People trying to sell stuff to computer stores

[Kogarashi]

That's why my old (some of them dead) computer parts are getting stripped down for bits and turned into a geeky chess set. I need a better way of getting some of the chips off the boards, though, since I'm lacking in just about any tool having to do with solder.

[MaseMan]

As far as the door to door solicitors, I remember we would get those when I worked in retail after college. The one I really remember came in on a slow day. This guy couldn't have been older than 20, and was wearing a really bad fitting suit (probably pulled it out of his dad's closet or found it at a thrift store).

He was toting an oversized duffle bag over his shoulder, and came up to my coworker and I. His pitch was that he was working for a company "test marketing" products. It was the stupidest assortment of "product" I've ever seen. Some tool kits, and some Disney books (the really thin flip kind you would read to your two year old). Probably some other junk I'm forgetting. When we asked him who he worked for, he only said "a Fortune 500 company." (When you don't get any specifics, you know you're dealing with a scammer).

We told him we weren't interested, and he asked if he could talk to the repair man who was on top of a ladder working on our store lights. We told him no and he quickly got the hint that he wasn't welcome and left. I just don't know where these people come from.

[TheSHAD0W]

You do know that a lot of computer monitors have a large amount of copper in them? $40+? Just pick it up, and if it's heavy, you've hit the motherlode.

As for 6 year old desktop computers, they are indeed still useful, though not worth much. There ought to be some groups in your area who will provide them to people who can't afford one. I recommend you give their info out for people to donate to.

[KellyHabersham]

Luckily, we don't get many people trying to sell us stuff. The occasional 'self-published' (read: photocopied and stapled) author wanting us to buy a book (though that spam comes through email now).

What we do get are people who want to donate any old crappy books or tapes they don't want anymore.

Grandma had a moldy box of paperbacks from the '80s in her basement? Sure, libraries LOVE moldy old paperbacks! You never see them on the shelves because they're always checked out, of course.

Textbooks only 20 years out of date? My gosh, the students we get in looking for a 3rd edition of a book they need the 15th for! They'll be thrilled!

Weeding out your VHS collection. Oh man. We just cleared our shelves of DVDs so we could put your crappy videos in. Seriously. And if we don't have room? They just fly out of our booksale, even at $15 a pop. High demand. Oh yeah.

I think a lot of that is from people not realizing what the library can/cannot use - saying this because I remember one of the church volunteers was talking about donating old magazines to the library I work at, and I had to explain to her that we can't use them........they can't be added to the collection, and they don't sell very well at booksales.

[Geek King]

Computer parts depreciate in value stupid fast. But really, unless you're actually a used computer store, why would anyone think you'd want to buy anything? -.-

True, but some parts can actually increase in value once they're phased out of the stores. I know certain types of RAM used to go for more than the original new price due to the collectors market, and sometimes people who are rebuilding an old computer for DOS gaming, or the like.

Heck, I traded an old working TRS-80 for ~$150 worth of videogames. The guy was a reviewer at a videogame e-zine, and had a bunch of old review copies laying around.

[Gravekeeper]

True, but some parts can actually increase in value once they're phased out of the stores. I know certain types of RAM used to go for more than the original new price due to the collectors market, and sometimes people who are rebuilding an old computer for DOS gaming, or the like.

Heck, I traded an old working TRS-80 for ~$150 worth of videogames. The guy was a reviewer at a videogame e-zine, and had a bunch of old review copies laying around.

I can see an old system of infamous repute like a TRS-80 or Commodore 64. Something with retrogaming appeal. But individual parts actually going up in value is extremely rare and I would imagine very very short lived ( fire sale after its discontinued ). I can walk into any used computer store around here and buy a bucket full of old ram for $5. Hell, I have half a bucket just laying around my house. There's even a store a few blocks from me that sells nothing but old ram and cpus. They don't have a single thing priced over like $20.

Ironically, I have a TRS-80 in the closet too.... -.-

[PepperElf]

we get that too where i work. especially now that we have a program in place for doing just that...

Thankfully most of it's been just ipods and cell phones.

