This is the transcript of the video. There is no accompanying article.
Good morning guys, welcome back to the ValorosoIT channel, the channel dedicated to vintage computers and electronics.
You read it in the title, so it's no surprise. Today I want to talk to you about a donation that went bad.
I don't mean it went bad, it went bad, so even worse than I could have imagined.
The protagonist of this story, obviously, is me.
I received this donation from a Mr Hamlet, I called him Hamlet obviously for privacy reasons.
By the way, if you recognize yourself in this video, don't be mad at me, I'm simply telling you about my experience. I'm not mad at you, we've sorted things out, so everything is basically fine for me now.
But I would also like the opinion of the friends who follow me, because basically I was quite upset about it, and therefore I want to understand if perhaps I am too sensitive on certain topics, or if I actually have a reason for not being completely satisfied with the situation.
It all started a few days ago, when I received this message on my blog (www.valoroso.it). I read it:
I have some old (90s) IBM RS/6000 servers with related peripheral units to be scrapped. I'd rather donate them.
Rightly, I don't want computers to be scrapped, so I have a special section of my site, then I always indicate it under all my videos: if you have a vintage computer that you want to throw away, don't do it, rather give it away.
If you want to give it as a gift to your cousin, your uncle, you want to sell it on eBay, anything, the important thing is not to throw it away. If so, I'm available to collect it.
Luckily this person, Hamlet, was reasonably close to where I am, and therefore a half hour drive. Well, I decided to go to his house and see these computers that he wanted to scrap.
Arriving at Hamlet's house, I find myself faced with, for me, a paradise.
Probably a little less for him, since he wanted to throw these things away.
So, in the cellar he had... I don't know how many, but there were quite a few, at least four/five IBM computers.
So a brand that is very dear to me, I really like it as a brand, and I had to throw everyone away.
I actually asked him:
But are you sure you have to throw them away? Have you already tried to sell these computers?
Yes, yes, I tried, but I don't care...etc.
I look over these computers and there were a lot of peripheral drives, tape drives, monitors.
I asked him: But does everything work?
No, we don't know if this whole thing works. This and this one certainly yes, but other computers are to be tested instead.
In fact, I can assure you this by showing me a small unit, it definitely doesn't work.
So the material was mixed, but if it's a donation you can't say yes or no, that is, if he wants to donate them to you, you just take them.
Also because, even if it were a broken computer, maybe you will still find some interesting pieces to recover.
In addition to the computers, I see some boxes on the floor. I tell him:
But what should you do with these boxes?
No, everything in landfill.
Ok, so there are a ton of SCSI cables in this box, and they're still useful, right?
And in that other box there were some cards, expansion cards for IBM computers, therefore with the usual proprietary buses that they have.
I said: No, sorry, but don't throw these cards away!
No, okay, I'll give you these too.
I look at myself from the side: IBM Model M keyboards.
But you know that you are throwing away these keyboards, but if you clean it a little well, fix it, try it, see if it works, maybe you can make a few tens of euros if you sell it.
No, but I'm not interested, in fact, if you want to sell it yourself.: exact words.
I said: No, okay, I generally don't sell because basically for me it's a hobby, so I use all the things I collect, I use them to make videos, I learn something new, and this something new that I learn I share on my channels and on my blog.
In addition to these computers, these cards, these cables, there were laptops.
I ask: These laptops, what should you do with them?
Oh, look, two have already ended up in landfill. No, but because the plastic was a little broken.
Oh yes, it's true, it can fit, but maybe since there are monitors and someone is looking for them, maybe we want to think about giving it as a gift anyway?
Someone who has a broken monitor, a broken keyboard, a broken motherboard of the same model, maybe it can be useful to him.
No, okay, they were already gone.
These two, however, that I picked up, two Dells, luckily I managed to save them from the landfill.
Going into other rooms there were really other interesting things.
For example, I'll show you: Apple external floppy disk drive for Macintosh.
That is, you don't know if it works, on the contrary, you can feel that something is dancing inside.
But do we really want to throw away an Apple floppy disk drive for the Macintosh?
Prenditelo! - Taken.
Outside. I have it here, all for you to see.
Outside, on water-based pallets. Then they were covered with cellophane, but… listen…
Original Digital PDP-11 manuals.
