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Vintage DELL 316SX Desktop Sold for $3,000.00 ???

VintageComputerman

VintageComputerman

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Just checking ebay this morning and see this computer sold for $3,000.00 and the bidding looks odd to me.

Is something fishy going on here or what?

127e_1.JPG


Vintage DELL 316SX Desktop, w/AT101 keyboard & monitor
Item number: 250358583404

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250358583404
 
Why in the world would someone spend that much money on something sold by a ZERO feedback seller?

The only thing I can think of is someone has a contract to supply replacements or they need it for some special application that only runs on that old platform.

Doesn't look like shilling since both bidders have high feedback ratings but who knows. Maybe those buyers are trying to set up a third selling account.
 
Hijack

Hijack

Maybe the accounts got hijacked for some nefarious purpose ?
The first bidder hadn't bought anything in a while, the winning bidder bid on a lot of odd junk.
Or we're all missing something incredibly rare.
patscc
 
The first DELLs with the DELL logo came out in 1988, which is probably around the time of this machine. So could this be the first DELL series shipped?
 
I had one like that, there might be some truth to it being near the first as there was a VGA monochrome monitor labeled "PC's Limited" that came with it, but I can't be so sure.

Either way, that thing was not even worth $3000 when it was brand new in 1988.

Hmm....maybe I should go dig around some basements for old DELL computers.
 
Mad-Mike said:
I had one like that, there might be some truth to it being near the first as there was a VGA monochrome monitor labeled "PC's Limited" that came with it, but I can't be so sure.

Either way, that thing was not even worth $3000 when it was brand new in 1988.

Hmm....maybe I should go dig around some basements for old DELL computers.
Click to expand...

PCs limited was the original name dell used to sell machines. No, its not worth $3000 to me even if DELL signed it and it was serial 00000001. I expect that computer to be relisted soon.
 
Dell

Dell

They had 8088's, under a different label, but they started selling the System 200 series (286) and the System 300 (386) series before going to the named series.

Chuck(G)'s thought occurred to me as well, only I was to chicken to post it, not wanting to get in trouble for giving people ideas.

patscc
 
Unknown_K said:
PCs limited was the original name dell used to sell machines. No, its not worth $3000 to me even if DELL signed it and it was serial 00000001. I expect that computer to be relisted soon.
Click to expand...

I did not say it was worth that much, I was just debating on the age. Someone said the computer was not that old, however, then why did I have a PC's Limited Monitor with a DELL 325p?
 
Maybe I should put up my Dell System 310 up for auction for a BIN of $3500 :mrgreen:

I think it's older than this system sold here for that insane amount
 
eBay is the perfect money laundering vehicle. Consider that transactions are kept private, money is pretty much transfered on a cash basis. I suspect this system will show up again offered by the same seller because it was never sent.

I don't see why this surprises anyone.
 
Chuck(G) said:
eBay is the perfect money laundering vehicle. Consider that transactions are kept private, money is pretty much transfered on a cash basis. I suspect this system will show up again offered by the same seller because it was never sent.

I don't see why this surprises anyone.
Click to expand...


Maybe with ebay's new payment requirements, these types of sales will no longer be happening. No more cash, checks or money orders allowed.
 
Dell 316SX: the computer that first made Windows affordable.

Dell 316SX: the computer that first made Windows affordable.

Unknown_K said:
The first DELLs with the DELL logo came out in 1988, which is probably around the time of this machine. So could this be the first DELL series shipped?
Click to expand...

The Dell System 316SX was a landmark computer, but it was not the first to be branded Dell. We had shipped several systems under the name "Dell" by this time, although we had recently changed the name of the company from PCs Limited (in 1987) to Dell Computer, and had just moved our headquarters into the new office in "the Dell building" over on MoPac in Austin.

This was the right computer at the right time. Windows had just been released, but it would only run on '386 machines. The '386s that were on the market were all very expensive, and this situation was keeping Windows from taking off as Microsoft desired. Microsoft needed a cheaper platform to get Windows off the ground. They were encouraging the computer manufacturers at the time to produce a less expensive '386 computer for mass use. They had already worked with Intel to produce a '386 processor without a math co-processor, so it could be priced to be relatively inexpensive. Michael Dell authorized the project, code-named "Falcon," in 1988.

Our project team at Dell worked really hard to get this system finished in record time. At its release, the Dell System 316SX was the first 386-SX computer in production in the world. It had a 16 MHz clock, thus the name. As I said, '386 architecture allowed it to run Windows, unlike the '286 machines, and unlike the other '386 machines then on the market, the computer was priced to be very affordable. We were also able to introduce several cost-saving innovations at the same time that helped lower the sales price.

The thing sold like hotcakes. This was definitely the right machine at the right time.

When Intel a bit later came out with the 25 MHz version of the '386SX, so we revised the 316SX design in a project code-named "Peregrine," and called it the System 325. Project manager for both.
 
The auction seems to have been deleted. Maybe eBay figured out something was wrong.

Edit: Sorry about that. This thread popped up under New Posts, and I didn't catch that the original thread was three years old.
 
Last edited:
This thread is well over three years old. Ebay doesn't keep closed items around that long. And it probably was money laundering. I've seen weird things go for way way too much and that's the only logical answer.
 
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