A sucker born every minute on ebay

[minerpumpkin]

That's a sharp markup right there. I remember times back in 2013 when the block erupters went for 150-200% their BTC value on eBay... Crazy times, really! And I bet the resellers of those made a killing back then buying them in bulk from ASICMiner and selling them to people all over the world.

[bgibso01]

That's a sharp markup right there. I remember times back in 2013 when the block erupters went for 150-200% their BTC value on eBay... Crazy times, really! And I bet the resellers of those made a killing back then buying them in bulk from ASICMiner and selling them to people all over the world.

It was good in the beginning, but then got rather competitive so very little markup.  After fees and such, you'd make a buck or two on each one by the time it caught on.

[PuertoLibre]

I find it completely ridiculous that people are still buying Antminer U1's and U2 for about $10 to $15 each on Ebay.  
$10 for a miner that does 2GH/s.  At today's difficulty (if it doesn't increase again), they can stand to make about 5 cents in a year! LOL

Here's a link that show the U1's and U2's that have been sold on ebay recently:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=antminer+u1&LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1&rt=nc

well some people get free ebay money in the form of ebucks and they can buy a few sticks and attach them to a pc at work that gets free power .

So cost is zero.  at zero cost why not.

There is no such thing as free power in your context. That is called theft and misappropriation of employer resources.

[alh]

I find it completely ridiculous that people are still buying Antminer U1's and U2 for about $10 to $15 each on Ebay.  
$10 for a miner that does 2GH/s.  At today's difficulty (if it doesn't increase again), they can stand to make about 5 cents in a year! LOL

Here's a link that show the U1's and U2's that have been sold on ebay recently:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=antminer+u1&LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1&rt=nc

well some people get free ebay money in the form of ebucks and they can buy a few sticks and attach them to a pc at work that gets free power .

So cost is zero.  at zero cost why not.

There is no such thing as free power in your context. That is called theft and misappropriation of employer resources.

In general I have to agree with this. If you have talked with your employer and gotten the green light, then go right ahead. Otherwise proceed with extreme caution. Many employer's take a really dim view of running a Bitcoin miner on the company dime. You might well find them more sympathetic to using paper and pens for your kid's art project. Just my $.02 on the matter.

[Meech]

U1 and U2 sheesh was going to hook up my block erupters just for the light show , now I feel stupid.

[pak13]

I supposed these $10 U2's are one of the cheapest ways to get your feet wet on the Bitcoin madness.
Any serious mining rig is going to cost some serious bucks. At $10 a pop, it's a nice educational tool for someone to get a taste of what Bitcoin mining is about.

When I had a small mining farm (12 Antminer S1's) in the garage, my kid asked me what are all those machines doing? (lots of blinking lights, fan noise, and heat). I couldn't explain it the way a young person could understand. So I gave him an explanation that isn't exactly true, but easily understandable:
"You know how people have solar panels on their houses to generate electricity? Electricity costs money. So if they generate electricity themselves, they make making money. These Bitcoin machines are kind of similar. When they are running, they are making money."

One of the quickest ways ... (for today's gen with short attention spans)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc2en3nHxA4

[beaknuke]

A USB powered device normally is silent and just having one is a stepping-stone to learning hardware miners before you go bigger!

Crazy money you might say, but educational!

[richardamullens]

There is no such thing as free power in your context. That is called theft and misappropriation of employer resources.

I don't think an employer would make a big fuss about an Antminer U2.  After all it is about 3W - about £3 per annum.

Of course something using 500W is another matter

[SimplisticStu]

I bought 2 x USB 330mh/s sticks just for the fascination and to see if I could set it up with CG Miner on a solo mine and I did!! Obviously they are not running now but I am running 1.5 TH/S at slushpool. Point being, those 2 USB sticks introduced me and hooked me in :-)

[volosator]

Thank you very much for pointing it out!
I have some legacy hardware I'd like to sell.

[TheRealSteve]

I don't think an employer would make a big fuss about an Antminer U2.  After all it is about 3W - about £3 per annum.

Very much off-topic, but employers usually see this more of a liability issue than one of consumed resources.

Back on-topic - don't forget that this board has a marketplace as well.  Depending on the miner, you can get a good price there for items you want to sell for those who don't want to mess with ebay; and you can always list at both places.

[Reynaldo]

Its normal, before i get into buying antminer s3 i wanted to buy an usb miner and try it out..just to get the "feel" of bitcoin mining.