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Signs of the Audio Apocalypse- Vol 1

wizargoz

wizargoz

Super Member
I rummaged one of the Phoenix Good Will stores today, and saw a decent enough looking SX-750. I started to pick it up to check it out when I saw the price- $49.99! Gingerly laying it back down, I stepped away from it and thought :"So it's finally started!".
Apparently the GW and other Thrift Stores have discovered that vintage equipment sells. So they are just jacking up the price. I never plugged this in so have no idea if the lights work or it pushes sound etc. It's $49.99, period. I would have added this to my collection and treated it well but for the price.
I think this is just the start of audio inflation at the thrift stores...
wizargoz
 
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The signs of the Audio Apocalypse have been easy to read around here for quite awhile now. First the old vinyl that was going for 25¢ went up to $1.25 (I did find one newish charity shop down at 25¢ recently, though) than even the rattiest cheap audio gear started heading up fast. I guess it either means thre are lots of folks trying to jump on the bandwagon while they can or there are just too many people with too much money. That wouldn't be me, sadly...
 
That has been going on for some time now. GW actually sells a lot of their vintage gear in online auctions. Some of the thrifts here in the East Valley go on the auction site and use current sales a price point reference.
 
I've kind of given up on thrift stores. If a deal is to be had, I usually find it at one of the pawnshops, though the local ones have wizened up a little. They now ask $100+ for a h/k 330c, and surprisingly, it sells.

Pawn America is really where it is at, though. They go blue-book all the way, so a decent mid-range 1970's receiver, when one shows up, generally fetches pennies on the dollar. Had I been so inclined, I could have come home with a pretty nice shape Marantz 2265B for $40 and change this weekend. I have been noticing that they are more often enforcing their 10-year old electronics policy more often as of late, though.

Still, the best haunts, so to speak, are garage or estate sales, or if an electronics repair shop happens to be closing its doors.

Online, Craigslist rocks if you are in one of the major metro areas (or, in my case, have friends that are).

But, I have to admit that my bargain scrounging days are probably at an end. My tastes have refined to the point where scoring a great old receiver just does not do it for me anymore unless it makes a handy gift for someone who will appreciate it. Usually, unless it is one of my weekly trips to Pawn America in Duluth, I am searching out for a specific item and cost be damned.
 
There are many ways to look at the trend that you speak of. First I am like most of you ...I became spoiled and I began to expect these tremendous deals when I saw a nice piece of audio equipment in a thrift store or such. I have a Marantz 2270 that I paid $5 for. I have other similar deals. But...something started happening at some of the places. They started researching and found the real value of this stuff and started pricing it accordingly. At first it was still a deal just not a ridulous one. I have a Marantz 2252B that I had to give $40 for as an example.

The other day I found a like new SX-650 Pioneer receiver for $45. I started to walk away like you did on the 750. But I realized that if this was on Ebay it would sell for at least that much but there would also be $30+ shipping costs and the chance that it might be damaged in shipment. I had a chance to hook the 650 up and check it out. It worked great! It gave me the impression that it had barely been used! I decided I would like to have it. I looked at it this way....It will always be worth at least what I paid for it and probably more. I can always take nice pictures of it and sell it on Ebay after I get tired of it or decide I just don't want it any more and get my money back so why not? I am not looking to make a business out of flipping this stuff for profit. If I like it for the price I buy it, if it's too high I leave it. One of the best things about buying it is that you are helping a charitable organization do something good and like I said it is always going to be worth what you paid why not enjoy it? Good Luck! Franksta
 
i think the internet and especially ebay has changed the way everyone does business. in the old days, shopping at the local GW or hitting the garage sales was the only way to find good stuff. in the '90's i'd get a mimeographed list of bamboo fly rods for sale that had beautiful descriptions- it was almost poetry. i loved getting those catalogs, i felt as though i belonged to a secret club...
now with the internet you've got an international audience so the prices go up. and there's a trickle down effect- (remember reaganomics and the trickle down theory? i did get a warm shower from that one...) prices up are bad if you're a buyer. but if you're selling, not so bad. and if you are buying, you've got a much better selection of items- if you get lucky with shipping. it all evens out i think. personally though i've tried to do the local GW's, i get too depressed going in there...
 
