My local Goodwill has always had some CRTs for sale, usually a half dozen or less, but today when I went in they were all over the place, I counted 29 of them in all different sizes.

I don't know if they're seeing more demand or they just had a bunch of sets to get rid of but they must be accepting them here.

The Mormon thrift a few miles away never has CRTs any more, except the occasional 5" set.

I am still saddened when that 19" Sears electronic tuning set showed up HERE, one from my child hood, and I couldn't afford to have it shipped to me. I never saw that set again. :(

I REALLY wanted that set, it was my fathers TV, he bought it after working delivering newspapers.

Your lucky seeing them Eric :)

The goodwill in this area does not take them...

One goodwill near me will sporadically have 1-3 CRT sets usually 13-25". It is in a city location, and the managers probably realized that there is a small market for those among local gamers.

Man, my goodwills never have tubes. Only the Christian School thrift store occasionally has CRTs, but usually only ever one ~19" with only RF input from the mid-late 80's. Usually not anything particularly interesting. Never even seen a portable set around here, either.

Our George Will doesn't accept CRT tee-vees... :no:

What often causes an onslaught of unwanted CRT sets around here is usually a motel changing over to HD sets and trying to give away a few dozen CRT models. Really hurts the market for those of us who are trying to sell a CRT set for a few bucks. Local Goodwill won't take CRT sets, but Salvation Army does, usually pricing them at $1 - hardly worth their time and effort in wrestling them around in the store.

Our George Will doesn't accept CRT tee-vees... :no:

I think ours doesn't, either, but it's not like I'd ever give away a CRT to find out myself :P

Our independent thrift stores technically do, but I regularly see dozens of tubes at the recycling center or dump, unfortunately. I've pleaded with them to try and let me take some of the more unique sets, but apparently once the items are dropped off at the recycling center, they're government property and it's a federal offense to take anything. Even my friend Ulysses S. Grant wasn't able to convince the guys running the show to let me pick through, if you catch my drift.

I have not been up to the goodwill here since February because of their price jack up.I'm glad that they let you take photos Eric.Here they gave me a dirty look when I was taking photos of the gear .I think they have no interest in CRT sets since I see most of the CRT set at the curb in the last few years.I remember my ex boss dumped about a dozen or more CRT computer monitors on them years ago when the company upgraded to flat screens and they take them in which was a shock to me as they accepted them.

I think ours doesn't, either, but it's not like I'd ever give away a CRT to find out myself :P

Our independent thrift stores technically do, but I regularly see dozens of tubes at the recycling center or dump, unfortunately. I've pleaded with them to try and let me take some of the more unique sets, but apparently once the items are dropped off at the recycling center, they're government property and it's a federal offense to take anything. Even my friend Ulysses S. Grant wasn't able to convince the guys running the show to let me pick through, if you catch my drift.
Pencil necks.

Most wouldn't know quality if it were applied with a sledgehammer, but once the latest technology they've demanded to have on the cheap goes belly-up a few dozen times, maybe they'll finally be convinced to drop a fiver on older TVs.

DVD piracy is a federal offense too, punishable by a nickel in the joint an a quarter-million fine, but does anyone ever see that law enforced? I certainly don't.

I am still saddened when that 19" Sears electronic tuning set showed up HERE, one from my child hood, and I couldn't afford to have it shipped to me. I never saw that set again. :(

I REALLY wanted that set, it was my fathers TV, he bought it after working delivering newspapers.

Can you give a description of that 19" Sears TV you're looking for? I have one made in 1984-85, non-remote Varactor tuned with 12 buttons arranged vertically along the right side. Fake wood grain cabinet and front panel. It's currently my daily watcher bedroom set and has vertical issues, but if I decide to part with it I'd save it if it's what you're looking for.

I try to take a walk at lunch, though I never know where my route will take me. Often I just walk around the parking lot in a shopping center. One day last week I walked around back of a Goodwill and watched a guy using a fork truck to mash and then toss in the dumpster a decent looking nightstand and set of shelves. It did not exactly encourage me to drop off any donations for his careful handling.

