C15 cassette tapes

edited July 2010 in Sinclair Miscellaneous
I was just wondering what people's thoughts were about the size of the market for C15 computer cassettes?

I have just been contacted by someone who used to run a computer shop in the 1980s and he has a large stock of these around the house, still sealed.

Are people still needing these, or will they just sit around my house?
Post edited by rwap on
Supporting Sinclairs since 1986 !

www.rwapsoftware.co.uk
www.sellmyretro.com

Comments

  • fogfog
    edited July 2010
    why would I need tapes when I have a divide + ;)

    :) might be nice IF they aren't labelled if maybe some new games were made.
  • LCDLCD
    edited July 2010
    Maybe Cronosoft needs them? I think, they are excellent for selling homebrew software. I was looking around for them very long, but now I have a large Stock of TDK C15 here.
  • edited July 2010
    i have loads with games on i may chuck out............with the advent of the likes of wos, new technology and being able to buy speccy games cheap i dont really need all the old copies
    Professional Mel-the-Bell Simulator................"So realistic, I found myself reaching for the Kleenex King-Size!" - Richard Darling
  • edited July 2010
    Were these any better than audio tapes or was it just a marketing ploy like audio/data CDs nowadays?
  • edited July 2010
    brownb2 wrote: »
    Were these any better than audio tapes or was it just a marketing ploy like audio/data CDs nowadays?
    just the same but shorter length wernt they?
    Professional Mel-the-Bell Simulator................"So realistic, I found myself reaching for the Kleenex King-Size!" - Richard Darling
  • edited July 2010
    rwap wrote: »
    I was just wondering what people's thoughts were about the size of the market for C15 computer cassettes?

    I have just been contacted by someone who used to run a computer shop in the 1980s and he has a large stock of these around the house, still sealed.

    Are people still needing these, or will they just sit around my house?

    I'd say if you could get them cheap enough they'd be worth getting...If I'd been in the UK I would have bought 10 or 20 myself.

    Depends how much he wants for them I suppose.
  • edited July 2010
    brownb2 wrote: »
    Were these any better than audio tapes or was it just a marketing ploy like audio/data CDs nowadays?

    Better because on longer tapes C60 C90 etc the tape stretches over time easier...and as any naughty schoolboy remembers then games near the end of the C90 your mate made for you never worked!
  • edited July 2010
    Well judging by the literally 1000s of tapes on offer it would indeed have to be a bargain price to make it worth-while the petrol money to fetch them!

    If they are unlabelled, then I agree, there may be some value - I can't believe that they get listed on ebay at ?2.50 each !! However, I think I would end up storing them for 10 years and then disposing of them all - even if all the active users on here bought 10 tapes for ?5, I doubt that would make even the slightest dint in the pile (he is talking about 40,000 tapes!)
    Supporting Sinclairs since 1986 !

    www.rwapsoftware.co.uk
    www.sellmyretro.com
  • edited July 2010
    I bought 20 recently on a "just in case I need them" basis @ 5p each from Boffer but they don't appear to have any left now. That would mean there is at least a big enough market for them to sell out.

    Mind you I could have bought all of them and left a trail of frustrated tape fiends out there, who knows.
  • edited July 2010
    rwap wrote: »
    Well judging by the literally 1000s of tapes on offer it would indeed have to be a bargain price to make it worth-while the petrol money to fetch them!

    If they are unlabelled, then I agree, there may be some value - I can't believe that they get listed on ebay at ?2.50 each !! However, I think I would end up storing them for 10 years and then disposing of them all - even if all the active users on here bought 10 tapes for ?5, I doubt that would make even the slightest dint in the pile (he is talking about 40,000 tapes!)

    Thanks for the email Rich - if the seller IS who I think it is, prepare for some haggling... (and for god sake don't accept a cup of tea....)
  • edited July 2010
    C15 tapes might be better quality than longer tapes, but that only matters if your C90 tapes are really bad quality. IMO the only relevant issue is that they rewind faster, making them easier for essential / often-used programs.

    Which might be useful today, if you use tape at all - if so, chances are you'll want to load something, but use other storage to keep the rest of your Spectrum software collection (flash cards, .tzx's/snapshots etc. on PC, a few original tapes). "long enough, but no longer" would be optimal then.
    I have just been contacted by someone who used to run a computer shop in the 1980s and he has a large stock of these around the house, still sealed.
    Sucker! :-P Just buy for personal use, any more & you'd just be swapping money for something that's near-impossible to get rid of.
  • edited July 2010
    Thanks for the discussion, it just goes to show that even the Speccy has now really moved out of the era of cassette tapes and reinforced my own theory that there is no market for these (well certainly not to warrant buying in that quantity - even if it's for 1p each!)

    Chaosmongers has hit the nail on the head about who it is with these tapes in store :-)

    I will pass on this opportunity and let them be consigned to landfill I guess.
    Supporting Sinclairs since 1986 !

    www.rwapsoftware.co.uk
    www.sellmyretro.com
  • edited July 2010
    Anyone needing good quality tapes in bulk could do much worse that contact Tapeline.

    Cronosoft bought in 200 new blank tapes last December, with library cases, for ?66 delivered.

    www.tapeline.info
  • edited July 2010
    What about the cassette cases. I expect more people would be interested in new cassette cases than the tapes themselves.

    Just a thought.
  • fogfog
    edited July 2010
    yep, thats the problem I have with tapes.. and when I list stuff on ebay I make sure folk know its only the tape/inlay they are bidding on mainly.

    but getting em off music tapes etc.. is another option i guess
  • edited July 2010
    I'd still contact Tapeline as per my earlier post - they supply tape cases.
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