Thrift Stores & Tubes
 

Hey guys,

I've been really having some trouble lately with giving away sets that I have no use for.

I called the SA today and apparently they have a new rule that prevents them from accepting any electronics older than 5 years. I called GW and they said that, at the moment, they have too many TVs and won't be accepting any more for the time being.

I really don't know anywhere else to donate them. What do you guys do?

Thanks all.

I have the same problem. GW and SA have been dumped on and now they're all prickly about it. Sets do eventually sell but slower than they get them. In this area, there is no more analog cable, so their customers cannot just plug'n'go anymore.

I have taken about 6 sets, just this year to the County Household Haz-waste facility. They sells by weight to some outfit in Baltimore.
I have also done what miniman did and donate a good set (w/DT box, not nearly as easy to find as a TV) to some elderly acquaintances.

You could put it out on the curb with a "WORKS" sign on it.

Around here, all the thrift stores take TV's and places like the SA still ask high prices for them. I doubt they are actually selling for those prices.

Analog TV's can still be sold; but, not for a lot of money. If the thrift stores are asking too much for them, I can see how they end up with a mountain of TV's.

Old tube type chassis should bring plenty but solid state not so much. Those old power transformers and tubes are useful for many projects.

Most GW are picky to what they put out.. Even if the set works great but looks old, they probably will scrap it instead.. No use to put it out to the curb even with a "Works" sign on it, because most likely those Copper thieves will get their hands on it before anyone else does.. Only thing I can think of is to post old TVs to give away on Craigslist. Maybe they will go to a good home..

If you have good sets to give away, you could check with churches to see if they know of people very poor etc. who might want one.

I give away stuff on freecycle.org. I know it goes to somebody who can use it or sell it. You just have to deal with half of the people who say that want something but never show up to pick it up. Some people leave stuff on their front porch so they don't have to deal with people showing up at a specific time.

I stopped giving stuff to resale stores years ago because of how many useful donated items get thrown out before even being put out for sale, and the stuff that does go out for sale gets smashed up and ruined.

If you put a TV out in the alley in Chicago it won't last a day before being smashed up for copper. At least somebody gets money for the metal. If the resale store throws it out, it goes straight to the dump.

Resale stores in other places may be better. I went to a Methodist resale store in a small town in Colorado a few years ago and was shocked at how clean and organized it was compared to stores in Chicago. They even had power adapters sorted and marked with voltage and current.

Perhaps disassembly is the best approach. I do that, rather than try to find someone to take an obsolescent unit. I take out everything that I could conceivably use, put the pieces in my junk box, throw out the obviously worthless parts.

I have used many a part from my junk box. Things like solder-in fuses, mounting hardware for transistors, capacitors, diodes, fusible resistors, and so on. I even save degaussing coils because there is a bunch of enameled copper wire in them.

I have a couple of early 80s sets I would like to get rid of.. I won't donate them to the thrifts because they will get thrown away, I won't put them to the curb because of the copper thieves.. I won't give them to poor people, they would most likely get treated poorly.. I would like to see them go to a person who would appreciate them..

Hmm, fellow Floridian.

Got any pictures? I might not be allowed to get anymore TV's, as my father forbids it, since getting my current Samsung, but, heh, I DO have Storage, and may be interested in repairing them and "upgrading" to an older TV.

I don't even waste my time. I break it up and put in the trash can. If its wood I cut it up with a chain saw and burn it or trash it. Only modern stuff, nothing older than 1975 ever gets dumped. No one wants analot sets at any price. One has been sitting face down on the curb for 6 months at the neighbors.

Where are you located? are you driving distance?

Wow, I had no idea the situation was this dire.

I'm in Oviedo Florida.

Well you're around 3 hours away.. Not too bad..