I'd like to have this one just because the 12" factory conversion kit is so rare.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Original-1940s-RCA-8TS30-TV-Large-Tube-Conversion-/180597122336?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a0c6d6520

$200 Shipping? That should get it to you in one piece.

John

Not a chance!

"Standard Shipping (UPS Ground)"

It'd have to come in two parts or by Craters & Freighters to make it intact.

I'm not bidding, just window shopping.

That seems very well done. Is the HV cage or circuitry modified??

Is anybody goin' to BID !!!:thmbsp::no:

Is anybody goin' to BID !!!:thmbsp::no:

Not me. I'd love to see it rescued but I don't have room and I can't justify it

John

Hasnt anyone here had good shipping experiences with tv's?

You may never find the model you're looking for locally,so sometimes shipping may be your only choice.

Don't get me wrong,I worry too,but if the person selling it is a collector too and they pad the living hell out of it?

I've had one good experience and one bad. The bad one was a Motorola with a Bakelite case that was cracked to start with. The packaging was mediocre, the carriers handling barbaric. I have a major puzzle to reassemble.

The good experience was with Vintage Transport moving a combination console for me. They knew what they were doing and were very flexible in delivery. They also drove through horrible weather.

John

Ship 'em by bus. The best way, IMHO.

Hasnt anyone here had good shipping experiences with tv's?
There are so many variables that it's impossible to generalize. The way that a TV is packed makes a huge difference. So does the carrier. Some can safely be shipped with the picture tube in place. Others were never designed to be transported that way -- the picture tube was shipped separately from the factory -- and you'd be crazy to ship one without removing the CRT. Some, like my metal Hallicrafters T-54, have sturdy cabinets. Others have fragile Bakelite cabinets and should not be shipped without removing the chassis.

I have had generally good experiences shipping TVs, mostly because I was willing to pay an outfit like Craters & Freighters to pick up the item and build a custom crate (or crates). If you rely on a seller to pack an item, it can be a crapshoot. Years ago, my wife bought me a TV as a Christmas surprise. The seller did a lousy job of packing and it arrived with a broken cabinet and damaged chassis.

This 8TS30 is one whose picture tube should travel in a separate container.

Phil

I would never dream of someone shipping a console model,but what about late 50's tabletop models? Like the Fiberglass Silvertones and Motorolas?

Harry Posters site says he can ship most table tops for $35-$75 and I really like that Dualette.

Weren't most sets shipped back in the late fifties with picture tubes in place?

Craters and Freighters sounds expensive...

Yes, as I said, some can be safely shipped with picture tube in place.

Yes, Craters & Freighters is expensive.

Harry has been selling TVs for a long time and I would assume he knows how to pack them by now, but if you're concerned about that, why not simply ask him?

Phil

Hi Phil,
I wasn't really concerned about Harry Posters shipping methods because as you say,he's been at it a long time and specializes in vintage tv's.

I was only asking because it seems a lot of people are very apprehensive about shipping vintage tv's and make it sound like it's a 50/50 chance it's going to wind up damaged.I just wanted the input of the more experienced people here.

So far Ive had pretty decent luck,the last set I got that was damaged in shipping was a Predicta tandem.
The base and screen were shipped in seperate boxes,but the plastic lens was cracked in transit because the shipper ran out of bubble wrap and used newspaper to pad it out the rest of the way.

I had a Philco 48-700 with a 7GP4 CRT shipped. I paid for professional packing who just filled the cabinet with peanuts and put it in a box filled with more peanuts. However the packers knew nothing about loose or missing chassis bolts. The CRT was broken when I got it. I haven't been able to find another 7GP4 for it. Most of the online sellers I purchased from were not collectors. I usually try to drive to pick up a set. Luckily I have only had two CRTs broken during shipping. I actually broke the neck off a Dumont doghouse CRT carrying it from a Long Island New York basement to my car. There was no back on the set. The Dumont had been in the owners family since new and he was talking about how he appreciated me picking it up versus shipping it. I can still remember his face when we heard the CRT hisss and the CRT face turned black.

I've had six sets shipped to me with a 50% damage rate. Only one total loss though. The other sets all had good picture tubes and the cabinet damage wasn't that bad.

Admiral bakelite console #1 - Completely destroyed by UPS :tears:

Admiral bakelite console #2 - Cabinet, chassis and CRT well packed and shipped separately. Arrived without a scratch.

Admiral bakelite tabletop - A chunk broke off the cabinet.

Motorola VT71 wood - Arrived without a scratch.

Motorola bakelite tabletop #1 - Arrived without a scratch.

Motorola bakelite tabletop #2 - Chassis broke loose and damaged bottom of the cabinet.