I’ve been after an IBM Personal Wheelwriter (LEXMARK 240v preferred) for quite a few years now. A recent search on “IBM 6781 typewriter” came up with this website:

Never look a gift horse in the mouth. An IBM Lexmark Personal Wheelwriter for $69.36 USD ($96.52 AUD) with free postage, when the same models on Etsy sell for hundreds of dollars not including postage?

If it’s too good to be true it probably is.

Hmm, I may have “difinatly” dropped a clanger by dropping money on this one.

Suckered in by “Australian Customer Support” contact details at the bottom of the page, I hit the “Buy it Now” button, even though the image file name did not bode well:

ibm-6781-personal-wheelwriter-for-parts-011.jpg

Neither did a subsequent authorisation to pay “Ying-Yi Furniture” the asking price.

An IBM 6781 Personal Wheelwriter sold by a furniture vendor? Not as unlikely as it sounds.

Still, I thought I’d better enquire about the nature of “Ying-Yi’s” business, but unfortunately my “Customer Support” email bounced back as undeliverable – unknown address error. Yep, maybe I should have tried that before ordering …

A fool and his money are soon parted. I know, but if that fool pays via PayPal, at least he stands some chance of a full refund. Which is what eventually transpired.

Only problem is, Ying-Yi now has my email address and may attempt to seek payback by other means.

Be wary.