New Zealand Vintage Computer Forums

I've wondered for a while about the trading habits of Trade Me user "froggy2" who makes money-no-object bids on vintage gear which then seems to vanish from sight. I noticed an interesting comment on this Psion Organiser auction: http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing ... =425145418

sorry my boss would like to withdraw bid, I apologise for any inconvenience
froggy2 (1701 ) 9:27 am, Mon 21 Nov

So - a puppet bidder. But for whom?

I've watched him bid down everyone, but he only buys the portable/handheld computers (good luck to me ever getting a Z88 cheapish) and calculators, or more to the speculation, he only buys what is cheap to post and easy to re-sell on ebay. He also buys a lot of the vintage chess computers that come up for sale.

I pinned him as being someone that sold to the inflated and lucrative market of people who still use these items in business and pay silly money to keep the old tech working (because it still does what they need them to do). That's just my gut rumblings. I was trying to decide if he was a completionist collector but I've watched him repeatedly buy the same items over again.

I've seen the buying for the boss a few times in the Q&A's but not asking to withdraw a bid. Of course, sometimes 'the boss' means 'wife'. Maybe it's his wife that collects things.

I also don't quite get greenholeman (http://myworld.ebay.com.au/greenholeman/). Every time I see him bid I think 'poacher', and why is a guy who is collecting for the "Australian" Home Computer Museum buying NZ items for it? If I were to call my collection/museum a New Zealand Computer Museum, I certainly wouldn't be filling it with items from ebay OZ or anywhere else overseas. I like to think that they have access to so much already in OZ they don't need to be siphoning our limited supply. He's only bought a few things though so I'm probably just being a bit too precious.

Other recent things that left these shores include the couple of Amiga 1000s that falco (I think) had, and the Sega SF-7000 Control Station collection (to someone in Hungary).

YetiSeti wrote:He's only bought a few things though so I'm probably just being a bit too precious.

Maybe. Australia and New Zealand shared many early computers like the System 80 and we are both PAL and 240v. I have purchased a few of my items across the ditch on e-bay including my TRS-80 Model 1 console, TRS-80 colour computer and (I think) my Sinclair QL so I can't complain about Aussies looking on Trade Me. They might have more money thanks to the exchange rate but the shipping works in our favour for large items.