One of the interesting things about retro computer gear is that you can usually pick up stuff pretty cheap because by modern standards it’s usually destined for electronics recycling and is worthless to most people. That is until someone shares a video about how xyz is awesome… and then ebay prices go through the roof.
This happened a few years ago with DEC VT terminals – you could pick up a working terminal for less than 100 bucks.. until LGR shared this video and the prices on ebay went insane:
I did manage to pick up a non DEC branded terminal a half decent price on ebay (previous posts here). After an international house move however I’ve been shopping for a replacement, and ebay prices are typically > £200 which seems insane.
Today I just noticed this new video about VT520 terminals by clabretro (which is awesome btw) and this was the last straw:
DEC terminals in the UK seem pretty hard to come by – on ebay there’s plenty in the US but not many in the UK. Anticipating that prices are going to go crazy again, I just just dropped £200 to pick up one from a recycler now… before things get out of hand….