I must be the anti-Erco because I found what looks like a really bad eBay deal.

Martin_H

Unless I'm missing something here's an eBay seller charging over 2x what Sparkfun is charging for a better version of the product!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Aluminium-Alloy-Robot-Clamp-Gripper-Mount-kit-for-MG995-Servo-Arduino-Robot-/290955204908

A better version of the product on Sparkfun costs $12: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11524

erco

Do you have a "333" birthmark?

Duane Degn

Martin_H wrote: »

Unless I'm missing something here's an eBay seller charging over 2x what Sparkfun is charging for a better version of the product!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Aluminium-Alloy-Robot-Clamp-Gripper-Mount-kit-for-MG995-Servo-Arduino-Robot-/290955204908

A better version of the product on Sparkfun costs $12: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11524

Just wait 'til they sell it one screw at a time.

erco wrote: »

Do you have a "333" birthmark?

That's weird you ask about numerical birthmarks. I have three nines on my hand.

Tor

Comparing prices w/shipping included makes a difference.. ebay comes out ahead for me. Not that I need that part, just adding a data point.

-Tor

Martin_H

erco wrote: »

Do you have a "333" birthmark?

Nope, but I do have 0xDABBAD00.

Tor wrote: »

Comparing prices w/shipping included makes a difference.. ebay comes out ahead for me. Not that I need that part, just adding a data point.

Ah, that makes sense, but within the US Sparkfun's shipping is around $5.00.

skylight

erco wrote: »

Do you have a "333" birthmark?

Duane Degn wrote: »

That's weird you ask about numerical birthmarks. I have three nines on my hand.

As this is an electronics forum shouldn't that be 555?

Martin_H

skylight wrote: »

As this is an electronics forum shouldn't that be 555?

Man I wish I thought of that comeback.

erco

Before anyone orders one, I have ten of the original gripper units for sale. Got a bulk buy. Let me find them and let's make a deal!

PJAllen

What's Jay got in the box that he's bringing down the aisle now?

erco

@PJ: Thanks for playing! Under Jay's box is a deal even worse than Martin_H's original costful claw: A $1900 Maxx Steele robot from 1984! Shipping is just $111! No charger!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/IDEAL-MAXX-STEELE-FUNCTIONING-REMOTE-CONTROL-ROBOT-WITH-BOX-AND-MANUALS-NICE-/190777157193?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c6b346649

Info: http://theoldrobots.com/maxx.html

Feel free to add your own "worst robot deals" here...

NWCCTV

Before anyone orders one, I have ten of the original gripper units for sale. Got a bulk buy. Let me find them and let's make a deal!

You have my interest!!!! Are the ones you have the same as in the video? How much for a couple of them shipped to 98003?

NWCCTV

@erco, Which Servos are you using on these?

erco

IIRC, that's a Hobby King HXT900 9-gram servo. It was superglued (CA'ed) in place, none of the holes lined up with any servo I had. A metal gear 9g servo would probably be a better choice for durability.

NWCCTV

Yea, After tinkering around with it I figured some sort of glue must have been used. That being the case, I will probably just modify and glue a standard servo to it.

erco

This $5.43 lm317 module also looks to be a conspicuously bad deal, especially for a notoriously inefficient linear (AKA space heater) regulator.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-Linear-Converter-Buck-Step-Down-LM317-Low-Ripple-Module-Power-Supply-/400571776878?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d43f03f6e

GordonMcComb

Is this the Dagu gripper, or a rip off? (Not that the original was very good, sad to say -- it had promise but the execution could have been better.)

I seem to remember that a GWS Park L servo fit the Dagu sample I received. If I run across the gripper I have in the next day or two I'll check it.

Most of Dagu's little robots with small servos use one labeled simply as "DG Servo 8g." Probably a house brand (Dagu does not make their own servos.) It's possible that the Dagu gripper was made for these. Of these servos, they're made with a transparent dark blue case, and the internal gears strip fairly easily if back-driven. It's probably better to use a more robust servo, and glue it in place.

Martin_H

GordonMcComb wrote: »

Is this the Dagu gripper, or a rip off?

I'm not sure, it certainly looks like the Dagu gripper, but the price is way more than other stores.