That is, do we want to throw this Digital manual into the paper collection?
You can see that they already had some droplets of water, because the protection of the cloth was not enough.
Another. Look at this. Sorry if I bend, but I have it elsewhere.
Look how beautiful it is: IBM folder, BASIC manual.
They were running out of paper collection!
I also saw, inside a couple of pieces of furniture that he then took me to see, original IBM boxes with software and respective manuals inside.
I said: Listen, are you really throwing these things away?
Yes. Do you want them?
Yes.
And I took them.
We basically loaded the car, my car that I went in, packed, packed with stuff. Truly great.
I mean, I was so happy because it's not like every day you can get all these nice things directly.
I certainly wouldn't have gone and bought them, in short, on eBay, mind you, but like this, someone who calls you: I have to throw everything away, even if only out of respect for the history of computers, I honestly didn't feel like leaving them there.
I took them.
Some modems - now I don't have them here to show you, later, if there is a photo, I'll paste it on the monitor - two nice modems.
Fa: But do you want one?
Yes, that's fine. What do you do with the other one?
I'll throw it away.
And no, then give me the other one too.
Good, got that too.
I mean, from the car... he already had a car full of stuff that was going to the landfill.
I arrived at the right time when he was picking up and taking stuff to the landfill.
What was in the car? A series of tapes for computer tape drives.
I said: Sorry, but are you throwing away the tapes? Why don't you give me these too?
Then you might say: But what do you do with all these things?
So, nothing today.
In short, I don't work, it's not like I have all this time to dedicate to computers.
But in a few years from now, maybe I'll take out the tape, take out the computer, install the original software on it - as you can see on my channel - let's try to use them, learn something new.
In short, it is not something that will be done immediately, but rather than throw them away, I rightly preferred to collect everything.
And that was the spirit.
As you read from the initial message, it was very clear that he had to dispose of these things and I should have gone and collected them as a donation.
By the way, it's not unusual for me to receive computer donations.
It often happens that some people tell me:
I have to move, I should throw away all these things.
It bothers me. You saw. I received some monitors, I received an IBM monitor, or rather more than one, the Commodore monitor, the 1702, several boxed Commodore 64s, laptops...
In short, I received some nice objects and, as a sign of gratitude, I always publish a video reel or a post to thank, let's say, whoever donated these computers to me, and also to give them a little importance.
I myself donate some material, perhaps not IT - because for me it is a hobby, so I keep it for myself - but I have donated other things. It's not unusual for me.
For example, I had some sofas that weren't in very good shape...
Ok, what do I do? Do I sell them for 20 euros?
I preferred to give them as gifts.
The person with the truck came and loaded himself onto the four sofas - four! - and took them away.
I had a boiler. We changed the boiler.
I gave the old boiler, which was working, as a gift.
I said: Whoever wants it, come and get it.
They came to take it. For me they were objects that I would have done nothing with.
I should have even disposed of them.
So, just the fact that someone took them away from me took away one task from me, that of having to go to the landfill to take them.
And then it's also always a question of recycling: why do I have to throw away an object if it still works, when someone else can make use of it?
I see it as normal.
Oh well, in short, still very happy.
I took the car and went back.
I started unloading the car, I started putting these computers aside.
As I was telling you, I don't have infinite free time available, and so I started putting them away.
I looked, there were really nice computers, keyboards, cards...
I put everything away, put everything in order on the shelves, so that I could then use them when needed.
Same day. Same day. No, the next day.
Same day.
In the evening I receive a message on WhatsApp.
I read it.
I had a stroke. RS/6000s sell for 2000 - 3000 euros!
Let's put the message away.
2-3000 euros for each computer he gave me. Really?
Here I have to take off my glasses... but first I have to put them on.
Really?
I mean, what is it now? A 19th century computer? A punched card computer?
No. In fact, then I told him:
Listen, look, on eBay you don't have to look at the computers as you see the adverts, because anyone can ask for whatever amount they want.
However, in reality, when you filter by items sold, you see what the real prices of the computers sold are.
And so he did.
We watched together.
We saw that some computers were sold for 60 euros, some for 80, 100, 150...
Then, obviously, there was also someone who sold them for 300 or 400 euros.
