KC Forums

MattKC wrote: ↑Sun Feb 12, 2023 7:01 am snip

Yeah no as semi-rare as G4 cubes are, and as much as this mod has completely ruined any and all value it had, the execution is pretty damn nice so I'm not complaining

(I say this, do we actually know if Cubes are rare? Or if they're just perceived as rare and therefore expensive...)

Wam wrote: ↑Sun Feb 19, 2023 4:17 pm (I say this, do we actually know if Cubes are rare? Or if they're just perceived as rare and therefore expensive...)

I suppose we don't really know, rarity is I think ultimately a function of supply and demand, which is hard to quantify for something like this.

We do know the Cube sold poorly enough to be discontinued after only a year, with the apparent sales figure being less than 150,000 units. Tim Cook called it "a spectacular failure" and even Steve Jobs admitted it was "overdesigned and overpriced", so that does at least suggest that supply is on the low side. But that story/awareness/legend alone obviously contributes to its perceived value (and therefore the ability for sellers to hike prices up and for people to bid higher), and its hard to tease apart which "market forces" are responsible for what.

Here's an interesting one: macbook pro retina 15-inch late 2013 & my art


Not exactly obscenely overpriced, technically the computer only went for $50. However, the shipping cost is extremely high, so the buyer didn't actually get a great deal. What exactly is going on here? And what's up with that intriguing title? Let's see what he has to say about it in the description:

yuyanag-5372 wrote: I'm selling my old macbook and my artwork as a pair. Based on my quick search, this kind of MacBook Pro tends to cost $200. So the price of this item mostly comes from the artwork.

I see, so from what I can tell, he set the shipping to a flat rate of $200 because he concluded that's how much the MacBook was worth. Therefore, the money from the auction is actually for his "artwork" rather than the computer. I guess in a roundabout way it makes sense, if the art is the main item for sale, the MacBook is the shipping cost because it's effectively a very expensive box.

So what is this artwork then? As a discount Markiplier myself, I do appreciate a good letter E, but let's see what he actually had in mind:

yuyanag-5372 wrote: Now you are curious about it?

“This keyboard does not work as intended” is an interface that lets the interactor contemplate atypical input method. When one of the keys is typed, an alphabetical character or a commonsymbol appears on the display, yet it is not linked to the input. Such “useless” interactionreminds the viewer of how effectively common interfaces–for example, mouse andkeyboard–are designed. In addition, the glitch effect represents software bugs, adding a little extra oomph in relation to Internet culture.

...Uh, right.

Here's a more visual demonstration that he provided:


So the letter that appears on the screen is different from the letter that you pressed. It's a key logger that doesn't work, basically, but I guess a very meaningful one? Really makes you think. I just hope he didn't remap Cmd+Q as well.

I guess if people can splatter some paint onto a canvas and call it art, we can call this art too. However, there's something odd about the geography of this listing. The location is listed as Austria, however the MacBook is Japanese - at least, according to its keyboard - and, perhaps most strangely of all, it only ships to the United States (and is all listed in USD). It doesn't ship to Austria, Japan, or indeed any other country, only specifically the US.

He doesn't state what postal service he'd be using, but the lowest shipping cost I could find to ship something approximately the size and weight of a 15-inch 2013 MacBook Pro Retina from Linz, Austria to the United States was €51.68, or about US$54.85, which means not only did he actually make nothing from his artwork, he also didn't even make the full $200 he thought the MacBook was worth. The artwork technically ended up being -$4.85.

...Sounds about right, honestly.

MattKC wrote: ↑Wed Mar 01, 2023 7:53 am He doesn't state what postal service he'd be using, but the lowest shipping cost I could find to ship something approximately the size and weight of a 15-inch 2013 MacBook Pro Retina from Linz, Austria to the United States was €51.68, or about US$54.85, which means not only did he actually make nothing from his artwork, he also didn't even make the full $200 he thought the MacBook was worth. The artwork technically ended up being -$4.85.