Martin_H

In my ongoing effort to locate the worst deals on eBay, I present an overpriced RP6 robot:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RP6-intelligent-car-chassis-C-C-programming-education-robot-tank-model-/380774400974?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item58a7ec43ce

That robot is basically a $50 chassis, a few sensors, an H bridge, and an ATMega MCU. It's also a full $36 over the nearest competitor:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Global-Specialties-RP6V2-C-Programmable-Robotic-Vehicle-/191052083154?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c7b976fd2

which also strikes me as overpriced.

WBA Consulting

I think the all-time winner for an overpriced robot was the Elektor Proton at $1745, or assembled at $2375.

Martin_H

I just hit my personal best on eBay bad deals.

The first is the runner up. It's a TAB Sumobot new in box which sold for $30 on a closeout five years ago. But the seller wants $268!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PARALLAX-BS2-PROGRAMMABLE-REMOTE-CONTROLLED-SUMO-BOT-KIT-BRAND-NEW-IN-BOX-RARE/261412760677?_trksid=p2047675.c100010.m2109&_trkparms=aid%3D555012%26algo%3DPW.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D19852%26meid%3D5250005008629667848%26pid%3D100010%26prg%3D8938%26rk%3D5%26rkt%3D24%26sd%3D261409058859

My new all time record are a pair of Chumby compatibles from Best Buy. For background these were selling for $30 and $100 new about four years ago, but since then the Chumby company closed their doors and shut down their servers. These devices remotely boot their GUI firmware to load applications from the Chumby servers. So without those servers these devices are clock radios now. The seller wants $300 or best offer:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Insignia-Infocast-NS-DP3CH-3-5-Internet-Media-Display-Brand-New-Chumby-/171254301961?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27df8d4509

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Insignia-Infocast-NS-DP8CH-2GB-Wi-Fi-8in-Black-Brand-New-Chumby-/171254302011?pt=US_Tablets&hash=item27df8d453b

Wow.

RS_Jim

erco wrote: »

Before anyone orders one, I have ten of the original gripper units for sale. Got a bulk buy. Let me find them and let's make a deal!

Did you find them? If so what is your deal?
Jim

erco

RS_Jim wrote: »

Did you find them? If so what is your deal?

$9 each plus postage, exactly what I paid. Think I have 2 left.

erco

Bad deals:

This is pretty sad: $4 for a microswitch on a "breakout board" with header pins: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Model-Robot-Car-helicopter-Crash-Collision-Sensor-Board-Module-Kit-f-Arduino-DIY-/380818534718?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item58aa8db13e

Or an $8 breakout board for a stereo jack: http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-5mm-Stereo-Jack-Terminal-Block-PICAXE-Breakout-Board-/390281203694?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5ade928fee

Martin_H

I think the stereo jack is much worse because it has $4 shipping to add insult to injury.

RS_Jim

And you guys complain about RadioShack prices!
Jim

mindrobots

Martin_H wrote: »

My new all time record are a pair of Chumby compatibles from Best Buy. For background these were selling for $30 and $100 new about four years ago, but since then the Chumby company closed their doors and shut down their servers. These devices remotely boot their GUI firmware to load applications from the Chumby servers. So without those servers these devices are clock radios now. The seller wants $300 or best offer:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Insignia-Infocast-NS-DP3CH-3-5-Internet-Media-Display-Brand-New-Chumby-/171254301961?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27df8d4509

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Insignia-Infocast-NS-DP8CH-2GB-Wi-Fi-8in-Black-Brand-New-Chumby-/171254302011?pt=US_Tablets&hash=item27df8d453b

Wow.

I actually have these. I should follow this and see how they do. If there's one born every minute, maybe I can catch one or two!!

erco

Check this seller's prices on Ebay for Parallax goods. Wanna buy a BS2 for $81? Quickstart for $56? BoeBot for $218?

http://stores.ebay.com/buccaneerbarque/_i.html?_nkw=parallax&submit=Search&_sid=714928919

Martin_H

erco wrote: »

Check this seller's prices on Ebay for Parallax goods. Wanna buy a BS2 for $81? Quickstart for $56? BoeBot for $218?

http://stores.ebay.com/buccaneerbarque/_i.html?_nkw=parallax&submit=Search&_sid=714928919

Wow, I have to wonder what he's thinking.

MrBi11

I had a friend, to prove to me their is one born every minute, googled "Free Laptop" then for a $2.00 buy it now option.
Posted it on Evol-bay. so for two bucks he'd email you the URL to possibly win a free laptop from a site he googled.
After getting 10 sales in one day he took it down.