What’s so special about this ……

[DaveLecky]

WTF ….


https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/305536967285 ... media=COPY

Must be really rare ….. or some people having a laugh …..

Dave

[Anobium]

hot Auction ... that is an understatement.

What is so special about this Rom Box?

[julians]

hot Auction ... that is an understatement.

What is so special about this Rom Box?

Two people appear to really, really want it based on the bidding history.
Other than that, probably nothing beyond it's 'aesthetically pleasing', but that's kind of a by product of the design or you'd be scribbling on a post it note which roms were in which sockets...

Julian.

[1024MAK]

Electronically, there is nothing special about this. It is nicely made.

Mark

[vexorg]

Seems about right for eBay, 'vintage' or 'rare' as keywords mean it'll be overpriced.

A bit like the "what is it, and what's it worth" posts on Facebook. People trying to make a quick profit with no understanding of what they have. Equally annoying.

[Cruxinc]

nearly at 500 now

[tricky]

I have seen this sort of thing before, then an identical item appears and also achieves a higher than usual price, although nothing near the previous one.
I am NOT saying that that is what is happening here.

[flaxcottage]

This piece of kit BITD was good.

Nowadays there are so many SWR/EEPROM variants that this ROM box is actually not worth much except to a collector or museum. Still if someone really wants it then they will pay through the nose. Hey ho.

[Coeus]

I have seen this sort of thing before, then an identical item appears and also achieves a higher than usual price, although nothing near the previous one.
I am NOT saying that that is what is happening here.

It sounds to me like you have just described schill bidding. One genuine buyer and a friend of the seller (or the seller under a different account) bid against each other. If the genuine buyer backs out first the schill bidder reneges on the sale and the item is re-listed. It is probably hard to prove these but the practice could be reduced with some regulation. Essentially you make winning an auction a binding contract. If the buyer doesn't buy you give the seller the right to take the buyer to court and receive the payment whether or not the buyer still wants the goods. Then you require the auction house to collect their fee on the final price even if the seller does not enforce the sale. That way each failed schill bidding run costs the seller the house cut.