okay, so I gotta vent and would like your input if I was in the wrong. I saw a mid to late 80's System 3 on Craigslist here in Omaha. Kind of a cool set, and the screen shot looked good. They wanted $100.00 which for me is steep on a "newer" set, so I emailed and asked if they would take $50.00 or perhaps trade for a 17" LCD monitor that I am getting ready to list. Here was their reply " Thank you for your reply, but no. I already have a 19” flat panel monitor so don’t need that. You have not even seen the television so to offer me ½ of what I am asking is not going to work. If I took $50 for it I would rather give it to a charity and get the tax deduction. Thanks for asking." Well..... I got po'd and should have dropped it there, but I HATE those people who take offense if you try to discuss price. So here was my reply. " no need to be a jerk about it. I used to sell those new and when you can get a new 27" for $150.00, asking $100.00 is a tad steep for a set that's 20 years old.. Since I doubt you will get any offers with it priced so high, perhaps you should give it to charity." and finally.... his reply to me " I’m not being a jerk about it. As a matter of fact you are the one who is being quite the jerk by having the nerve to insult someone with a 50% offer before you even see it. And the key word is USED to sell those new from you last email. And true you can buy a new 27# tv for $150 if you want some cheap piece of Chinese made crap. In addition, someone with half an ounce of intelligence would not compare something with a solid wood cabinet to a plastic piece of crap.



I would give it to charity rather than sell it to you at twice the price. Get a grip and quit trying to steal things from people. You might also get further if YOU aren’t the one insulting them from the first contact. Don’t contact me again as you are now on my “ignore” list in e-mail." I'm laughing at this point. Jeezzzzz talk about "sensitive" I got ticked because I hate the answer "I would rather give it to charity than sell it to you for less than I'm asking. I have a general rule that I will not pay over $50.00 for a solid state console. ESPECIALLY one from the era when Zenith started going down the tubes. I do agree with him about the point of new TV's being plastic pieces of crap, but unless you collect like we do I doubt ANYONE is going to offer $100.00 for a console set. So what do you guys think? Here is the link by the way.... http://omaha.craigslist.org/ele/196611122.html perhaps if you want a laugh, email him and offer him LESS than $50.00 and see what reply you get. LOL!

I don't think he'll even get another offer for 50$ for that set, I see system 3 era Zenith consoles on the curb all the time, people can't give them away. I will say that I like that console better than the ones you usually see with all the plastic fake wood on them. The most I ever paid for an 80s Zenith was 20$ at a thrift store (for a 25" 1983 metal cabinet table top set with the space commander), and I remember almost not getting it, but I'm happy I got it, I watch it all the time, I'm watching it right now. It has been developing a bit of a minor problem lately though, the picture always has a bit of snow in it, even if I'm watching a DVD, but it's really only noticible when the picture is black or dark, but with what little I know about solid state sets I don't think I will mess with it unless it gets worse.

I don't think he'll even get another offer for 50$ for that set, I see system 3 era Zenith consoles on the curb all the time, people can't give them away. I will say that I like that console better than the ones you usually see with all the plastic fake wood on them. The most I ever paid for an 80s Zenith was 20$ at a thrift store (for a 25" 1983 metal cabinet table top set with the space commander), and I remember almost not getting it, but I'm happy I got it, I watch it all the time, I'm watching it right now. It has been developing a bit of a minor problem lately though, the picture always has a bit of snow in it, even if I'm watching a DVD, but it's really only noticible when the picture is black or dark, but with what little I know about solid state sets I don't think I will mess with it unless it gets worse.

Well, it seems like the people selling the set were kind of snooty, saying they have a 19 inch LCD monitor and all. I think they deserved it. As to System 3's, I keep my eyes open for them on curbs since I have one myself as a daily watcher.

Console TV's seem to be almost impossible to sell even at thrift stores from what I have seen...even for $10 or $15 they don't seem to sell. (I have enough modern consoles and that seems to be almost all that's available recently so I haven't been buying them).

Speaking as someone that buys/sells a lot of bigger ticket stuff;

I usually won't won't bother with people who start the conversation with a lowball offer. I fully agree that $100 is nuts for that set, but a few years ago, $100 was a fair price for a working color set. Since he's not asking $500 for a "eames-era-collectable", he's probably not a nutcase, just a decade out of date regarding price. It's better to begin with a few simple questions before you get down to the price. You catch more flies with honey...

If that was me, I would have started with a few comments like "That's a good looking set. Electronics is my hobby, so that's why I'm interested. However, stuff from the 80s hasn't really caught on yet, and I usually find them for around $50... Would you consider an offer?" That way you put the ball in his court and he won't put your e-mail in the trash.

When nobody is interested, he might reply to you just to get it out of the way.

That's a strategy that usually works for me.

