Swap-meet Tips Please

[MrMaestro]

Hey,

I'm going to go to a swap-meet to get some parts for a build, and i was wondering if you guys could gimme some tips so i dont get screwed over - dud parts and that sort of thing. I know parts i get at a swap-meet will not have a warranty, but if the price is right...

And are there certain parts that I really should buy from a shop so that i can get em replaced if they fail?


Thanks,

MrMaestro

 

[CompTIA_Rep]

Stay away from hard drives.
I have never heard of a PC part swap meet before.



Just remember, anything you buy could be worthless, so don't be spending more money then you can afford to waste. Once you been to this meet a few times, you will get the feel of how trustworthy people are and how reliable things being sold are.

 

[MrMaestro]

Thanks for the reply. Never heard of one?! They're like flea markets for computer parts. Surely it isn't just an Australian thing. Yeah I'm wary of getting dud parts, so i figure I might go a few times, and sellers who keep coming back are likely to be more trustworthy than the guy who comes once and never shows up again.

I wasn't thinking I'd get a HD from them because they're so cheap anyway. I was thinking of getting a case and PSU (separate of course), which I could afford to get okay ones from a shop, but if i can get em cheaper at a meet, well i'd be stupid not to (assuming they work properly).


Thanks,

MrMaestro

 

[CompTIA_Rep]

Well visually inspectable parts like cases and PSU's aught to be fine.

And in my area, we have those things for just about everything (most guns lol), just never seen one dedicated to PC parts... damn that would be nice.

 

[MrMaestro]

Lol guns, huh? I can just imagine hundreds of rednecks showing off all their prized shotguns and discussing how all the world's issues could be settled with them

Well you probably get by just fine since you have newegg, and the stuff they sell have warranties too.

 

[CompTIA_Rep]

Lol, never been to one of those myself... and I dont live in Texas either (redneck zone).


Hay, go shooting kangaroos with an AR40, might be fun. (is there a kangaroo season?)

 

[MrMaestro]

Haha not familiar with the AR40, but I don't think our gun laws allow anything other than sporting rifles.

No we don't have kangaroo hunting season, they're a protected species. Although the government organises a cull every once in a while in certain areas when their numbers get too high.

 

[CompTIA_Rep]

Ah.
Well the AR50 is a 50cal sniper rifle that is traded and purchased very often for rouge military use over seas... big scandal.


And I hear you guys are getting a huge drought, while we are getting the snow storm of the century.

 

[MrMaestro]

Yeah drought here is really screwing with our agricultural industry. Apparently one farmer tops himself every 3 days cos they have no crops and no money.

Plus we're on Stage 3 water restrictions here - not allowed to fill pools, wash cars, water the garden etc.

Yeah, it kinda sucks. I always kinda wondered what it would be like to have snow here. It'd be pretty cool (haha no pun intended, that was bad though ).

Oh and there was a scandal a month or two ago about some army sergeant who had been stockpiling ammuinition at his mum's house over the years, had thousands of rounds there. And also a dozen or so LAWs were stolen from the army too, found out about it when they did a stocktake a few months ago. Pretty scary really, one was supposed to be used in a drive-by of some guys house 8O. Hehe, you gotta admit though, that would be pretty cool to see.

 

[CompTIA_Rep]

Well last time it snowed (really actual snow) was 10 years ago as we are a desert too. But wow did it snow here.


I hear you guys also have sun level reports, where you must put on a specific amount of sunblock. Supid global warming... and global cooling, and global WTH ever.

 

[MrMaestro]

Haha this is so OT. But yeah the weather reports give a UV index, which is supposed to encourage people to use sunscreen and stay indoors etc when it gets to High or Extreme. Dunno if it actually does that much though. I think its all cos of the hole in the ozone layer.

The only news we tend to get about the US here is political stuff usually. Although the News Hour with Jim Lehrer, or whoever, is broadcast here. Ha, don't watch it cos its soooooo boring. Oh and NBC Today if I care to get up at 3 am.

 

[tool_462]

Nothing cool happens here, don't waste your time 😛

 

[MrMaestro]

Yeah well even less cool stuff happens here. Oh and if anybody does actually want to give me some tips, that would be great .

 

[fishmahn]

I haven't been to a swap meet for several years... but if they haven't changed much, then this advice is still good: You will find a lot of local and not-so-local retailers. There will also be a bunch of fly-by-night sellers. I make one pass through the place 'browsing' and making mental notes on who has what I want at what price and who looks reliable. Then I zero in on the ones I want and buy them.

If you're looking for new/nearly new stuff, stick to real B&M shops. You'll be able to tell them because they'll usually have flyers & ads with their real store address/phone on them. Also chat a little with the guy behind the table. That'll tell you more than anything else how reliable they are.

Mike.

 

[MrMaestro]

Awesome, thanks a lot man.