I just received an email which motivated me to write this post. Come to think of it I also received a phone call this morning asking me “how much is my stereo worth?” Unfortunately many times the answer is not what the seller expects. As previously stated in past articles, most people use ebay as a reference when pricing anything used or vintage these days. But I saw my 1973 Stereophonic, super heterodyne, stereo lock, dynamic soundstage, tri-amplified, dynamic enabler receiver for $2,652 on ebay. How much you give me for it? Always a gentleman, I tell them thank you but it’s nothing I collect or a brand I can’t use. But, but, but, I saw it. Yes you saw it when you did a search. Some knucklehead on ebay has a ridiculous asking price for this unit that is comical. If you went to completed auctions, then clicked sold receivers, you would get another useless comparison but at least it would be a real price or number. Well not exactly useless, but a far cry from what you would expect to receive as cash in hand, face to face transaction, as is no guarantee, no work, shake hands and go your merry way.
I can ramble on about this all day and night but…in truth. There are some places where you can drive around on Saturday and Sunday morning and fill up your car with “desirable electronics.” Yard sales, estate sales, tag sales, etc. It used to be a lot better as far as found treasures but in some areas it’s still loads of fun. That’s right, for $1.00 – $25.00 a piece you can find and buy Dynaco’s, Fisher’s, even old McIntosh components. I hear you now, sure this guy is full of #$!Q@#%. NO I AM NOT. A house is inherited by family members, to sell it they have to empty it. It could be parents, grandparents, aunt and uncles, or even a neighbor. Do you really think they give a rats behind about that MC275 or that ratty looking Fisher 800c in an old console? NO, they want it out and don’t care how much it’s worth. Yeah ok, hahahhaha sure you say. They just inherited the house it’s worth $500,000 – $1,000,000 or more. Follow me? They don’t give a crap about the stereo even if it’s worth a couple of grand. They want it out so they can sell the house. Your not ripping them off they want the junk out and could care less about it’s worth. Another scenario, I used to work in an electric train store when I was young. Guys used to come in and spend thousands on Lionel, American Flyer, etc. Both old and new trains were big bucks. Most, I would state 85%-90% would pay cash and have a bogus bill written to show their wives. A nice Hudson loco they just payed 2,300 bucks for has a bill of $50.00, lol. Little Marcy believes this since she trusts her hubby and knows nothing about nothing. Plus he just bought her that new diamond ring from the gumball egg machine in front of the grocery store. She is happy. Long story short, hubby gets divorced or dies. Marcy sells the whole train collection for pennies on the dollar. This happens every single day multiple times with everything from Rolex watches to collectable cars. Some knowledgeable, bitter wives and girlfriends even sell their husbands treasures for next to nothing. It’s the feeling they are getting even with the bum. Lesson to be learned, your wife is your life and team partner and should be told the truth about everything(except your girlfriend.)
Getting back to the price of your stereo, Truth be told: The only place it’s worth real money is on ebay or one of the esoteric audio sites where people or companies sell high end equipment. The chances of you finding a person locally who wants your particular equipment is next to nothing. Yes, there are scrappers, resellers, pawn stores, and other people who want your electronics to make money but that’s it. If you want the BIG BUCKS you will have to work hard for it and take the risk of selling it online. Selling on ebay or hi fi sites is no joke. Most rules and policies are anti seller and all venues get their slice of the pie. As stated in other posts a buyer can buy your beloved Scott 299 amplifier that works perfectly. You remember building it with your dad on the kitchen table but you have no use for it anymore and want someone else to get enjoyment from it now. You sell it on the “bay” one day and up to 5 months and 29 days you receive an email from ebay stating “item not as described.” Seller says it smells like cigarette smoke (common reason for returns, almost everyone smoked back then.) The smell of smoke reminds him of aunt Mildred who has inch long gray nostril hairs with warts and liver spots on her tongue. He is having violent buyer remorse nightmares and has to return it after two months and three days. But you sold it as is, it’s a half century old…there is no guarantee, you said it in your auction. Nope you lose, they will take the money out of your credit card or bank account on file if you refuse a refund when the tracking shows the amp was received back to you. The best part is yet to come, they replaced all the tubes in your set with leaky white heads and that’s not your on/off power switch. Wait a minute, that’s not even the unit I sent out??? It has a big dent on the side and most of the lettering is off. What to do? Nothing, you have lost your money and now you have a H.H.Scott which is not even worthy of a parts unit. And the nightmare isn’t over yet, ebay has now given you a strike or bad mark on your selling record which effects your visibility, etc of your selling future.
Bottom line, how much is it worth? If you sell online, you will get more $$$ but you will have to really work for it, deal with less then honorable people, go against a rigged system where the venue always gets its cut even if you don’t, and be accountable for forces that are not within your control. Your always wrong even when your right. There will be a record of your money transaction in cyberspace forever. Cash price can be anywhere from 1/3 to 1/5 the average selling price on ebay completed sold auctions. Remember the seller doesn’t get the full selling price, ebay, paypal, etc. get a cut of that final selling amount. Plus all the work like packing, shipping, answering redundant questions, showing respect to disrespectful people, reporting taxes, guaranteed aggravation, etc. has to count for something. Selling it locally you will have people like myself who love this stuff, collect, trade, and even occasionally sell. At least from me you will get a handshake, cash, and new friend with no strings attached. Plus I am a nice guy, I have been practicing 57 years.
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