I don't think I've ever seen CRT TV or monitors at my Goodwill. Salvation Army, I might have seen them in the past but not any time recently. Not saying much as Salvation Army doesn't seem to get much of anything any more, not sure what happened but after the remodel about 10 years ago, it's hardly worth even stopping by. Habitat has several CRTs, but they don't seem to sell very well, seems to be the same ones whenever I go in.

I suspect in my area it's hard to even give a CRT away. I went to an estate sale recently. Second day of the sale and there's a huge Sony WEGA sitting on the floor with a big free sign on it. Obviously no takers. But the big LCD sitting next to it had a SOLD sign. Another sale some time ago, saw a 90s RCA 25" or so sitting in the bedroom, free sign too, last day of the sale and again no takers.

A few weeks ago I rescued a 1997 Trinitron from a thrift store dumpster. Left my number in case they ever see an older set.

Salvation Army here takes and sells CRTs but usually only one at a time, and not regularly.

I'm hoping a little combo unit with a VCR will show up but no luck yet.

I realize this post it old, but around here Spectrum Cable finally went 100% digital (as they had been threatening to do for years). Now I bet all the old CRT tvs will hit the curbs and goodwills since they need a cable box to work now.

LCD and LED newer sets still need a cable box on digital cable systems, per set.

LCD and LED newer sets still need a cable box on digital cable systems, per set.

They would not if spectrum had made the digital cable clear QAM, instead of making the dick move of going with encrypted QAM. Once I can figure out an online service that has the cable channels I want live and lets me own the box rather than renting (thanks for finding a new way to attack the wallet spectrum) my family is going to drop them.

The boxes they offer still do support the analog TVs.

...

Do they charge a monthly fee even for the simplest set top box? We don't have cable, so I'm not up to speed with the current state of things. My grandmother has a modern TV and Spectrum cable, and a few years back when they went digital in her area, she was required to install their converter box. It's a little bigger than a deck of cards, and has coax input and HDMI output. I can't recall if she has to pay a monthly fee for it.

Do they charge a monthly fee even for the simplest set top box? We don't have cable, so I'm not up to speed with the current state of things. My grandmother has a modern TV and Spectrum cable, and a few years back when they went digital in her area, she was required to install their converter box. It's a little bigger than a deck of cards, and has coax input and HDMI output. I can't recall if she has to pay a monthly fee for it.

Yup. No TV will work on cable without renting a box...It is the sleaziest scam I've seen from a utility co...There is a special hell waiting for the corporate bean counter that thought that up...I'd like to think they will spend their afterlife in an early Motel 6 with a coin box attached to everything even the floor (which will turn as hot as a frying pan if they don't feed the meter). :D

I remember when our Charter went all digital around 2012. I was using a 1983 Zenith 13" remote set at the time, and I remember coming home from school ready to watch TV, and BAM! Snowstorm.

Do they charge a monthly fee even for the simplest set top box? We don't have cable, so I'm not up to speed with the current state of things. My grandmother has a modern TV and Spectrum cable, and a few years back when they went digital in her area, she was required to install their converter box. It's a little bigger than a deck of cards, and has coax input and HDMI output. I can't recall if she has to pay a monthly fee for it.
It has a coax, channel 3 output as well.
Those bandits charge $4.00 per month, per box. :thumbsdn:

Comcast went all digital several years ago. We have the big box in the living room, and those little Motorola boxes in the bedrooms, we have to pay for all of them though. The bedroom TVs don't get as many channels as the living room TV. Sometimes if I'm watching an older set I wish we didn't have to have the box because I'd like to be able to channel surf with the original remote and not the cable box remote.

The living room cable box remote controls the TV volume and cable box and can be programmed for DVD or VCR. The bedroom units control their own channels and volume and can be programmed to turn the TV on/off only, but nothing else.

Comcast went all digital several years ago. We have the big box in the living room, and those little Motorola boxes in the bedrooms, we have to pay for all of them though. The bedroom TVs don't get as many channels as the living room TV. Sometimes if I'm watching an older set I wish we didn't have to have the box because I'd like to be able to channel surf with the original remote and not the cable box remote.

