It's baaaaaack. RCA2000

Cheap chinese products are decimating the values of used items.....even if the used item in question is of superior quality.

Add into the equation that garbage dumps now have a surcharge for TVs and monitors and what we're left with is literally worthless old TVs.

There are always exceptions of course (early color models etc), but when people can get a free late model set then why would someone pay anything for an old power hungry model that doesn't have remote etc?

Not defending the situation, just my take on this.

Anthony

[jstout66]

and I will be guilty of getting a new cheap set as well. Me... who collects. I have a few tv's along with my daily watchers. I have always had an older set in my bedroom. My last "good" old one was the CTC-31 that I sold to Doug. Anyway, every older one I have tried to use since has been breaking lately and having so many "glitchy" problems that I have thought "Screw it, I'm getting a NEW one" I saw a store by me has a 19" Toshiba with a built in DVD player for $179. I can't believe how cheap the new ones have become. The last time I sold NEW sets was in the early 80's. A Zenith console ran $799, $899 with remote, and I think the 19" "portables" ran $349, $449 with remote. It used to be that remote always added $100.00 to the set. We'd usually give the customer $100.00 on a trade in and sold the old tube consoles for between $150.00 & 175.00 . Boy are those days long gone. Our Goodwill still tries to get top dollar for the tv's tho. I saw a 25" Panasonic Prism set, a tad banged up AND missing the remote and they still wanted $49.00. Almost got it, but it was a tad large for me to "haul around" if it didn't work. They have NO rabbit-ears to check the set, and our Goodwill has NO returns on electronic items. The set did have S-Video and all the goodies. I still think I'll get that Toshiba tho, or maybe a FINE Apex.... LOL

[andy]

Wow, Goodwill stores seem to really vary! The one in my town rarely has a TV for over $10, all are tested for basic operation and they let you return them if they don't work. Even when I bought that 19" Zenith Chromacolor for $2, they told me to save my receipt in case it didn't work. There's nothing I hate more than thrift stores that price gouge on electronics. All that happens in no one buys they stuff and they end up throwing it away, or shipping it to another store.

[bgadow]

One little story: there is a tv shop in our town that still sells new Zeniths (as far as I can tell). I went in there last Christmas because I thought about buying my mother a DVD player and really wanted to buy it from a mom & pop. I really couldn't stomach the $169 they wanted so I got her something else. Anyway, the shelves in that place are very sad. They have a couple 13" Zenith tv's, one a vcr combo, brand new, never sold-they are at least 10 years old. Priced around $350. Well, he probably paid a couple hundred dollars or so, right? And now Wally World is 15 minutes away selling them for $100 (or whatever) When he opened that store 20 years ago he stocked the shelves with clock radios, police scanners (mostly crystal type) and various small appliances-they are all lined up, unsold. Very sad. Real nice folks, mom at the counter, father & son in the back at the repair bench. Today, though, its all about volume. Another repairman in town said that the minimum purchase now for sets was something like $5000 (I have a bad memory on this but it was in the thousands) and so the new tv's from the local shop are actually bought from a larger appliance store in another town.

Originally posted by bgadow
One little story: there is a tv shop in our town that still sells new Zeniths (as far as I can tell). I went in there last Christmas because I thought about buying my mother a DVD player and really wanted to buy it from a mom & pop. I really couldn't stomach the $169 they wanted so I got her something else. Anyway, the shelves in that place are very sad. They have a couple 13" Zenith tv's, one a vcr combo, brand new, never sold-they are at least 10 years old. Priced around $350. Well, he probably paid a couple hundred dollars or so, right? And now Wally World is 15 minutes away selling them for $100 (or whatever) When he opened that store 20 years ago he stocked the shelves with clock radios, police scanners (mostly crystal type) and various small appliances-they are all lined up, unsold. Very sad. Real nice folks, mom at the counter, father & son in the back at the repair bench. Today, though, its all about volume. Another repairman in town said that the minimum purchase now for sets was something like $5000 (I have a bad memory on this but it was in the thousands) and so the new tv's from the local shop are actually bought from a larger appliance store in another town.

That reminds me of what Lionel trains went thru in the early 50's. They had contracts with their retailers that basically said that no one was allowed to sell for less than full price.

Along comes a chain operation that got a contract and decided to sell at discount anyway. Lionel sued and lost on ground of restraint of trade, or some such thing. This forced all manner of internal price cutting at Lionel which combined with changes in the market drove them to the precipice.

I believe this country started down a horrible road that day as this created a monster that could never be put back in the bottle....one of constant price pressure beyond what's possible to allow a manufacturer to charge a reasonable price so that he may pay his workers a living wage.

Don't give me any of that fair market economy crap either....the chinese have suppressed their money's value and pay their workers slave wages and feed them asbestos laden lunches, so that's not a fair comparison.

We've been spoiled by these present market conditions that are exacerbated by the nature of modern electronics which generally dictate that the next generation device will do more and cost less (sorta like the car industry used to be pre WWII).

And that, Ladies and Germs, is my convoluted view of this. Class dismissed.

Anthony

[Chad Hauris]

Originally posted by andy
Wow, Goodwill stores seem to really vary! The one in my town rarely has a TV for over $10, all are tested for basic operation and they let you return them if they don't work. Even when I bought that 19" Zenith Chromacolor for $2, they told me to save my receipt in case it didn't work. There's nothing I hate more than thrift stores that price gouge on electronics. All that happens in no one buys they stuff and they end up throwing it away, or shipping it to another store.

Goodwill has just recently come to the Midland-Odessa, TX. area and I am pleased w/their prices. Got a 1974 RCA tube b/w for $6.99, 1983 Zenith b/w for 2.99, Macintosh computers/monitors for $1.99. They also have things such as washing machines and electric stoves for low prices like $6.99 They do say it is "as-is" and do not take returns, but I will generally try the device out to see if the CRT works before buying, and I buy on the premise that the device will probably need some work. The stores are very clean and well maintained an the pricing is consistent among similar items and among different stores.

I have refused to patronize several other thrift stores in the area because of just outrageously high prices...some of these other stores (not Goodwill) gouge you on the stuff and then throw it away when it does not sell. They have also refused to sell me non-working TV's, instead opting to fill up the landfill with them.

[jstout66]

It's listed again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This guy needs to "get a clue"

[captainmoody]

Sheesh!
If he keeps listing this thing his ebay fees will eat up any profits!

[Morden2004]

I'm not so sure that he doesn't have the right idea.

I watched a "brute" Sansui 9090DB get relisted 5 times and each time it was the same listing exactly and, I'm guessing, the same reserve.

Well, guess what? This last relisting got the job done and in a near record sale price!

So, who's to say?

If you beileve that you have the right quality product and you're not prepared to give it away, hang in there.

Also, who's to say that the one qualified buyer you're looking for just happens along the week you listed your gem?

Paul

[kc8adu]

funny how you see stuff like this...and then friend of a friend
passes word that i restore old radios and tv sets.
i have a 2000 coming free!still has the hang tags on it.
is was damaged in a move with the neck of the crt busted.
its been in a basement 25+years as the owners wouldnt toss it.
now to find a 25bcp22 or is it 23valp22?
i could always stick a zenith 23v in it