However not everyone likes the offered price. If you didn't buy into the special program you get a lot less for your device. and if your device is fucking old, you get very little.

one older woman brought in a couple of devices... only to find out they were so old... i think one was worth 50 bucks tops, the other not even 20. hell i'm just surprised her stuff was even *on* the list in the first place.

but yeah, she declined the $. and wanted to know what her computer was worth...

in all honesty, we had to find a way to nicely tell her "it's worthless" cos we're not going to pay anyone for their 5 year old laptop. i think a coworker said she'd get more money selling it to someone else... but said it nicely.

[vikingchyk]

My father in law used to own a small corner store and the people he got in there..just wow. Anything from meats, shrimp, laptops, VCRs (then eventually DVD players/DVDs), Old baby forumula, food stamps, jewelry, ... yeah...anything. Most of the stuff was stolen too..

I was going to ask if anyone had ever been approached by meat sellers. I was once, at home years ago, and then recently some guy did this to the receptionist at my yoga studio - and she bought it! Same exact story, both times : Oh, I was backing out of [somewhere,] and I clipped the back of the refreigerated truck, and now the coolant is leaking - Woe! I'll never get back to my home base w/o it going bad - want to buy some meat for half price?

Hmmm, let me think... No.

[laborcat]

You do know that a lot of computer monitors have a large amount of copper in them? $40+? Just pick it up, and if it's heavy, you've hit the motherlode.

That would explain why when I put a couple old monitors out with my trash a while back, they didn't last more than a few minutes.

I have more old monitors in the garage. I don't know why I have so many. Debating now if I should just let the scrappers get them or take them somewhere myself. I could use some extra cash...

[Moon]

As far as the door to door solicitors, I remember we would get those when I worked in retail after college. The one I really remember came in on a slow day. This guy couldn't have been older than 20, and was wearing a really bad fitting suit (probably pulled it out of his dad's closet or found it at a thrift store).

He was toting an oversized duffle bag over his shoulder, and came up to my coworker and I. His pitch was that he was working for a company "test marketing" products. It was the stupidest assortment of "product" I've ever seen. Some tool kits, and some Disney books (the really thin flip kind you would read to your two year old). Probably some other junk I'm forgetting. When we asked him who he worked for, he only said "a Fortune 500 company." (When you don't get any specifics, you know you're dealing with a scammer).

We told him we weren't interested, and he asked if he could talk to the repair man who was on top of a ladder working on our store lights. We told him no and he quickly got the hint that he wasn't welcome and left. I just don't know where these people come from.

I did that for about a WEEK around 10-15 years ago. This particular company called themselves "Futures Marketing" at the time, but the same company has changed names several times since then. They had a generic help wanted ad "customer service, management, fun people wanted, etc.".

They actually expected us to show up in a suit and tie every day (and leave the tie on in the office.. to "promote a professional environment" if I remember right).

It was Commission only/1099 (contractor, not employee). Some things sold for $5, others $10... and they cost like $2-6, so we kept the rest. Between gas to get to other towns and lunch, I *LOST* money! (And this was when gas was around 95 cents - $1.15 a gallon! Yeah, I couldn't sell that crap for anything. We never went into RETAIL stores, though... just offices and such.

I also tried to sell knock-off perfumes/colognes for a similar company (again for about a week). Ironically, my current sweetie got involved with this same company at a different time as a recruiter-- she only stayed a month because the paychecks kept bouncing, and she realized how shady an operation it was.

And let's not forget the $1,000+ vacuum cleaner (rhymes with Furby). Almost got sucked into that until I realized I'd never make any money as who in their right mind pays that much for a sweeper. (apologies if anyone did)

ALL of these jobs sucker people in who can't find anything else. They refuse to give ANY details to applicants except in a "one-on-one interview", not even the NAME of the company! If you explicitly ask them if they are Futures Mktg or "unnamed sweeper company", the recruiters were instructed to flat-out LIE to you-- wasting your time and theirs, only to tell you they were that company after all when you went in. They also take everyone, and let people quit on their own when they realize it's a scam.

The salesmen in this type of situation are often victims too... The real scammers are the people running the operation.