The living room cable box remote controls the TV volume and cable box and can be programmed for DVD or VCR. The bedroom units control their own channels and volume and can be programmed to turn the TV on/off only, but nothing else.


Time for a Harmony remote. I can't recommend them enough.

They would not if spectrum had made the digital cable clear QAM, instead of making the dick move of going with encrypted QAM. Once I can figure out an online service that has the cable channels I want live and lets me own the box rather than renting (thanks for finding a new way to attack the wallet spectrum) my family is going to drop them.

The boxes they offer still do support the analog TVs.

You won't find entire channels streaming live. You stream by program on streaming services, on demand. And subscribe to what networks you want. But you get to watch it on your schedule. ClearQAM is pretty much NOT supported. And to stream live TV continuously, better have a really generous data allowance with your ISP. Your live TV choices are antenna, satellite, or digital cable.

You won't find entire channels streaming live. You stream by program on streaming services, on demand. And subscribe to what networks you want. But you get to watch it on your schedule. ClearQAM is pretty much NOT supported. And to stream live TV continuously, better have a really generous data allowance with your ISP. Your live TV choices are antenna, satellite, or digital cable.

What about playstation vue IIRC they claim to offer exactly the service I describe. There are two reasons to want live TV, sports and cable news.

I don't do PlayStation Vue, but it might work for you. Fox news I avoid past their short radio newscast at top of hour. Sports networks I don't subscribe to.

I guess the conversation has shifted a bit away from CRT sets at goodwill. But my local goodwill does take them, but they can't sell them. So I asked why.

I was told that selling a CRT is a "liability". Basically they told me that they are afraid of potential fires, property damage, etc. Kinda odd. They told me they can't let me take any sets that would otherwise be recycled because of safety concerns. In my area they take all the CRT tvs from the two local goodwill stores (like 1 mile apart) and they put them on a truck and ship them all to a goodwill center of some sorts in Knoxville. From there all electronics are sorted. The good goes to Nashville, then to Goodwill.com for internet auctions. The bad or should I say "bad" goes to a recycling center in Knoxville.

Now taking E-waste is supposed to be illegal here as well, but at the local recycling center I do take stuff. I did it for a long time without knowing it was wrong (I mean, it's trash right?). The local center is odd though so I really do not know if there is a reason I have yet to get in trouble. A few months ago an employee sold someone a busted flatscreen for $5, and I helped them strap it to a sedan. He said it was going to get ground up anyways so why not sell it? More recently I pulled up and a little old man (WW2 vetern according to his hat) wanted a shop vac in the electronics section and was trying to lift a projection screen tv off of the hose. I helped him, got his vacuum out, and the employees saw. So is it illegal? Sure. But the ONLY places anyone cares are places where the employees get to pick through too. This is the experience I have had around Knoxville and Chattanooga. They pick through and get anything good which is why some places do have employees who hover and watch.

So IF you see something at the local e-waste just ask about it. If it is an old tube tv they'll think you're crazy, but usually you can get permission. If you don't want to ask just haul off electronics and in the shuffle trade your junk for other junk. Typically no one cares if you swap out junk. That is my experience dealing with differnet places and people though. All places and people are different so it really is hit and miss.

Good luck to all the scavengers!

Goddwills are usually nothing but ripoff places! Too high priced for my blood. Plus they never check anything out. St Vincent's are much better..at least they check everything out before it's sold. I've gotten several good sets from there and they've all worked! GoodWill??..Boy, you're taking a big gamble at that place!

Goddwills are usually nothing but ripoff places! Too high priced for my blood. Plus they never check anything out. St Vincent's are much better..at least they check everything out before it's sold. I've gotten several good sets from there and they've all worked! GoodWill??..Boy, you're taking a big gamble at that place!

Goodwills vary from place to place. Some overcharge, some never have anything but 15-year-old wallmart crap, others have great stuff dirt cheap...The ones near me are usually the latter.