Ok i,ll probably ruffle some feathers here ,,but do you know how many times i,ve seen posts on this site,from akers who brag about how cheap they bought stuff at re-sale stores ,,goodwill,, garage sales e-bay etc,, it,s like a game of one upmanship ,just cant to tell my ak buds about what i just bought dirt cheap ,,,seems like were running out of golden geese
 
Yeah- the Internet and eBay. So Goodwill is in the online auction business too- GREAT! Used to be I just had to get to GW early or get lucky when they put stuff out- now I have to compete with the whole world. (SIGH).
I have pretty much the audio gear I want, so it's not upsetting to me. But it's really rather...sad.
wizargoz
 
I think the best deals these days can be found at church-sponsored garage sale fundraisers. These are usually in the Spring months. The members donate some nice stuff and the pricing is reasonable.

Just my experience from this year.

Cheers, Snade
 
6thumbs said:
Ok i,ll probably ruffle some feathers here ,,but do you know how many times i,ve seen posts on this site,from akers who brag about how cheap they bought stuff at re-sale stores ,,goodwill,, garage sales e-bay etc,, it,s like a game of one upmanship ,just cant to tell my ak buds about what i just bought dirt cheap ,,,seems like were running out of golden geese
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My thoughts exactly. Just haven't made enough posts to say it. It's good for places like Goodwill to get the most out of their products as long as the money is being used properly, IMHO. The vintage audio hobby has grown with the rest of the world and places like Goodwill are just keeping up with times.

Lee
 
I had thought the same thing that vintage pieces were going up in price. It had been a while since I made a decent score as I thought the prices I saw on various units I'd like were getting out of hand. Then last week I score a pair of dcm time windows for $50 and yesterday I came home with a pretty nice pioneer sx1010 for $20. There are still bargains to be had out there just have to look a little harder. Course it doesn't help matters that most of us (myself included) tend to collect these beauties rather than let them make the rounds.
 
The thrifts around me rarely have anything, leading me to believe that there either is nothing (unlikely), or it all gets snagged and sent somewhere before it's ever put out on the floor. The pawns are smart. I've never gotten lucky at a garage sale, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. CL often has (very) good deals, but 'Metro Detroit' can be anywhere from Flint to Ann Arbor to Monroe. I'm not driving downriver to pick up a pair of speakers, no matter how good they might be. Some guy was dumping his Magnepan electrostats for $200 a week ago... but nowhere nearby. (I doubt I have enough amplifier to drive something like that anyway.)

I think my Dynaco A-10s slipped through into my hands because the grilles and enclosures were in such bad cosmetic shape that no one thought they could be worth anything.

I don't have a problem with GW trying to make as much money as possible off their donations, as long as the money is used properly. Garage-salers taping eBay printouts of a completely serviced, like-new piece to their dusty basement turd doesn't make me very eager to buy, though.
 
Fedallah said:
I don't have a problem with GW trying to make as much money as possible off their donations, as long as the money is used properly. Garage-salers taping eBay printouts of a completely serviced, like-new piece to their dusty basement turd doesn't make me very eager to buy, though.
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I agree. I dont begrudge the SA or GW one penny of what they get for a good vintage receiver. They put it to good use, unlike the junkie that pawned the Pioneer SX-1280 and suffed the proceeds up his nose.

Besides, where else are you going to get such good looking gear that sounds great? Your local Mega-Electronics store. Not for 50 bucks ya aint.

I guess I cant complain. In the last month or so I have found several receivers at estate sales, garage sales and thrifts. Mostly lower powered units, but thats ok by me (ok, and a SX-980 for $39.99 at a thrift, just to brag).

Glenn
 
Am I missing something here?
A reciever the quality of a SX-750 for $50 is too expensive?:scratch2:
What can you buy new for that price which competes?:smoke:
And the store that's selling it provides a service to the community.
Helooo.
 
The great thing about vintage audio is that you never know where the next great find will come from. You just know it will happen. In the last month I've found interesting and worthwhile items at estate sales, yard sales, CL, GW, and even in my own neighborhood.

So long as you reconnect with what is worthwhile (like great names and build quality, what lasts and what doesn't, what needs a minor tune-up and what needs a major overhaul) you are ahead of 99%+ of the population. To me its a great hobby. I have enjoyable interactions with people and get items I only dreamed about owning 20 or 30 years ago. And unlike many collectibles that go into hiding, this hobby allows me to play with the bargains I uncover.

I'm certainly becoming more sophisticated in what items I'll consider purchasing. And I'm sure that trend will continue, as my home systems get closer to my ideal. But it won't stop me from searching; it will just change the scope of items I am searching for.
 
M Jarve said:
My tastes have refined to the point where scoring a great old receiver just does not do it for me anymore unless it makes a handy gift for someone who will appreciate it.
Click to expand...

I'd appreciate it!

Ray
 
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