TV's at the thrift stores
 

Last Wednesday, a friend and fellow collector came to visit from New Orleans. I had not been in any of our thrift stores in over a year and he wanted to check them out; so, away we went. I was soon reminded why I stopped going in any of them.

The first thrift store is run by some preacher who claims the proceeds go towards some overseas children's home. The only TV in the place was a beat to heck late '90's RCA console, priced at $46. I wouldn't have given $4.60 for it! The records were the usual gospel, Christmas, and knock-off instrumental crap that looked like they had been run over by a truck. The prices were $5-$10/record.

The second store raises money for a local children's home. There was one BPC 27" blob with a "SOLD" sign on it and what looked to have been an early '80's 17" GE color TV, priced at $30. It was the model with electronic tuning; but, still not worth $30. I saw one BPC VCR and a SPC Philips DVD player, priced at $12/each. The record selection was the usual crap that needs to go in the dumpster.

So, on to the SA. Unfortunately, they still have the same witch manager that was the reason I stopped going in there, well over a year ago. They had some 25"/27" BPC sets in the $50 range. There was a late '70's 17" Sanyo built Sears knob tuned color TV for $30, a mid '90's white plastic Magnavox 9" color TV for $20, a beat up mid '80's RCA XL100 console for $50, and an '83 Zenith system 3 console with the single knob varactor tuner for $50. I saw one BPC VCR, in unknown condition, for $20. They had raised the record prices from fifty cents/ea. to $1.50/ea for any kind of record. And, double albums were charged as two records. I bought a couple of records and my friend bought a couple of records; but, most of what was there probably needed to hit the dumpster.

As far as TV prices, I'm doing good to get $30 for a later model 19" set and I can forget about selling consoles at any price. Either these thrift store TV's are not selling and ending up in the dumpster or the thrift store customers are willing to spend more money than my customers.

Had that 17" GE or the 17" Sears been under $10, I would have probably bought them; but, I couldn't see $30/each. I wish we had thrift stores down here like what some of you guys describe. The type store that sells TV for dirt cheap prices. I used to could deal with the SA, until they hired the current manager. And, of course, she'll probably be there until the day she dies.

I have a friend, who buys used stuff to resell, and he is always looking for TV's that he can get cheap and make a few dollars on. He says that many people are still living in the past when it comes to used TV prices. He still sees consoles priced between $50-$100, 5"/9"/12" B&W sets priced in the $20-$25 range, and other types of TV's with asking prices like we haven't actually gotten in years.

I have quit shopping in thrift stores (and estate sales, garage sales, etc) as I have just gotten tired of spending more time and effort hauling equipment and storing it rather than repairing it and using it! not to mention spending money.
I have only been taking things which were given to me for the past three months and actually have collected a pretty good amount that way.

I don't understand some thrift stores though like the ones you mention. The stuff they sell is GIVEN to them and probably much of the labor is donated too in operating the store so if they can sell an item at any price they make some profit. And most of the people who patronize thrift stores don't have much money anyway.

I never have been in the buying/selling business but I really don't see how so many who are stay in business with the way they price things. I have seen things at thrift stores and antique stores sit around for years and never get sold. If the stuff was priced more reasonably I'm sure it would, if only by people who don't really need the item but just like finding a bargain.

I test some of the sets that a local SA gets, and I also clean out the crappy records now and then.

The sets more often than not, dont work when I plug them in. People are just having us haul off their trash. If I had my way, we'd plug them in before we pick them up.

One of the SA's in the area got a haul of RCA sets from a motel. There are around 100 of them. The first 5 I plugged in were DOA. SA has to pay to put them in the landfill. I've got 3 that work, so far. I had to resolder the tuner on 2 of these!

The manager of the store I help out sets his own prices. Most 36" TV's go for under $50, and do sell. I do my best to find a remote that will work with them, as alot of shoppers won't buy a set that doesent have one.

There is another thrift in the area that is run by a local religious organization, and I have always been amazed at their high prices on everything, and also, how the stuff just sits there on their sales floor. Who is going to give $99 for a console TV from the early '90's, no matter how good it looks? They have a console Zenith that flashes RED for a moment now and then, and they have it priced at $89 / 'handyman special'!!! I've tried to talk to the manager there, but she says that their store moves them out all the time. She is full of baloney.

I guess it just depends on where you are going.

Maybe they are getting the wrong idea of what stuff is worth by looking at ebay. Then there is the fact that the fact that tHe dollar buys 30% less than it did 10 years ago and they have to keep the lights on. You would think these places would be thriving in this economy but there is still overhead. Most of the small non chain ones here are gone

There was one guy, who managed our local SA store, that I could deal with. He'd save broken TV's for me and I'd buy them for $5/each. Usually, they only needed minor repair and I was able to make a few dollars on them. It was a win-win situation for both of us. They were making a few dollars on junk that they would otherwise have to pay to get rid of and I was getting something that I could possibly fix for re-sell. Also, if I didn't like the price on something, the manager would let me negotiate. Of course, they got rid of this guy in short order and hired the current witch. She overprices things; and, from what I hear, she'll bust something up and toss it in the dumpster before she'll come off the price. I made her an offer to buy any broken TV's that come in and she let me know that they didn't have time to save the junk TV's and that they would go in the dumpster. Oh well, it's their loss because the SA is not the only place I can get broken BPC TV's. Now, since used CRT TV's are not worth much effort, I don't have any desire to pick up too many later model sets. The thing that worries me is the older sets that end up in the dumpster because they are either too old or don't work.

