like that.
A single "worker" could cause thousands in damages but you don't hear about them getting fired for their handywork.
It seems that these guys are untouchable in every country.

You did see the pics of the lack of actual packing material, right?

cyclone3d wrote on 2020-06-19, 03:16:

You did see the pics of the lack of actual packing material, right?

Doesn't matter. A correctly handled package won't ever break. You know, the pick it up and put it down type, not the throw it across the room, kick it around on the floor, turn it upside down, drop it from 5 feet and so on. That's the original problem. We need bulletproof packaging because of those guys and shipping companies shift the blame onto us when the package doesn't have 10" thick armour and 20 ft bubble wrap.
And now the average person accepts rough handling of packages as a way of life instead of complaining with shipping companies to finally do something about these idiot box-breakers. No wonder most of these companies won't ship concentrated acids or explosives, poor Kicky McThrow would blow up on his first day!

(And yes, I see that the packaging is poor and I understand, but the main problem is rough handling that could be easily avoided with quality control and by firing incompetent workers. It won't happen because extra packaging = extra weight = more money for shipping companies)

What happens if the delivery truck is on a bumpy road or a box tips over or something else happens?

That box doesn't look like anybody threw it around, kicked it, stomped on it, etc. The box looks to be in pretty good shape to me.

Only reason that was broken was because of the carelessness of the person who failed to pack it properly. For all we know, it could have gotten broken before it was even dropped off at the shipping location.

Weight isn't the issue here unless the package was already really close to being at the next highest pound. Bubble-wrap and packing peanuts weight almost nothing... It should have been bubblewrapped and then put on top of packing peanuts and then the rest of the box filled with packing peanuts. That would have added maybe 5-6 ounces and would have kept it from being broken.

Because the seller failed to package it properly, they had to do a refund. What would have cost them a tiny amount of extra money ended up costing them $50.

I agree with you but also think that proper handling would prevent most of the damages. Fedex workers already admitted that they throw and kick boxes around all the time so yes, that became the norm. It's not the bumpy road. They let them do it so why wouldn't they? It's faster and it's not their concern. They shifted the blame to the customer.

Ozzuneoj wrote on 2020-06-13, 16:33:

If ebay required the seller to actually input ALL of information and the page never made any changes itself it would be one thing, but that isn't the case. The biggest flaw in their listing page is that if you edit a field it refreshes the entire page and can change things on its own. I have had it obliterate my item description when I add a picture (replacing it with their generic one). I've had it reset nearly everything on the page when I change the wording of the title (sometimes changing the starting price to something they recommend). I've had it clear out all of my shipping selections and switch to free shipping (this has happened multiple times on large items like towers) and I've had it add the Make Offer setting without me clicking on it. And don't get me started on the insightful details and specifications they add and don't let me change. Sometimes they give the wrong information or they fill in information that doesn't apply to my particular variant of an item... and this stuff is inaccessible to the seller. It only shows on the final page, not during the listing process.

I've also noticed that all manner of terrible things can happen if ebay tries to fill things in for you based on trends. I'm not sure where they get the weights, prices, shipping options, etc., but there's no way that "most" people are shipping an old 20 pound PC tower with free shipping and a starting price of $9. 🤣

You gotta use the advanced listing tool. That one won't do that.

eBay, honestly a very badly organized website, is nice enough to maintain two different versions of several pages. One trashy, one cluttered but functional. Kind of like YouTube until this year.

Miphee wrote on 2020-06-19, 08:49:

I agree with you but also think that proper handling would prevent most of the damages. Fedex workers already admitted that they throw and kick boxes around all the time so yes, that became the norm. It's not the bumpy road. They let them do it so why wouldn't they? It's faster and it's not their concern. They shifted the blame to the customer.

Yeah, but do you want to pay 3 times the current postage to handle packages more carefully, to more carefully stack them so forth. To pay enough to postal workers to make hiring people who give a damn easier.

And then still with no guarantee that things would be better if the packing is bad, as mistakes happen, and bad packing can destroy stuff even with careful handling.

The other side of the coin is that I have received plenty of hardware that is woefully underpacked, and it is completely fine ... with notes attached from the post office indicating they taped the package back together to stop it disintegrating and everything falling out.

Although, there was that one ISA network card the post system snapped in half. The seller was awesome enough to give a full refund AND send a replacement card no cost. (then I was cheeky and removed the RJ45 port and magnetics off it to transplant RJ45 onto a different network card that only shipped with BNC)

I once bought a SCSI lot including quite a few hard drives, some adapters and cables.... I guess you know where this is going by now.

The seller put all of the material inside a flimsy cardboard box that was too big without any packing material whatsoever. Luckily a few hard drives did survive the ordeal, enough to still compensate the low price I paid for the lot. This was through the local classifieds website so obviously the seller said he did nothing wrong and didn't refund anything.