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The guy at the flea market in Reno told me my $5 keyboard find was junk until he saw me type on it
Two weekends back I dug a clunky old IBM-style keyboard out of a milk crate at the flea market in Reno for $5, and I was pretty proud of myself until a vendor nearby looked at it and said "that's a paperweight, the switches are shot." I almost put it back, but I asked him to try it out. He pecked at it for about ten seconds and his face changed, then he admitted the keys were actually crisp and it was just dusty, not dead. That little exchange made me change how I buy old gadgets. I used to trust whoever sounded most sure of themselves and walk away from stuff, but now I bring a little cloth and some contact cleaner and test things right there before I decide. I also started asking "how do you know?" instead of just nodding along, which has saved me from skipping a few good finds. The keyboard is on my desk right now and types better than the one I paid $60 for. How do you all spot a dud versus a diamond when someone at a sale tells you it's garbage?
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