Lazarus Long
Super Member
They have set up the site in such a way that you can win and not pay for quite a few auctions before they shut you down.. There are people that will just run up the prices in hopes of scaring people off..
How many of you have actually been making super lucky finds @ thrift shops lately?
- Thread starter Taketheflame
- Start date
They have set up the site in such a way that you can win and not pay for quite a few auctions before they shut you down.. There are people that will just run up the prices in hopes of scaring people off..
HBrown
Active Member
Every third ad on craigslist for the cities I can drive to are for guys advertizing to 'pay cash for vintage or antique stereo gear'.
Seriously- they have every vintage brand name tied to their ads and the ads are pervasive and annoying. They have pics of just stacks of equipment and fistfuls of cash. I imagine they get many calls from casual sellers who want to unload old stuff from their attics with the least hassle. I mean really, who is a normal person, who may be leery of craigslist in the first place gonna do business with? A total stranger, or a guy who claims to be in the business? If I ever got some cash ahead, to be ready to strike at a moments' notice I was going to try an ad like that. But, not physically being in these cities and since I have a full time job otherwise I can't see really making it feasible to chase the dragon like that. These guys are obviously making a business of it, and unless I did the same and had capital on hand to spend when the opportunity was there it's pointless. But I do think these guys are taking good deals away from casual buyers.
Seriously- they have every vintage brand name tied to their ads and the ads are pervasive and annoying. They have pics of just stacks of equipment and fistfuls of cash. I imagine they get many calls from casual sellers who want to unload old stuff from their attics with the least hassle. I mean really, who is a normal person, who may be leery of craigslist in the first place gonna do business with? A total stranger, or a guy who claims to be in the business? If I ever got some cash ahead, to be ready to strike at a moments' notice I was going to try an ad like that. But, not physically being in these cities and since I have a full time job otherwise I can't see really making it feasible to chase the dragon like that. These guys are obviously making a business of it, and unless I did the same and had capital on hand to spend when the opportunity was there it's pointless. But I do think these guys are taking good deals away from casual buyers.
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chip18sw
Well-Known Member
My best score at our local thrift store ... before they lost their freaking minds!!! Are a mint pair of Mach Ones (I was not really a fan ... until I heard them!) LOL ... yeah not the most "accurate of sound reproducers" ... but they do "Crazy Loud" quite well. But then I'm a Klipsch Fan also, so yeah ...
But back on point ...maybe that was 8 years ago?? And I got them for 30 bucks for the pair!! That no longer happens ... Mach Ones do don't do the stealth thing very well. On the other hand ... Nova 8 do, stealth well! I scored a pair of mint 8's for $ 20 bucks! I want to do the Video Lady mods to them both ...but I'm kinda lazy.
And my best "WTH" are these was a pair of Sansui SF 1's ... I swear to god ... I thought they were end tables!!! Only when I went to pick them up did I notice the weight, speakers ... OK then? I Like those also but they do "need to be recapped." And an accidental score was a pair of Sansui SP 1200's (terminals are jacked up but they are good otherwise) for 15 bucks for the pair!! They are hooked up now doing the HT thing, those I got at the local church yard sale!
But the thrift stores not so much anymore ...if it's worth a crap on to Ebay it goes!!! I've not had much luck with electronics ... I keep buying HT pieces of crap that don't work! I guess I'll have to pay real money if I want to do the 7.1 tjhing ... that's as far as I'm willing to go with that madness.
But back on point ...maybe that was 8 years ago?? And I got them for 30 bucks for the pair!! That no longer happens ... Mach Ones do don't do the stealth thing very well. On the other hand ... Nova 8 do, stealth well! I scored a pair of mint 8's for $ 20 bucks! I want to do the Video Lady mods to them both ...but I'm kinda lazy.
And my best "WTH" are these was a pair of Sansui SF 1's ... I swear to god ... I thought they were end tables!!! Only when I went to pick them up did I notice the weight, speakers ... OK then? I Like those also but they do "need to be recapped." And an accidental score was a pair of Sansui SP 1200's (terminals are jacked up but they are good otherwise) for 15 bucks for the pair!! They are hooked up now doing the HT thing, those I got at the local church yard sale!