Well.... I just threw out an offer. They did say they were moving and I doubt anyone will buy the set at that price. He could have just said "No, I really would like to get $100.00", instead of the "I'll give it to charity before I'd sell it for $50.00" Those kind of people PISS me off. I guess I'm "sensitive" to that from helping out in the local "thrift/consignment store in my hometown. We would have people try to bring in sets of the most god-awful ugly furniture, and ask how much Phyllis (the owner) would give for it. When she would say somthing like $75.00 thaey would just go off with " I paid $1500 for this at Ethan Allen. And Phyllis wouldn't bat an eye when she would reply. Well yes.... 25 years ago, but customers aren't buying anything in crushed velvet with with peacocks on it at this time. It would cost too much money to haul to the dump when it doesn't sell. Hell... I had 2 console tv's listed for free on Craigslist, and I only got 1 reply and they didn't want it when they found out it wasn't cable ready. I suppose I should be glad he didn't accept my offer. I really don't need another console around here.........

jstout66,

Even though I agree the price is out of line, I just didn't read taking offense into his first reply. I think if you had said "Sorry you can't consider a lower price. As a collector, I think you won't find any takers at the price you are asking, but good luck anyway!", this whole exchange might not have gone so sour (and not accomplished anything, by the way). And after he found out you were right, he might reconsider your offer instead of slamming the door.

Sorry - end of lecture.

The seller was a jerk, he should have simply said no thank you.

As for the set, he'll be lucky if he doesn't have to give it away.
I'm seeing more and more nice later model sets at the thrift stores for cheap, $30-$50 on average.
People are dumping them in favor of new big screen HD sets I think.

He's a jerk. I got an email from him with another Craigs List posting on a TV. The set was listed at $50.00 and he suggested I piss of that seller by offering $25.00. What a whack job.

Sounds like he's a REAL Horse's Patoot...Bet he's the chairman of his local Homeowner's Association, & takes his job VERY seriously....

It seems that suddenly the local classifieds, yard sales & flea markets are awash in late model black boxes. Everyone is trading up & even a 5 year old tv is nothing but the lining for the parrot cage. 20 years ago a clean console could sell for $150-200 with even broken ones sometimes selling for a hundred. Lots of folks are out of touch, though. The bottom fell out of that market years ago. I won't touch a solid state console because I couldn't give it away.

I think Carmine has the best take on the situation. It's good to keep the doors open for a future transaction. Just bite your tongue and smile knowing that this guy is going to have to eat his tv set to get rid of it.

Sometimes you just have to be cool minded and patient when attempting to obtain vintage electronics from people (especially the original owner). Now and then I find myself in the same situation as you, try not to act too excited about finding the item or make sudden lowball offers. It took me 4 months of being nice and inquiring about an old 1966 GE console I wanted, finally the guy gave in and sold it to me!($100 less than what he was asking) He was getting ready to donate it to the local charity...
Actually, he was a very nice man but as Carmine said about 10 years off on the pricing.

It seems that suddenly the local classifieds, yard sales & flea markets are awash in late model black boxes. Everyone is trading up & even a 5 year old tv is nothing but the lining for the parrot cage. 20 years ago a clean console could sell for $150-200 with even broken ones sometimes selling for a hundred. Lots of folks are out of touch, though. The bottom fell out of that market years ago. I won't touch a solid state console because I couldn't give it away.

I think Carmine has the best take on the situation. It's good to keep the doors open for a future transaction. Just bite your tongue and smile knowing that this guy is going to have to eat his tv set to get rid of it.

And dumps are full of them too.I have people telling me they see whole trailerloads of them at the dump.All sizes.Directview floor model tvs are especially unwanted these days especially 25"-27"I had seen a few at sell at auction for I think $27.50 at the most.And that was ones with perfect cabinets.I had one that belonged to my stepfather's father who passed away.The lady that lived with him kept a lot of knicknacks on top and the top had a few scratches and it was the 25" size,much more unwanted than the 27".It was a Sentry 2 from the early 90s and the tube was still good.I couldn't sell it at the flea market.They couldn't get a lousy $2 bid at a local auction playing with a vcr hooked up 2 weeks in a row while another console not even plugged in sold both weeks.Took it to Wilson's auction in Lincoln,DE where they have a separate tv section.Didn't sell there.I just left it.Don't know whether it was scavenged for free or put in the dumpster.We refuse tvs at the shop all the time now.I won't take a tv under 35"screen(used to be a 32")old for free.I don't do the flea market anymore where I practically had to beg people to buy a used tv after they opened a Walmart nearby and personally can't give them away.I do find people that can't afford or don't want the flat tvs and will buy a used large screen tv.I love my Zenith Advanced System 3 console from 1985.I've had it beside many modern tvs and the Zenith blew them away in picture quality.I wouldn't pay $100 for one though.I'll just keep this one going as long as possible.I used to pick up tvs on the curb.Now I ride by as quick as possible.I've never seen a vintage tube type tv on the curb and rarely see any at all now.The last one I saw in Good Will and I alerted Bryan to it because I knew no one other than a die hard collector would want it and didn't want it to get thrown away after it sat and didn't sell.It sucks how people have no respect for older electronics.I got an old Webcor record player that was in the electronics section at Wilson's auction I mentioned earlier.They were just sitting stuff on it and sliding it off scarring the top of it up badly. :tears: No respect at all for it.Such a shame because the rest of the cabinet was near mint and the record player inside is very clean.I think they were shocked when I bid $2 on it. :nutz: It's a wooden cabinet so the lid can be refinished.

