The time has come to make some changes in the forum. From now on ANY findings from eBay or talk surrounding online auctions should be directed here.
Just take in the consideration that most items offered in eBay are one off or limited supply and auctions expire - the information is valid for a limited time only.
Moebius
Nice one Moebius you read my mind, I was just about to post that suggestion 
Good idea. But maybe a new section like fleamarket is a better solution ? I think it will be readable.
ludo
I agree. Conversations will start based on single listings and a single thread is not enough to hold several concurrent but unrelated conversations…
Yeah, I’d like to see a “limited time offers” section for things like eBay and Craigslist auctions. A single thread for these is not a good option, honestly. I agree with Th0mas that topics should be kept seperate. It becomes totally unusable otherwise.
One other option (probably too difficult to implement unless the forum does this automatically) is to have some sort of auto-delete flag that can be set by the OP or admins for some future time - like one week, say. After this, the thread will disappear, since the auction would be over. Problem there is you’d lose potentially useful info (like in the trackball thread, for instance).
I like the eBay threads - with millions of items there, finding things can be rough. It’s nice when a community member sees something that other members might be interested in - that’s the power of large numbers. Also, sometimes you find things you “need” in this way. You see it, and suddenly you “need” it because it has inspired a new project in your mind, or maybe the parts on the item are a cheaper replacement for something you were going to pay Mouser or Digikey crazy money for.
Some people to put in your favorite seller list:
emtelelectronics
frankenfoot
hongkongsuperseller
I would like to see more 
Thx TwinX!
I found out about hongkongsuperseller recently, he’s a good bloke, packs very well, and has lots of cool rare chips… His shipping costs a freakin fortune though (like, more than the IC’s themselves in many cases), and so it’s best to order lots at once, because he will combine shipping.
Emtel looks great, that’s added to my faves Thanks mate!
frankenfoot was a bit light on content though 
I’ll update later tonight with some Aussie sources for all you other guys down under.
howardcano (US) - analog synth and MIDI stuff
jamaroonies_ltd (UK) - edrum supplies inc cheap triggers, pads, MIDI converters
snowylu (AU Sydney) - great guy, loads of odd parts
tmgtrl (AU Melbourne) - odd outdated lab and comms gear, great for cases
the-macservice-group (AU Melbourne) - ditto
Damn, there go all my secrets
My eBay advice: F*cking snipers!!! ARGH!
Hey buns those last three are on my list too
nalipali (UK) - Has lots of PCB stuff including PCB tinning powder
ems-chloe (UK) - IDC’s and rainbow ribbon cable
cryptiensis2004 (UK) - Really cheap (£4) 128 x 64 KS108 graphic displays
Enjoy!
That’s Dr buns to you
My sincerest apologies, oh doctorious one ;D
Hongkongsuperseller gets a very bad rap here, basically calling him a a scammer. Blah blah, fake labelling, wrong descriptions, child labour, mafia run, so says some dude.
Hongkongsuperseller gets a very bad rap here, basically calling him a a scammer. Blah blah, fake labelling, wrong descriptions, child labour, mafia run, so says some dude.
I’m also curious as to why he has his feedback hidden. As a general rule I avoid sellers like that because they are probably hiding something.
My feedback is hidden. It’s so people can’t see what I’ve bought and make a gearlist for my studio out of my eBay history. Most sellers will make their hidden feedback available to you, if you ask nicely.
I can’t help but wonder if this is a bad press campaign against HKSS by his competitors who, well, can’t compete? I mean, there is (now) question over the quality of them, but there’s no arguing that HKSS clearly has the cheapest source around. Must be hard to compete…
I can’t find the supposed warnings (supposed by GetLoFi) that were circulated by SDIY or Doepfer, can you?
Has anyone seen a BBD IC that is marked as being 4096 stage but is actually 1024 stage?
And hey about the whole using child labour to clean up the IC’s…Geez welcome to China. Welcome to the world we live in. I’d say about 30% of the content of your house had child labour involved. Get used to it, YOU voted for it!
Plus…Let’s say that HKSS is getting old karaoke machines and laundry equipment (BBD in a washing machine? huh?) and then paying some kids to clean them up… Do you think there would be any profit at $1 per chip? He’d have to have a source of hundreds (probably thousands) of karaoke machines at less than 50c a pop.
Here’s the big question: If you had Hong Kong Mafia in competition with you, and you lived in the same city as them, would you go around talking trash about them, trying to destroy their booming business? You’d be DEAD! So very, very dead…
Don’t believe everything you read huh.
I’m not saying it’s definitely a lie, or it’s definitely true - but I’ll tell you the only definite thing about this: nobody knows.
Let’s keep the rumour mill at bay (get it? bay? ebay? hah! I kill me!) until we can prove one way or the other huh…
Meanwhile I’ve got a shedload of IC’s here from him which I have no complaints about so far, no dodgy looking IC’s at all - although I ended up avoiding the BBD chips.. Unfortunately I’m not in a position to test them right now
So to counter these currently completely defamatory and currently unfounded unproven rumours I am now going to start a rumour of my own:
ChipForBrains is giving the owner of GetLoFi a kickback of free IC’s and parts. All GLF has to do is publish a single email, which of course he didn’t write so doesn’t have to bear responsibility for, and get the rumour mill started. And supply his first born as child labour for the HK mafia.
NOT MY AUCTION!!
Found some star-trek replica buttons on this auction.
If you happen to be building a star-trek theme midi controller, this would be a good consideration!
THX,
JD
kick ass grey ITT/Canon Schadow sequencer step switches on ebay
again, not my auction, just found this cool lot of 10 switches
Shame I need a couple hundred Keep 'em coming mate
mr stryd_one,
when i’m bored at work, i call swich companies, and ask for samples of XYZ.
sometimes, they even send a rep over to speak with me!
so i have an EXTENSIVE collection of free switches, of all varieties
one of these days i’ll put them into the same box, call it the midimyztrybuttonbox.
or something.
y’know.
THX,
JD
I’m betting that’d be one helluva ugly box