But the thrift stores not so much anymore ...if it's worth a crap on to Ebay it goes!!! I've not had much luck with electronics ... I keep buying HT pieces of crap that don't work! I guess I'll have to pay real money if I want to do the 7.1 tjhing ... that's as far as I'm willing to go with that madness.
markshan
Sir Thrift a Lot
I got my Onkyo TX-NR676 Atmos receiver refurbished for Accessories from less for $250. I love it.I guess I'll have to pay real money if I want to do the 7.1 tjhing ... that's as far as I'm willing to go with that madness.
chip18sw
Well-Known Member
That's not bad to fix it??? But there are no (longer any tv stereo repair shops in) Carson City and got burnt sending my Heath Kit AA-40 off to a "big name" tube manufacture about 20 years ago ,,, they were gonna mess it up, so I said no it got dented on the way back!!!!
But the local shop when it was here had crap loads of HT Receivers, some big units but the cost of repairs was a no go for a lot of the units, so there they sit. The source of my annoyance is a Denon AVR 590. It powers on but no output??? Fortunately I was at least smart enough not to hook up any of my good speakers to it, to test it out.
It's just annoying, I have stuff from High School, that still works fine, that's the 70's for me. But these days ...it seems a lot of the mid fi HT stuff ... won't even last thru the manufactures warranty period??? Much less "decades" later??? Oh well no real money involved Salvation Army 50% off so 12, bucks I think it was??
It's just a whole level of annoying, if crap is broken then it should go off for recycling (semi newer) mid fi crap, not "real" gear. Giving stuff one knows is broken to a "Charity" for resale is ... "BS" in my view. Oh well baby rant over ... maybe I will try a refurbed newer unit when I want to try to try again. It's not like, I have a shortage of HT processors and amps. Just my better half is not interested in the "turn on procedures for all that stuff."
So that particular piece was not a "Score" ... you win some you lose some??
But the local shop when it was here had crap loads of HT Receivers, some big units but the cost of repairs was a no go for a lot of the units, so there they sit. The source of my annoyance is a Denon AVR 590. It powers on but no output??? Fortunately I was at least smart enough not to hook up any of my good speakers to it, to test it out.
It's just annoying, I have stuff from High School, that still works fine, that's the 70's for me. But these days ...it seems a lot of the mid fi HT stuff ... won't even last thru the manufactures warranty period??? Much less "decades" later??? Oh well no real money involved Salvation Army 50% off so 12, bucks I think it was??
It's just a whole level of annoying, if crap is broken then it should go off for recycling (semi newer) mid fi crap, not "real" gear. Giving stuff one knows is broken to a "Charity" for resale is ... "BS" in my view. Oh well baby rant over ... maybe I will try a refurbed newer unit when I want to try to try again. It's not like, I have a shortage of HT processors and amps. Just my better half is not interested in the "turn on procedures for all that stuff."
So that particular piece was not a "Score" ... you win some you lose some??
Taketheflame
Super Member
Just out of curiosity, I took a look @ the Goodwill auction site a week or two ago - and it looks as if it's becoming eBay 2.0 for some things - maybe worse, because at least the spendy ads on eBay tend to be retail shops/items in nice condition.
Case in point - I spotted an Akai AA-1200 on GW auction - it was in "fair" condition, with it's share of cosmetic woes, and sold "as-is" - even though it may be one of Akai's most desirable receiver models they ever made (if not THE most), it went for pretty stupid money IMO.
As much as I like digging through thrifts and vintage/antique shops, I've come to accept that the odds are quite low of coming across nice vintage gear - at least in my neck of the woods! At least I've made a lot of good cassette tape scores and other non-audio goods in the past couple of weeks.
markshan
Sir Thrift a Lot
No, what I mean is I bought a factory refurbished unit from them (with a year warranty) for $250. Great site for a budget conscious audiophile. Looked and acted like new when I got it.
chip18sw
Well-Known Member
LOL, yeah I got that after I posted ... my bad. But I take your point and might look at a refurb and a warranty for a 7.1 rig. Not a bad idea, thanks.
Freaking Yamaha burnt me on a DSP 2070 back in the day it cost a grand on sale and failed after a year!!! Ticked me off, in retrospect I should have taken it in but I was ... ticked off! I never had that happen with all of my older Yammy gear??? So I'm extremely gun shine of $2000 plus receivers??? DOn't know what there shelf life actually is ...new stuff you know.
chip18sw
Well-Known Member
I get that but is that "vintage" or the "BPC" stuff?? I have better luck with speakers.
chip18sw
Well-Known Member
Church sales and most likely estate auctions and flea markets, local yard sales are better options?? Salvation Army and Goodwill are I think the worst of the lot these days?? Over priced and half the crap won't even turn on! They don't care! So you know ..."Buyer Beware."
I did score a mint, Technics ST 8080 tuner a while ago, it works fine but it's hard to jack up a tuner I would imagine???