Speaking about this Zenith model specifically, was this before the bad CRT period? I got a very similar Zenith from Texas Recycles Day, which was a System 3 looking very similar to this and CRT was very weak...mfg date was 1991.
It looks like the CRT on the craigslist Zenith is still OK though.

On something like this with a private seller where the price is too high I would probably pass if the price were this high. Have never had success dealing with people who are that "proud" of an item. If at a secondhand store you can often wait for several months when the item doesn't sell and then deal at a fair price.

At the consignment shop here they always have a dozen or so console tv sets, mostly eighties type sets. Most of them have been there for years unsold. Some are Zenith System 3 sets with the single varactor tuning knob. It is a shame no one wants them. A wooden pice of furniture with a color TV in it to me is far more desireable than a cheap black box from Wal-Mart. Most modern sets, even the so called high end ones have poor corner convergence and are noticeably out of focus, especially during bright scenes. To me, a console was always the higher end of the tv set spectrum. It meant you really had something. Now people regard them as junk. :tears:

I have found that the only time the average person shows respect for any vintage electronics is when they see it has been lovingly restored by a collector and they see it working. Only then do they realize that it is something of value.

Speaking about this Zenith model specifically, was this before the bad CRT period? I got a very similar Zenith from Texas Recycles Day, which was a System 3 looking very similar to this and CRT was very weak...mfg date was 1991.
It looks like the CRT on the craigslist Zenith is still OK though.

On something like this with a private seller where the price is too high I would probably pass if the price were this high. Have never had success dealing with people who are that "proud" of an item. If at a secondhand store you can often wait for several months when the item doesn't sell and then deal at a fair price.
Yes this was before the bad crt period.Though they don't last like Chromacolor II tubes.The bad crts started coming out in 93'.A lot of them would get intermittent g-K shorts and blow the power supply regulator and they would get weak fast and have crappy pictures overall.The crts from Zenith started going downhill in the late 80s.Though I worked on a 1988 model that needed tuner grounds resoldered that had a very good tube and nice picture recently.The 90s 25" and 27" Zenith tubes were all crap IMO.
The only thing worse was an Emerson(Orion) 25" tube.All the early 90s ones would do like Zenith tubes only they would also take the horizontal output transistor and some resistors and the picture actually looked worse than the Zeniths. And Goldstar who took over Zenith as we all know had a 25" tube set that was a total p.o.s in the mid to late 80s.I rejuvenated some of those tubes on sets that were only 3 years old and the pictures sucked.A sign of what was coming from Zenith once Goldstar got their hands on them.
The 19" and smaller tubes from Zenith usually were a lot better and the 32" and 35" tubes fared better also.In the late 90s the tubes were better but they had some 25"that loved to eat video output and predriver transistors.I'd replace them but if if it happened again in a short time I'd tell them the bad news that their picture tube was causing the problem.No shorts would show on a crt checker.I suspect they arc and knock out the transistors.Zenith started having a lot of flyback failures in the 90s also.It was rare to get one bad on a 9-160 or System 3 set.Most of the problems with those were never the flyback except for the late 80s 19" set with a 9-351 sweep board.They all failed.They would always burn a hole in the flyback near the focus control.

The only thing worse was an Emerson(Orion) 25" tube.All the early 90s ones would do like Zenith tubes only they would also take the horizontal output transistor and some resistors and the picture actually looked worse than the Zeniths. And Goldstar who took over Zenith as we all know had a 25" tube set that was a total p.o.s in the mid to late 80s.I rejuvenated some of those tubes on sets that were only 3 years old and the pictures sucked.A sign of what was coming from Zenith once Goldstar got their hands on them.
The 19" and smaller tubes from Zenith usually were a lot better and the 32" and 35" tubes fared better also.

Some Orion CRTs were made by Zenith. They were easy to spot because they had a small Zenith lighting bolt on the label.

Zenith never made CRTs larger than 27" (at least not in the 90's). Those sets should have been ok since they didn't have Zenith CRTs.