I spent $180 on a "vintage" mechanical keyboard at a flea market in San Antonio and found out it was a $25 clone

Xena Jackson · 2026-10-09T19:50:03.427708+00:00

So last month I drove out to the flea market off Highway 90 in San Antonio, mostly just killing time on a Saturday, and this guy had a whole table of old keyboards laid out on a blanket. One of them was this beige brick with thick coiled cable and I swear it felt like holding a piece of 1980s office furniture. He told me it was an original IBM Model M and I handed over $180 in cash without even plugging it in, didn't test a single key, didn't check the label on the back. Got it home and started poking around and the sticker said it was made in 2004 by some company I'd never heard of, just a clone dressed up to look old. The click felt mushy and two of the keys stuck within a week, so I opened it up and the inside was all cheap plastic and a single sad little circuit board. I texted the guy and he just said "all sales final amigo" and that was that. Now I carry a tiny USB adapter in my car and test every single key before money changes hands, no matter how good the story sounds. Has anybody else got burned at a flea market like this, and do you haggle first or just walk if they won't let you test it?

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I spent $180 on a "vintage" mechanical keyboard at a flea market in San Antonio and found out it was a $25 clone | Dumb Money Moves - Guest Forum