HBrown
Active Member
I said 'retail' above, but I simply meant the going rate for collectors. I dont mess with much bpc. I have a few pieces, but mostly stuff thrown in on trades etc. I have a couple bpc surround receivers but don't really 'do' home theater to any extent. I have a few fisher, and Carver receivers and amps from the 80's that are black, but outside of those its mostly silver face true heavy vintage stuff that I go for.
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I've done pretty well, esp if you don't mind mid-fi stuff. Yesterday I got a pair of Def Tech bp7006s in decent condition for $149. Not a steal but pretty close. Got a B&O TX-2 turntable with an MMC2 cart on it for $14.99 last week.
Then again I'm very lucky compared to most here if what I read in this forum is true.
I've posted on this before, I live in a small Oregon town [about 13k] but the largest in a very highly rural area around the size of Massachusetts just on the 'dry' side of the Cascade Mtns [think wheat and cattle]. Our GW probably serves a population of 30k+ total so the big thrifts like GW and St Vinnie's ship stuff from Portland & Eugene [a college town] to here. That is why I think I get finds here, the competition for audio isn't crazy as an urban/suburban area is.
Then again I'm very lucky compared to most here if what I read in this forum is true.
I've posted on this before, I live in a small Oregon town [about 13k] but the largest in a very highly rural area around the size of Massachusetts just on the 'dry' side of the Cascade Mtns [think wheat and cattle]. Our GW probably serves a population of 30k+ total so the big thrifts like GW and St Vinnie's ship stuff from Portland & Eugene [a college town] to here. That is why I think I get finds here, the competition for audio isn't crazy as an urban/suburban area is.
markshan
Sir Thrift a Lot
Outdoor antenna, meet lightning strike.
markshan
Sir Thrift a Lot
Not all "B" is "PC".
markshan
Sir Thrift a Lot
And the economy is still strong enough there that they probably aren't as concerned with squeezing every penny they can out of every donation. Enjoy it while you can.
chip18sw
Well-Known Member
LOL ... well like I tend to say in the Germanshepard and Boxers forums ... "there is always "that guy!" Never thought of "lighting" but yeah that would do it! ??? But in the high Desert of Northern NV "Thunder and Lighting does happen but it's pretty infrequent ... nonetheless, I take your point.
HBrown
Active Member
I'm in the deep south. An hour from the coast, an hour plus from any major city. My grandparents didnt get inside toilets until the 40's. Its so rural my 86 year old mother was 27 years old before she learned to drive a car. Folks just didn't 'DO' much audio in the 60's & 70's in these parts. Estate sales of very rich old homes 'might' yield a nice old Magnavox or RCA console. A few people in the military may have ended up in the area and brought some nice vintage japanese pieces in but they arent real large/nice ones. A few folks invested in top of the line stuff from radio shack back in the day which actually did carry a few nice pieces here and there. I see lots of stuff that I assume was sold through Sears and JC Penny stores.
Mostly what I'm digging thru here are peoples old college systems from the 70's & 80's dragged out of their attics and into the light of day for a quick sale, or after their grandkids blew it up playing rap music. The nice old stuff- big Pioneers, Sansuis, Marantz, tube hifi etc. was the realm of the odd audiophile and pretty darn rare here. I always ask people I meet, and go to every estate sale I can- but its just a very dry area for the hobby. All of my worthwhile aqusitions have been had on the bad end of a long drive or stiff shipping charges. If not for my one big epic score from a long-closed repair shop in a vacation town over on the coast, my collection would be meager. But hey, its all good. Certainly hasn't been due to any good finds at ANY thrift or antique store- which lately seems to be on every corner in every town.
Mostly what I'm digging thru here are peoples old college systems from the 70's & 80's dragged out of their attics and into the light of day for a quick sale, or after their grandkids blew it up playing rap music. The nice old stuff- big Pioneers, Sansuis, Marantz, tube hifi etc. was the realm of the odd audiophile and pretty darn rare here. I always ask people I meet, and go to every estate sale I can- but its just a very dry area for the hobby. All of my worthwhile aqusitions have been had on the bad end of a long drive or stiff shipping charges. If not for my one big epic score from a long-closed repair shop in a vacation town over on the coast, my collection would be meager. But hey, its all good. Certainly hasn't been due to any good finds at ANY thrift or antique store- which lately seems to be on every corner in every town.
chip18sw
Well-Known Member
Oh ... I take your point! But audio as a hobby is not really about either (vintage or current??) And curif you want rent is HT, sdo I think it's only fair to compare that stuff to "Vintage in terms of value for the dollar and "expected" levels of "reliability??"
