IBM Pingmasters are still available on Ebay

[Chyros]

OK. Anyone who has one... the doubles shot caps looks awesome. How big is that stem around? From what I have seen in pics and videos, wondering if you trim the cross supports underneath if they would fit a cherry mount. In that case, I would happily order one just for the parts... My parents live in the States. The last thing I need is stiff linear board, if I wind up not liking it, but them caps...

They are absolutely incompatible with Cherry MX, if that's what you're wondering .

[just_add_coffee]

My IBM "Pingmaster" arrived today. Obviously I can't use it yet, but I do like the layout as much as I thought I would.

One thing though: Pingmaster? Pffft. More like Pingapprentice! My un-floss-modded Model F XT is waaaaaaaay more pingy.

[cumwagondeluxe]

My IBM "Pingmaster" arrived today. Obviously I can't use it yet, but I do like the layout as much as I thought I would.

One thing though: Pingmaster? Pffft. More like Pingapprentice! My un-floss-modded Model F XT is waaaaaaaay more pingy.

Mine was supposed to arrive today, but for some reason UPS has been super weird with it. They called me like 2 times while it was in customs (It's a $25 keyboard, why the shit was it even being inspected in customs?) to ask whether or not it was for personal or business use (?) and if I had a customs broker or if they would need to clear it for me. Then, it was supposed to be out for delivery to my local UPS store today but I checked the tracking and it seems like they're refusing to drop it off there and instead want me to go to the local UPS warehouse for pickup.

I honestly can't comprehend how people online ever complain about <insert public postal service here>. I've literally never had an issue getting something from USPS/CanadaPost/HKPost/etc, yet it feels like every other time I get something in from UPS/DHL/FedEx they:

A) 100% make sure I get charged customs, whereas a USPS shipment might only have customs tacked on like 50% of the time tops
B) Charge an absolutely insane amount for "brokerage fees"
C) Don't have any sane options for payment or pickup. Seriously, it's $CURRENT_YEAR - why the tits can't I pay whatever customs are due online and have the item delivered to my local UPS store? They expect me to either pay by phone (???) or spend an hour+ of my time getting to their warehouse that's only open 6:30AM-9:30AM and 4:30PM-6:30PM on weekdays. What the hell.


Sorry, /rant over - had to vent at least a little, was super salty checking the tracking info today.

[just_add_coffee]

Vent! Let it out!!!

I've only been into mechanical keyboards for less than 6 months. I bought stuff, sold stuff, and never had a problem with a transaction.

Delivery has been a different story entirely.

[snuci]

UPS is something I deal with on a regular basis for anything over 75 lbs. I only use UPS for anything beyond what USPS/Canada Post will do. Be very thankful for Canada Post. They are excellent most of the time.

You can send a toothpick and you'll get charged Customs/brokerage fees from UPS. They asked you about business/personal so they could figure out what tariff to charge and had nothing to do with price. I've had computer sent to me that had no cost and I had to put a value of at least $40 or they wouldn't send it (mind you, shipping was probably $100 - $150 plus fees for that item).

What you might have done is asked if anyone else from Canada wanted one. I would have accepted and we could have split shipping/fees; maybe even with a couple others. Once in Canada, it's fairly cheap via Canada Post.

I did manage to grab a computer that had similar switches though. Any idea how old those keyboards are?

[Darkshado]

Two tricks when it comes to courier companies and brokerage.

1. When picking shipping from abroad, often times the next pricing tier up includes brokerage and it comes out much cheaper than paying « à la carte » for brokerage, plus you'll get your things faster.
2. Often, it should be possible to clear the package yourself, thus saving on brokerage altogether. This also applies to postal services.

[just_add_coffee]

Any idea how old those keyboards are?

There is nothing on the case or included in the package to indicate a date. If you find out, please let me know also.