I have been listing some Commodore items on Yahoo Auctions since June 2017.
I decided to do this because I wanted a Commodore 128, but when I searched Yahoo Auctions, there was only one, it had a busted key, and the guy wanted about $1000 for it (it did come with a 1571, but still…). I reasoned that I could buy a Commodore 128 from the US and have it sent here for about 20% of that price. And I thought there may be some collectors out here that would appreciate a little competition in the market.
Reality is, not nearly as many people are interested in Commodore out here as I thought. But it’s been a good experience so far listing and being able to speak to local collectors.
If you’re in Japan and have a request for something, you can contact me directly.
Hi ! i just came across this site ! I live in Japan (20 years now) and have just got back into retro computing. I have been browsing yahoo auctions for sometime but I didnt know until this morning that you were the guy selling stuff on there ! Would you be able to answer a question ?? I have been trying to get a Commodore 64 but have come up empty – I was thinking of buying one from Germany on ebay (they are around 10,000 yen plus postage is cheap) – I do know its PAL plus 230v. So Do you think I could get away with using a power converter ??? WOW cant believe I found another C64 fan.
Hello! Thanks for the comment. What part of Japan are you living in now?
I’ve definitely cut back on my Yahoo Auctions activities a fair bit as interest seems to have declined. There seem to be two new people trying the same thing, but their prices are ridiculous. That was the very reason I started selling things here, because the very rare auction I saw was way too expensive. I had a good run and it helped me support my hobby. If I’ve bled the market dry and the people selling at the inflated prices don’t have anyone to sell to, then mission accomplished, I say.
As far as using a C64 in Japan, there’s no particular magic, you can try using an original power supply with, yes, a converter, not a simple plug adapter. A lot of people don’t trust the original power supplies anymore. Haven’t had a problem with them, myself, but for my own use and for testing machines, I do have an after-market PSU just to be on the safe side. There are also devices you can stick between your PSU and your C64 that can protect the C64 from the most common failure – voltage spike on the 5V line.
I have three non-functioning C64s I will be looking to sell, if you want to save on shipping, but it may be another couple of months yet until I fix them and am ready to sell.
Just found this comment. Thank you for taking the time to reply to me ! I will wait for you to fix your c64s (I would love to buy one) – shipping is ridiculous from overseas currently (almost the cost of the computer). So please take your time and I will buy one.