So the $200 flat rute rate is merely a suggestion? I have never used eBay before so I do not know how that works...

flatrute wrote: ↑Wed Mar 01, 2023 8:57 am So the $200 flat rute rate is merely a suggestion? I have never used eBay before so I do not know how that works...

No, flat rate shipping must be paid. The shipping cost, whether flat rate or calculated, is a mandatory inclusion of he overall cost.

MattKC wrote: ↑Wed Mar 01, 2023 9:00 am No, flat rate shipping must be paid. The shipping cost, whether flat rate or calculated, is a mandatory inclusion of the overall cost.

I took a reread and if I understand correctly that "art" has its price somewhere between -4.85 USD to -150.00 USD? If so...

MattKC wrote: ↑Wed Mar 01, 2023 7:53 am However, the shipping cost is extremely high, so the buyer didn't actually get a great deal.

I'd be surprised if you haven't encountrred this in this thread, I see this all the time: an old vintage electronic has an exquisite deal like $50 but the shipping is $1000.

My going theory is that they swap the actual price and shipping price around, or they just choose a generally low price and make the shipping obscenely high to make up for it, and hope somebody buys the thing without checking shipping. I can't imagine it works often but I also can't imagine why I've seen it so many times

On another note I actually DMed Matt about something that's relevant to the thread, some years ago.



While trying to find the listing again, thinking it would have never sold and the seller wouldn't have given up...I was met with the surprise of a lifetime.

They built a similar computer, and somebody actually bought it

lol_xD wrote: ↑Wed Mar 01, 2023 3:41 pm On another note I actually DMed Matt about something that's relevant to the thread, some years ago.



While trying to find the listing again, thinking it would have never sold and the seller wouldn't have given up...I was met with the surprise of a lifetime.

They built a similar computer, and somebody actually bought it

There is absolutely no way someone had the idea to put a motherboard from probably late 99 and just plotted it in a modern PC case. even the fans work

minimiscus wrote: ↑Wed Mar 01, 2023 10:03 pm There is absolutely no way someone had the idea to put a motherboard from probably late 99 and just plotted it in a modern PC case. even the fans work

is that not what matt did with a motherboard from '04?

lol_xD wrote: ↑Thu Mar 02, 2023 4:57 am is that not what matt did with a motherboard from '04?

...yeah

Anyone interested in this majestic example of a rare computer kill switch that will stop your hackers from hacking your computer when it's turned off?

andreizabest wrote: ↑Sat Mar 11, 2023 6:00 pm Anyone interested in this majestic example of a rare computer kill switch that will stop your hackers from hacking your computer when it's turned off?
Capture2.PNG

...but why does it have Br*t*sh flags on it?

Not vintage. Anyone interested in a 1500£ dirty Wii U display unit.

Ipod Classics have been so expensive, ive been looking into buying one but jeez, $60 for a 2005 ipod lmaooo. thanks dankpods

MattKC wrote: ↑Tue Dec 13, 2022 2:43 am

1. Dig some shitbox-even-at-the-time PC out of a dumpster.

I pulled a PC out of the dumpster just two weeks ago with those exact specs I kid you not.

Expensive? Sure. $12,000 expensive? Hell no. Man pulled some pokemon games out of the attic and thought he'd be rich.

LOL mans found his Pokemon collection and really thought "I'm gonna buy a CAR with this"

Ethanator611 wrote: ↑Sat May 13, 2023 2:38 pm Screenshot_20230513-103325_Chrome.jpg

Expensive? Sure. $12,000 expensive? Hell no. Man pulled some pokemon games out of the attic and thought he'd be rich.

it literately says "12345" i almost think its fake. maybe one of the gameboys/games is rare? I dont know that much about gameboys and rarity.

Wish I had taken a screenshot but one time on Ebay I saw someone attempting to sell a Gameboy Color for 300 dollars. It wasn't professionally restored or modded or anything like that, just a standard Color. Didn't even include peripherals to my knowledge.

I assume they must've fat-fingered the price because I haven't been able to find it listed again.