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We've done a couple tours of the local thrift stores through the summer. The best of the local SA stores had been a real favorite of mine; they had a back room where they sold lots of, well, junk. Loads of electronics back there, especially late 70s/early 80s TV sets. I picked up several top-loader VCRs, among other things. The prices were highly variable, depending, I guess, on who was working the day it was put on the floor. You could see a 19" Panasonic from '79 priced $5 and next to it a 19" Sears from '81 priced $35. Several times I've mailed out a flyer to local thrifts offering to take any older junk sets they might get and the manager at this SA actually called me one day; that is how I ended up with the '66 Airline color combo. He did all he could to talk me into taking a late 70s Sears console but I refused. Well, he retired and things have changed a lot now. The back room is no longer open to the public and the prices are on the way up. I did spot an early 50s console when we were in there a couple weeks ago, but it turned out to be gutted.

There is a new store nearby that seems to have a pretty good turnover in electronics; I've thought about dropping off my flyer to them but, how many sets can I really take? I don't need to be hauling home anymore 80s consoles and I'm sure if they called me with one I'd feel guilty and take it. I do have a friend who is one of the lead volunteers at a small church-run thrift and he is always bringing me interesting stuff that he finds, and knows won't sell. Last year he gave me a Sony Watchman with the "lolipop" crt, works like new!

They are crazy around here too. I saw a nice early 90s 27" trinitron for $69! I mean, yeah it's nice and all, but sheesh. Then theres a few sun-bleached, rain warped, consoles for $30+.

People buy them though. I saw a TV/VCR combo, that looked like it had been dropped (the back was broken, like a 5" chunk missing from the corner). The screen was scratched up, and the VCR doesn't work. It sold for $30! Like it has been said, when I have a nice one, I can't give it away, but people can get money for that trash.

[QUOTE=radiotvnut;3015633]"Last Wednesday... a mid '90's white plastic Magnavox 9" color TV for $20"

About 3 years ago I found a Magnavox 9" color portable in the bins for $3 at the Goodwill Outlet Store here in Indianapolis. Model number is RDO946 T102, manufactured in Malaysia in July 1996. I thought it'd be a great video monitor for transfer work, as it has RCAs for video & audio in, plus an external speaker jack & a phone jack(don't have a clue how that would be useful). It works fine, but of course no remote. Any idea how to bypass the auto settings & adjust color, hue, etc? I bought a Philips universal remote but despite trying all the Philips/Magnavox codes I can't get to the picture menu & I can't get rid of the green display. If I knew who really made this set, maybe I could try that manufacturer's codes-but I'm at a loss. Anyone?

Thrifts have steadily gotten worse for me as far as vintage tv's, audio componentry, and records are concerned....one of em actually told me they sold the entire lot of LPs and 78's to some guy, SIGHT UNSEEN for 2500$...damn. Lots of crap in that collection!!!(!)

the 17AC G.E. is a nice set but yeah she ain't worth anything.

Last tv i got from a thrift was a 1984 Magnavox(n.a.p.) 19" knob tuner that worked 100percent...gave it to someone who still uses it with a DTV aerial box. Paid 5 bucks because it was 'very old'! :)

[QUOTE=Dennman6;3015822] I ran into the same problem with possibly the same set. I removed the back and discovered the name FUNAI on the CRT. So I tried the Funai codes on the universal remote setup chart and I was able to access the menu.

Two or three years back a 1952 Philco split chassis console appeared at the local SA. Some clod had knocked the back off and the bakelite base off the CRT, but miraculously the thing was still under vacuum and all the leads were present. This fact allowed me to talk the store down from 15$ to 10$. It had to sit there for a while as I had to go to the trouble of making a place for it in the garage (while dealing with a bad knee :eek:) to get the folks to allow me to buy it. The set now works great, and I have so many others I like better which are taking up too much space that I'm now trying to sell it.

That is the only "Collectible" TV I've found, but tube radios (especially consoles often of the stereo variety) show up every so often, and there are usually more 1$ or less Swing/Big band LPs than I can afford, not to mention the occaisional dumped collection of video discs. I've also found beta tapes, a beta VCR, and an double side LD player so pickings are fairly good here in the radio belt.

[QUOTE=dieseljeep;3015850]Thank you for this! I will try it this weekend & see what I can do with the menu. It really does make a perfect sized little monitor, so to be bale to get rid of that constant green display would be really great.

I use to see early 80s sets in the local Goodwills, But it looks like lately they don't put TV sets out on the floor unless it's black and digital.. Every once and a while I'll see a 80s digital set, like those old Zeniths.. Another local Thrift called Faith Farm use to put out old sets and sell them for $2 and $5.. They put out old VHS machines and tag them at $3, now it looks like lately they've been cracking down and not putting non working machines out even though I was buying them.. We have another local Goodwill thats Waaaay over priced, they have a big VCR section with price tags for a whoooping $24.99 and when I go to try them most of the time I come across one not working right, and then I have to argue with the management and tell them they are selling a broken VCR at $25, and it's not even worth that price working.. I also say I go to the other Goodwills they are priced around $5, and then he looks at me like im crazy..

Thrift stores often put their most drug-addled employees in charge of pricing... :beerchug: