It's baaaaaack. RCA2000 - Videokarma.org TV - Video

jstout66 · #1 11-24-2003, 01:38 PM

Like the set, but one of us (I just might) needs to tell the seller to get a clue. No-one in their right mind is going to pay the $$$ this seller thinks this set is worth. The cabinet also has some damage which does NOT make it "pristine". I just get mad when I see a description like this because it reminds me of some high-end estate sales. Everything is over-priced because the owner was some-one well known. Outside of this items area, who cares who it was owned by. It's like years ago when there was an auction of items Andy Warhol owned and the bidders just went nuts and paid record prices for his cookie jars. When all is said and done, the buyer just has a cookie jar. I'm probably "rambling" but see the point I'm trying to make? Anyway... check out the site and let's sit back and see if the seller is gonna unload it this time. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...&category=3638

#2 11-24-2003, 02:12 PM

I too saw that was back. The seller is making an all too common eBay mistake...........his opening bid price is way too high.

If he started at $1 but with a reserve to protect him then he'd get a lot of play, perhaps it would even go past his current opeing bid amount.

There's a wacky psychology in play when it comes to auctions. I won't try to figure out what motivates people, but having been in the auction biz I've seen this very sceanario play out many a time.

Anthony

captainmoody · #3 11-24-2003, 05:46 PM

Like I said before, If he would get in touch with reality and start that thing at something under 10.00 he may get some bites.
I start all my auctions at 9.99 and it works for me...
If he keeps going this route he is going to total up a lot of ebay fees and get nothing accomplished.

#4 11-24-2003, 06:11 PM

Yep, as long as the price is low, it don't matter what you start an auction at (especially if you have a reserve).

This poor sap is gonna eat up his profits in ebay fees alone. Have been watching Indian motorcyles on ebay since they went out of biz recently. There's a special T3 model (Terminator movie) that has been listed for several months with a starting price of $35K (full bore retail, these are new bikes). Now they've dropped the opening price to $16K LESS THAN HALF, and the kicker is there still are no bids!!!!!!!!!

It'll be interesting to see how this plays out (on both the TV and the bike).

Anthony
PS what radio are those Nazis looking at in your avatar? Looks like Goebbels, Ja?
EDITED:
PPS a little research and I found that the name of that rig is Volksempfänger, roughly translates to People's Receiver or Radio, just like Volkswagen meant people's car. This was to be a cheap radio for the masses.

bgadow · #5 11-24-2003, 08:45 PM

You see the high opening bid psychology at live auctions all the time. They always start high, often at what the item SHOULD bring, then drop it down, someone jumps in and bids at $5, then bids it right back up past the starting point. But nobody wants to risk overpaying, in case they happen to be the only guy around interested in that item. ebay works a little different, of course, but it still scares folks off.

captainmoody · #6 11-24-2003, 10:49 PM

Yes, It is Goebbels. I got that picture from a website, And am just learning more now about the German side of my family. I have a collection of "peoples radios" from Germany, One of my relatives worked for the government and helped with the distribution and coordinating efforts between manufacturers during the war for the Volksempfanger.
He died in the battle for Berlin and no one here knew much about him or what he did. Only recently I have tracked down relatives and am putting the puzzle together.

rca2000 · #7 12-02-2003, 11:54 PM

I hope he didn't give that 2000 to goodwill, like he was talking about. I kinda wanted another 2000, but he wanted an outrageous amount for it, and i would have to figure out a way to get it here. the one I have ,I drove all thwe way from the philadelphia, penn. area, last year.

#8 12-03-2003, 12:13 AM

What a surprise, not a single bid. All of 194 people looked at it, and that may reflect multiple visits from individuals (the actual number of people that checked it out may be half).

Guess the next stop won't be the Twilight Zone, but the Salvation Army. What a maroon.

Anthony

#9 12-03-2003, 07:38 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by wiseguy
I went over to his place (the guy with the G2000 you are slamming) 2 weeks ago and took off the back for him and plugged it in,it looks like it came off the right off the assy line inside,the remote was new,i took out of the bag,it looks as though this set was never used,everything shiny and NO dust or dirt,no build up around the HV area,which would be a tell tale if it were used ,SPOTLESS..so he has his reason for selling like he has been doing,
He was happy to see it fire up,the uhf rotated and locked into a station right away..
it's just too bad it has the 2 nicks from being moved around,otherwise IT IS like brand spanking new inside,even the control panel and pushbuttons look as though they were never touched... about 1 1/2 years ago one of these sets went for 735.00 on e-bay..he saw it ,and i saw it,and that one didnt work!
terry

That's all well and good, but just because some dingaling paid that much for a dead set doesn't mean that is the true market value. I've seen more junk go for too much money on eBay, and then an identical item in mint condition go for a fraction.

Just the luck of the draw, not a true indicator of value.

As for my (and others) "slamming him" it's due to his starting price. He doesn't understand the nuances of eBay etiquette. Start LOW. Put a reserve on it. But nooooooooooooo, he'd rather keep spending money on eBay fees and waste time by continuing the same old same old.

Some people define insanity as repeating the same thing and expecting a different result.

Anthony
PS He may want to post a photo of the inside of the set to show how clean it is. I'd say 90% of successful eBay auctions is presentation driven. Both the hyperbole of the description and pix are what get people to pony up the big bucks. And why shouldn't it? Other than an item being rare and desireable, there's nothing else to get people fired up to take a risk and spend their money on an item that they can't see or touch in the flesh. They MUST depend on what info in offered within the auction listing. Enuff already. Someone should smack him with a common sense stick.

***Wardsweb*** · #10 12-03-2003, 08:36 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by heathkit tv
...They MUST depend on what info in offered within the auction listing.

So true, internet buying can be a risky proposition. The only way to better your odds is to see lots of pictures ( I mean good pics, with good lighting, different angles, inside and out) and honest discriptions. The discriptions can be misleading but a picture wont lie.

I always try to give the buyer lots of info and pics, so there won't be any surprises when it arrives at their door. For instance:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=3063167082

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=2560024848

captainmoody · #11 12-03-2003, 10:30 AM

Heck of a job on those pics wards! You did a super job with displaying that. I am just a tv guy though, And almost always am in the 100.00 and down range so if the pics aren't too good I dont really mind! I sold my KV-3000 for 550.00 this summer with I think only 2 or three pics. He was the only bidder and used the "buy it now" for that price even though it started at only 9.99 and only had one day left! I got lucky on that one...
I look at it this way, If it fails to sell after the first or second try, At least attempt to find someone that will enjoy it and keep it up for the future generations.
That guy seemed nice when I talked to him almost a year ago on the 2000, But was trying to make a buck like anyone else would on his mass purchase of stuff from that dealer.
I have done similar, Buy a bunch of stuff and sell off what I don't want to try and recoup the costs.
What struck me was his various rants in the descriptions, He seems to be getting more and more angry about not getting a big profit!
I would say get over it and move on, Don't act like a spoiled child !
He should list it here and give rca 2000, Chad or whomever a fair and reasonable shot at it.
That would be better than "Goodwill" where it will most likely get hacked up from being moved around and then thrown in a dumpster when no one buys it.

jstout66 · #12 12-03-2003, 11:09 AM

I know I'm going to tick people off on this post..... I love OLD tv's., just like you guys do. I like to tinker,collect, whatever. But......in my opinion, just like ALL collectables, they are only worth what someone will pay. eBay is not a standard of pricing something by any means. But to most people, old tv's (especially consoles) are worthless, and in alot of cases they are. I'm glad that we all like them and keep them around, as they are rarer then the zillions of old radios that are still sitting around. But to expect a high price out of one is crazy. You can try...... but one would think on your 3rd or 4th listing that that wouldn't happen. I'm sure the seller is nice, but it just ANNOYS me when someone lists an auction like this. Also, from the screen pics it looked like the vertical was "off" (probably an adjustment or module) but it wasn't pristine by any means. I've worked in the auction business, and in a consignment / thrift store and the worst people to deal with are the ones that think just because something was expensive and they paid alot 10 years ago, that they should get the same today. I really loved when people would try to bring in their old 486's. We'd tell em to hit the door, because it costs too much in trash fee's to fill our dumpster. Anyway...... I hope this tv does get a good home, and that the seller will recoup some of his money on OTHER items.

captainmoody · #13 12-03-2003, 04:42 PM

I agree, I think you said it all on that one!

Chad Hauris · #14 12-04-2003, 07:15 AM

Yes, I have seen some people that have unrealistic expectations re: price, some of the most extreme are people that think that just because a TV has a big wooden cabinet it is worth $$. Saw a CTC-68 with what looked like a slate top at a garage sale, non-working, and they laughed at me when I offered them $10. They wanted big bucks for it cause it cost them $600 back in 74 or so.

People in most cases do NOT want these old consoles. Got a very nice RCA 1993 or so console, perfect shape, at the recycling days recently.

Also on the flip side of this issue I love giving away what people consider high-priced fad items to those who will use them for practical purposes. Years ago a radio station was cleaning out a storage room and I got a lot of Ampex 350 and 351 tape recorders. They were given to me, they otherwise were headed to the dump. I saw one of the power supply units alone for the 350 sell on Ebay for $250 or so, I gave one to someone who needed the parts. I feel what goes around comes around. If someone needed a Mullard GZ34 to replace one that burned out I would just give it to him, just as long as he wouldn't turn around and sell it on EBAY! It's just a rectifier tube to me, a practical implement, not some Holy Grail item!

I don't try to profiteer off this stuff, just use it for practical use and enjoyment and historical preservation. Have been given plenty of equipment I enjoy in return for giving or trading some to those who really use and enjoy it. No offense to people whose business is buying and selling this equipment but my stake in it is purely enjoyment.

bgadow · #15 12-04-2003, 08:52 AM

I have run into several instances of people who would rather turn an old tv or radio into landfill then to give it to someone. What a waste...there are few things I dislike more than seeing something go to waste.

There will never, ever (I think I'm safe in saying) be great numbers of people who want a room full of console tv sets. There will always be nuts like myself who have a seperate room in the house just for them, and most of these are older sets. I think these days folks asking too much for an old tv is the exception and not the rule. Most of the places that used to sell used tv sets have abandoned the market because its just too easy to buy a cheap new remote controlled color set. One tv shop has long advertised used 19" color sets in the paper. 10 years ago the going price was $125, it has dropped to $105, $95, $75, $55, $45-this week it finally dropped to $35. Can hardly be worth the time for him to plug it in & see that it works at that price. This does make it tougher to find older sets, I feel, because people automatically think they are unwanted/worthless so they don't even try to find a home for them.