[protege]

And let's not forget the $1,000+ vacuum cleaner (rhymes with Furby). Almost got sucked into that until I realized I'd never make any money as who in their right mind pays that much for a sweeper. (apologies if anyone did)

I can think of one entity that would pay that much for a sweeper. Remember in the 1980s...when our Dept of Defense got busted for paying $500 for a screwdriver?


Seriously though, quite a few of those jobs are on the "Amway" level. They take advantage of desperate people...and with the economy being what it is, seem to be multiplying lately. Amway (and its many iterations), Quixtar, and similar companies are legalized pyramid schemes. They apparently do sell some products, but they seem to put more emphasis in getting people to invest in the company. The more suckers you get, the more money you make. I know this...because I actually had an interview with Quixtar some years ago. At the time, they claimed to be looking for an "accountant."

After listening to the guy give his little speech, I did a little checking online. Call me paranoid, but something didn't seem right about the company. There was no mention of the 'products' that they supposedly sold, only more talk about getting people in. Sure enough, Quixtar had quite a few legal issues. He'd left me his personal phone number (not to mention his address)...both items were because he wanted his promotional materials back (gee, I wonder why!)

I got the last laugh--I forwarded the promotional items to my cousin. Why, you ask? Said cousin works for one of the "Big 3" TV networks, and she said that they were (eventually) going to run a story on similar schemes. Last I heard, the guy I talked to...was being investigated for fraud

[Moon]

I am biased a little in favor of Amway... the company is really full of good people (my area is practically built by them too). At least on the INSIDE of the company, like where the actual accountants work and the people who make the products. I worked there briefly several years ago myself, and I'd really like to get back in again someday as they're awesome to work for. I never tried to sell anything, though.

Some of their distributors, not so much. There have been several bad apples who have given the whole concept a bad name. How they get around the whole honesty thing I'm not sure. They are required to show documentation of how the company works. When registering a new person by phone, the first question is has this person read the standard form. This form shows exactly how much the average person makes, as well as potential earnings based on various performance levels. Most chains are up-front and tell people the whole truth.

I would never try to sell it, as I know I could never make any money doing it personally... but the COMPANY itself is a great organization and does a lot for their community as well as doing charity work in general.

Multi-level marketing plans in general target down-on-their-luck type people who are desperate. This is why most people fail at them. They are also a really good way to lose friends, as many who get into them are always nagging everyone they know to either buy the product/service or to join up themselves. Of course, if nobody was in this particular one, there would be a few thousand people out of work around here.

Ironically, they formed Quixtar for the US and Canada because of the bad press Amway got. Of course, many people still called them Amway (or added 2 letters to the front to show their opinion of the company) and nowa few years later it is all Amway again.

The pyramid / MLM distinction is a favorite topic of debate with my stepdad... he loves to say Pyramid while I hold firm to MLM. (Distinction is you have to SELL in an MLM.) Unless you're up the ladder quite a bit, you have to sell so much product yourself or you can't collect off your underlings.

And I do understand you're talking about the distribution end of things and not the "back end" that I first referred to.

[Andara Bledin]

I am biased a little in favor of Amway... the company is really full of good people (my area is practically built by them too).

I went to one of those big Amway meetings once, the kind in a huge area with thousands of attendees. The freaky cult vibe in the building was really disturbing. I felt like I needed to take a shower when I got home.

^-.-^

[sirwired]

Yeah, I think VHS is currently one of the "in" things with the hipster set.

I'm sure it's all kinds of fun sitting with your friends on your freecycle-sourced furniture, sipping PBR, and using your iPad to post trenchant criticisms of VHS Pee Wee Herman movies on Twitter.

[ITboykc]

I went to a Vector Marketing interview/training session. My scam detector was off the scale. The run-down, rented temp space, the "group interviews," and the almost propaganda-like training made me very suspicious. Not to mention all the glowing comments about them across the web. I left day 2. The office is no longer occupied, I cant imagine why.

VHS is coming back, what a joke. The ONLY way that could make a comeback is with DVHS, and that flopped, so I think its gone for good (except for a few enthusiasts, maybe)

Last thought - You wanna see people selling worthless junk? Look on craigslist in the electronics section. You'll be bound to see someone trying to sell their 52'' Projection SD Mitsubishi TV for $400. Almost makes me want to send them an email to laugh at them.