Reason Lisa Mouse is So Expensive?

[wottle]

I have a chance to pick up a Lisa Mouse that was originally with the Lisa 2 I picked up earlier this year. I was looking on eBay and the prices are crazy. I am currently using one of my Mac Plus mice and it works fine, but I really would like to have the original keyboard and mouse. Is the value of that mouse really in the $300-500 range? I know eBay prices can sometimes be artificially high (listings at $500 or best offer), but the last one whole went for $550). I can get it cheaper than that, but just wondering why they seem to command such a premium?

 

[Certificate of Excellence]

Scarcity?

Because that is what someone is willing to pay for them online, so if folks are consistently willing to drop in the area of $3-500 for one, then one could argue that is their current Internet market value. New IRS internet sales regulations that hit the books in the US in 2023 are partly to blame for the increase in cost/value to you as well - sellers are passing that added cost to them, on down to you (hey we got what we voted for lol). The IRS absolutely screwed every American by reducing the internet sales report requirement from $20k down to $600 (because they're money grabbing schmucks) for online sales platforms, so if you can find a seller in the wild and not online, sellers would probably be very eager to do an in-hand cash transaction or trade for lower price that they/online sales platform would not be oligated to report to the IRS in the form of a 1099-k.

We've not been duped into a digital currency yet, so cash-in-hand is still king. I'd try to leverage that for a deal where the money math benefits you.

 

[JustG]

Having recently acquired a Lisa 2, without the mouse, I'm looking for one as well. I'm afraid I'll be putting out $500 for one. This computer has been a roller coaster of emotions. Finding one was a huge joy, learning what it's going to cost to get running and be complete is a bit shocking.

 

[Patrick]

I think part of it was that a lot of them was sold with the mac plus mouse. that is just a wild assumption i'm making. but when the inventory was sold to a 3rd party to sale teh remaining stock. i think they just sold the "Macitnosh XL's" with the Mac plus style mice.

So @JustG i would try to source a 128k/512k/plus style mouse. and use that.

You can still try to keep an eye out for the Lisa style mouse. but at least you would be able to use the machine with a mouse that is easier to get.

...
i'm pretty sure the Lisa mice have been hard to find get for like .. a very long time. like decades. so i doubt how much they are worth is from anything that happened recently.

 

[ScutBoy]

I was lucky and found mine 20+ years ago for $5 in a big bin of Mac mice at a used computer store.

Lightning can strike, but it's getting harder and harder for these old machines. At that time, Mac serial mice and non-ADB keyboards were basically "junk" along with 128K/512K Macs.

 

[JustG]

So glad a later mouse will work. That's definitely the plan use a 128/512/Plus mouse until a Lisa mouse finds me.

 

[Patrick]

When I was in my more heavy collecting phase 7 or so years ago. I could often find compact macs with keyboard and mice with them.

Now it seems like they never have keyboards and mice.....

anecdotally speaking...

 

[trag]

I think part of it was that a lot of them was sold with the mac plus mouse. that is just a wild assumption i'm making. but when the inventory was sold to a 3rd party to sale teh remaining stock. i think they just sold the "Macitnosh XL's" with the Mac plus style mice.

There is some evidence to support this hypothesis. Sun Remarketing was the company selling Lisa hardware forever and other Mac stuff. When they decided to close up they sold lots of 10 and 50 Mac Plus mice on Ebay. I picked up one or two of those. Sold them all for under $10 each. Sigh. Different days. But I guess I kept a lot of Macs going.