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Leviset · 04-02-2019, 09:44 AM

Has anyone got a ‘spare’ working HP-33S they’re willing to part with please?
I’ll pay a reasonable price or I may have a few calculators of interest to do a swop (not HP I KNOW but I do have a very nice working condition Sharp PC-1500 I could part with?).
Thanks
Dennis

burkhard · 04-03-2019, 02:49 PM

(04-02-2019 09:44 AM)Leviset Wrote: Has anyone got a ‘spare’ working HP-33S they’re willing to part with please?

I don't have a 33S, but I have noticed that the prices on the auction site are always quite a bit higher than I would expect. Are the buyers (and you, Levi) collectors completing collections, or people who really like the 33S for some particular reason?

I have never used a 33S, but my impression (perhaps unfair) is that it looks like an uglier version of the 35S (which is about ½ the price) and the 35S I'm not overwhelmed with. So, not intended to be a dig here, but I'm just trying to understand this model's appeal... it clearly has some. Thanks!

**rprosperi** · 04-03-2019, 04:23 PM

(04-03-2019 02:49 PM)burkhard Wrote: I have never used a 33S, but my impression (perhaps unfair) is that it looks like an uglier version of the 35S (which is about ½ the price) and the 35S I'm not overwhelmed with. So, not intended to be a dig here, but I'm just trying to understand this model's appeal... it clearly has some. Thanks!

The 33S has a very unique and polarizing effect on users; the chevron key design is unique for all HP models. Some folks love them while others (well more than half I'd say) don't like it all. And some fans are surprising too; Joe Horn, well known to the crowd here, is a big fan of the 33S, which surprised me. Also, I believe I read somewhere that the 33S is faster than both the 32SII (it's predecessor) and the 35S (its successor), so at least the initial port from the Pioneer heritage seems to have gone well.

As for pricing on the Bay, it is generally higher than I expect as well, though I've seen nice ones listed for as little as $25 USD; as usual patience is a key factor. The 33S manual is not quite reminiscent of the classic manuals from back in the day, but better than many late HP manuals. It properly includes Algebraic use in an Appendix, rather than strewn throughout every section.

Hans-Peter · 04-03-2019, 09:01 PM

https://www.tutti.ch/de/vi/zuerich/winte...p/27336978

20 swiss francs about 20$

Leviset · 04-06-2019, 04:08 PM

Hans-Peter - Unfortunately I went to a Boys Grammar School in the 1960s and under threat (Corporal Punishment) we had to read Latin, so no German I’m afraid!

Berghard - I hope you’re not suggesting I’m a dealer!
This is the guy who gave away free, my non-working HP-97 to the University of Valencia Museum. It was the first machine I started programming on (as a job) and I still can’t find or afford a working HP-97 due to dealers asking ridiculous prices, some over £1,000!

I’ve found a member who wants to swap his HP-33S for my spare Sharp PC-1500.

ab abusu ad usum non valet consequentia

burkhard · 04-07-2019, 05:05 PM

[quote='Leviset' pid='114663' dateline='1554566919
Berghard - I hope you’re not suggesting I’m a dealer!
This is the guy who gave away free, my non-working HP-97 to the University of Valencia Museum.
[/quote]

Huh? Do you mean me here by “Berghard” ?
Nobody is accusing you of being a dealer, and if you were, what is the problem with that?

Rather we (I at least) was interested in why you and some others are fond of the 33S. Prices for them are fairly high and I was trying to understand the reason some like that model so much... was hoping you could provide some personal insight.
That’s all; no subversive ulterior motives.

Leviset · 04-08-2019, 10:58 PM

I’ve always found people that say things like (direct quote from your post) “not intended to be a dig here” actually mean the opposite.

ijabbott · 04-09-2019, 09:32 PM

There's a "Buy It Now" on TAS for a reasonable price at the moment. But it's a US seller, so import charges and postage are a significant fraction of the cost for UK buyers.

mfleming · 04-10-2019, 02:19 AM

Is that the one for $19.99 plus $59.99 shipping from Austin, Texas? Knobs the size of basketballs, that guy! Smile

**rprosperi** · 04-10-2019, 02:35 AM

(04-10-2019 02:19 AM)mfleming Wrote: Is that the one for $19.99 plus $59.99 shipping from Austin, Texas? Knobs the size of basketballs, that guy!

I asked the seller about this odd pricing - reply was "To compensate the total cost of the product"; when I pressed further (since that explanation didn't work for me) he simply said "It’s just a marketing strategy". So I stopped there. Huh

ijabbott · (This post was last modified: 04-10-2019 09:17 PM by ijabbott.)

(04-10-2019 02:19 AM)mfleming Wrote: Is that the one for $19.99 plus $59.99 shipping from Austin, Texas? Knobs the size of basketballs, that guy!

No, this one is in Idaho. $34.95 + shipping (and for the UK, + import charges).

calkinsv · 04-15-2019, 07:27 PM

Hi, all,

I have seen this kind of odd pricing before. I speculate that it's to pay a lower fee to the service (eBay, TAS) that provides the forum - since they take a percentage of the initial listing price, and / or the fixed selling price - but do not charge a fee to the seller on the shipping charges. This then allows the seller to get a higher total amount for their item. Of course, the buyer must include all the charges in the total amount they will pay. Seems to me a little bit like they're trying to exploit the system (in listing with such a low "selling" price), but people will often try to sidestep the rules and avoid fees.

I've also seen this in auctions on eBay where people will start a listing at 99 cents, or a dollar, knowing full well that the item will sell for substantially more than that - they hope. Occasionally they are wrong, and have to sell the item for much less than they could have if they weren't trying so hard to avoid the listing fees. I guess overall they win often enough, or believe they do, to make it worth their while.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Harald · 04-19-2019, 03:32 PM

(04-15-2019 07:27 PM)calkinsv Wrote: Hi, all,

I have seen this kind of odd pricing before. I speculate that it's to pay a lower fee to the service (eBay, TAS) that provides the forum - since they take a percentage of the initial listing price, and / or the fixed selling price - but do not charge a fee to the seller on the shipping charges. This then allows the seller to get a higher total amount for their item. Of course, the buyer must include all the charges in the total amount they will pay. Seems to me a little bit like they're trying to exploit the system (in listing with such a low "selling" price), but people will often try to sidestep the rules and avoid fees.

This did work a couple of years ago. But now eBay makes you pay fees on the shipping costs, too. Probably because of people doing exactly what you have just described...