Re: (ET) Reply to E-bay Insanity

[Christopher Zach <cz alembic crystel com>]

Ok, as someone who has posted a bunch of thoughts on this list, here's 
my thoughts on the whole Ebay thing:

Please let it be.

A problem I think people run into is the concept that they want things 
to be easily available and cheap. This is a natural human instinct. 
Unfortunately it's a bit of a problem.

If Elec-trak parts are to be so cheap that they cost pennies, there is 
no reason for someone to stock them. So they stop stocking the parts 
(see Bill Gun) and suddenly parts are hard to get. This is one reason I 
support Harold and people like him instead of coming up with el-cheapo 
fixes; if they go away then parts will be harder to get.

If Elec-trak frames and tractors are worth $10.00, then they will rot in 
fields and people will junk them rather than sell them. That's the way 
life is. Because they are going for more money on Ebay and the like, 
perhaps people are pulling them out of the weeds, and out of the "to be 
dumpstered" pile. If they are worthless, then you may get yours from the 
dump pile, but a lot more will simply be trashed.

If Elec-trak documetation has a value of nothing, then people will 
simply toss it in the trash or recycling. Once again, sites like Ebay 
add worth to these things and help to keep them from going into the trash.

This happened with the pdp11 series computers I used to know and love. 
Parts were difficult to get because people dumpstered them. Then Ebay 
came along and people paid real money for them. Everyone on the lists 
complained, but a lot more 11's came out of the woodwork, out of bowling 
alleys, and prices went back down to the level where they could be 
afforded (if still more than free).

So if you want to keep Elec-traks and the like around, you're going to 
have to pay money for parts and such. If this person (call him a genius, 
call him a nut, whatever) wants to bid lots of money for Elec-trak 
parts, GREAT! It will pull other parts out of the woodwork and everyone 
will benefit.

Now back to fixing my Trac. What I really want in life is a 36 volt 
variable speed control for the sweeper; I think it runs a bit too fast 
to be honest. Anyone know of a source for controls that can handle a 
single mower motor's worth of load?

Chris