So, it is clear that if one fixes these computers, makes them all nice and clean, functional, etc., then after a while you can also sell them on eBay.
You have to package them, you have to package them adequately, you have to ship them, you have to trust that the courier will transport them correctly, bring them to the buyer, that the buyer will be honest enough not to screw you later by inventing defects.
So yes, of course, they can be sold.
But that's what I asked him at the beginning:
Have you tried to sell them?
Yes, I tried. I hadn't succeeded. Well, I'm giving them away because I have to throw them away.
Nothing, he regretted the donation.
So, given that I know that, legally, once an object has been given to me, it is mine -
therefore, in the sense, he no longer had any rights to these objects - but I said:
Listen, if you regret it, I'll give it back to you.
What should I tell you?
Know that you are not giving away things worth thousands of euros.
Of course, they are worth a little, but for me they are worth much more morally than financially, also because I don't sell them, that is, I don't make a business of them.
At most I would make one use of it, and then publish it on my various channels.
No no, okay, then keep them.
Hamlet told me I could keep them.
OK perfect. Sure, huh?
Yes yes, okay, you can keep them.
The next day:
Eh, but I'm not convinced.
In my opinion I had a little treasure, a little treasure that I had made for myself throughout my life, and it wasn't right to give them to you.
Then, for what reason?
You are a private individual, it doesn't seem right to me to make a donation to a private individual.
I said:
Listen, but yesterday you told me I could keep them, then later you changed your mind, then you told me I could keep them, and today you change your mind again?
Oh yes, because I would like to sell them.
You already tried!
But I already have a buyer.
Ah, perfect, okay. And who is the buyer?
You.
I mean, I was basically his buyer.
You understood correctly: I was his buyer.
So, he proposed that I give him a price to buy the computers he had given me.
So, I repeat: I know that, legally and also morally, these computers were now mine.
But I still decided to go and meet this gentleman.
After all, I don't want to get rich on Hamlet's back, that's not my intention.
My intention was simply to save these computers from landfill, which was what they were doing.
So I offered him a price - you've seen it from the photos, it's a series of computers, keyboards, cards, two monitors, a few other nice things.
I told him:
Look, for the material I took away, I'll give you 150 euros.
Plus I'll give you another 50 euros if you bring me all those CDs and box sets that I currently left there at your house, because you hadn't yet decided whether to throw them away, keep them, etc.
But I ask you to kindly decide quickly, because this situation is making me anxious.
I mean, every day I have to receive your little text saying you've changed your mind.
It doesn't seem logical to me.
I mean, I certainly don't want to take advantage of the situation, so either I give it back to you or you get these 150 euros, plus another 50 for the other pieces.
But then I don't want to hear about this situation anymore.
I mean, it's not like if you call me again, I'll answer.
Let's talk about something else, let's go have a coffee together, but if you talk to me about this situation, for me it's closed with 150 + 50 euros.
Message:
Ok, for 200 euros I won't change my mind.
God, and posto.
The situation was therefore resolved in this way.
I bought a donation that had been made to me for 200 euros.
Question: What do you think?
Am I a profiteer?
Did I pay too little for something that was given to me?
Wasn't I really supposed to pay for it?
I did two days that I wasn't very happy with.
When I started this hobby, as well as when I start other hobbies, I basically give myself rules. And one of these rules had been: you shouldn't feel bad about it.
Because it's obvious, right?
When you post videos on YouTube, when you fix a computer, there will always be things that aren't right.
For example, on YouTube you may encounter a person who makes an unwelcome comment to you.
Or, when you repair a computer, you realize that it is more complicated than expected, it takes you days, and in those days maybe you would have liked to do something else other than repairing the computer.
So in short, I gave myself this rule: you shouldn't get angry.
And for this reason I had decided: either I return the donation to him, or I pay him.
So Hamlet is happy and no longer has his existential problems.
So tell me: did I do well? Did I do it wrong?
Write it to me below in the comments.
What would you have done?
Would you have been disappointed, or would you have been happy because in the end you have a good number of computers at a basically symbolic price?
Over to you.
I'm all ears - or rather, eyes, because I read the comments, I don't listen to them.
Let me know.
In the meantime, if you liked the video, you can subscribe to the channel, activate the notification bell, and we'll see you in the next video. HI!