Back in the day ...even the BPC was "expected to last for uh ... years if not decades??? I know as I have that stuff also ... case in point a Yamaha AVC 50 .... blast form the past Dolby first generation (ie whats a center channel???) But the thing is ...it still works!!
The first generation of the HT "stuff" people "expected" it to last and it did/does! But soon as they stepped up to 5.1 ... crap apparently changed as regards "reliability??" Crap either flap out broke ... Yamaha 2070 to name one. Or obsolescence was built in .... "Nuforce Avp 17" and Aragon Soundstage Force, preamp .. .inherited from a friend.
I chased the HT Dragon myself ...but I quit that crap at 5.1! And to be fair those pieces, still work! My friend let them go because they are not current. He settled on a Carver Sunfire Receiver, with ever crazy speakers was in vogue in at the time, that Crave made. I think it's a 7.1 system still works and he's happy with it.
But you know if something goes wrong with any of that stuff ...most likely it's cost prohibitive to repair???
It's no longer about what can or cannot repair??? These days it's "Smart Phones and Bluetooth" and small is King! Bluetooth and I don't have to move is where it's at. Turing over an album when it ends ... LOL!
But yeah I get it my newest speakers are a uh crap load of LX 5's ... they are were hooked up to a Definitive Technology Sub so ...yeah Bass ...not really a problem.
Stupid freaking cats and there "F'ing peeing" kept the KG's the Mach One's and the Nova B's out of the living room! The LX's were on stands soooo .... But apparently "that cat ran away???" So I scored a pair of Sp12 Sansuis for 15 bucks!!! And prior to my Sansui ... SF 1's I never gave Japanese speakers a glance?? But no cat peee problems now and I like the Sansui's !!
At any rate I get the "Vintage gear can be repaired by a "Skilled DIY'er." And props to you for being able to do so! I have a MAggie Console and a couple of other Console's (tubes) that need repair as well as my sigh ... Heathkit AA40!!! Despite it's 500 mile round trip for repairs a decade ago!!!
Aww well just ranting now I suppose but to sum up 2 to 3 grand for a modern day 11., whatever HT Receiver??? I'd say ... good luck with that crap! One had best get an extended warranty, and still consider it a 5 year picie of gear ... if they are lucky???
But for the record ... my Nad 1020, and Rotel Rx 603 ...still rock just fine??? Most likely my Klipsch KG4's, Nova B's Mach One's and my crap load of LX's and Visonic Sub from 73 could benefit from being recapped?? But no issues with those that I can detect. That "was" how gear was built back in the day.
But these days ... not so much apparently?? But hey I don't know as I'm not buying SOTA, BPC's?? But hey 140 watt HTC Receivers ... someone has them?? Maybe those who have them that have lasted longer there "warranty Period" can chime in??? It's been more that a decade, since my Yammy 2070 experience, I guess I'm still bitter.
chip18sw
Well-Known Member
Aww really it's about dumb luck and right place right time still! It was a while but I remember seeing was"'given a pair of Shahinian Obelisk??!!" :
http://shahinianacoustics.com/Obelisk.htm
I was stunned, I remember hearing those way back when ... I was impressed!! KG's 4 and Mach Ones ... now seem to be in the 500 to 600 dollar range, wth??? Some picked up a pair a pair of freaking La Scala's for 175!!! Crap happens but if you don't look ... you wont find them?? I have had my share of scores for next to nothing ... but nothing on that scale.
Still if you don't try you won't find them (deals) ... it's part of the "fun" of this hobby. In theory, if you find a score for next to nothing?? You can flip them for a profit??? That ... is what I hear ... I would not know myself?? As my motto is ... I sell "Nothing!" Mine, Mine, Mine, Mine is how I roll! That does make not me "better than anyone else , but it does make me me!
http://shahinianacoustics.com/Obelisk.htm
I was stunned, I remember hearing those way back when ... I was impressed!! KG's 4 and Mach Ones ... now seem to be in the 500 to 600 dollar range, wth??? Some picked up a pair a pair of freaking La Scala's for 175!!! Crap happens but if you don't look ... you wont find them?? I have had my share of scores for next to nothing ... but nothing on that scale.
Still if you don't try you won't find them (deals) ... it's part of the "fun" of this hobby. In theory, if you find a score for next to nothing?? You can flip them for a profit??? That ... is what I hear ... I would not know myself?? As my motto is ... I sell "Nothing!" Mine, Mine, Mine, Mine is how I roll! That does make not me "better than anyone else , but it does make me me!
