RTally
Speaker addict
Sounds like there may be a story there. Care to elaborate?
Thrift Store Gold???
- Thread starter ItBites
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- bargains cheap thrift store
Sounds like there may be a story there. Care to elaborate?
Mystery
constantly upgrading...
I've had fair share of audio gears from thrift stores. Over $25k items I sold were from thrift stores and made good money.
I was pretty regular until around 4 years ago, always trying to get better gear than what I had.
Then I realized my time is too valuable for me and I have a good job.
Each visit would cost me at least an hour plus testing, cleaning, some fixing, then listing for sale, watching emails, dealing with people etc... took few more hours for each item.
Then I stopped almost completely.
Yes, there's money and upgrade and fine if one doesn't have a good job for additional income. (My opinion of course...)
Nowadays, I think I go to thrift store probably once or twice in a year, or if it's on my way.
And when I'm in there, I don't bring home unless it's either very good piece or very cheap that I can make a lot unlike before when I brought everything.
For the guy who mentioned he'd go back to thrift store hunting after retirement, if that's your retirement activity, please think and plan now for better enjoyment in your last decades in this earth.
I was pretty regular until around 4 years ago, always trying to get better gear than what I had.
Then I realized my time is too valuable for me and I have a good job.
Each visit would cost me at least an hour plus testing, cleaning, some fixing, then listing for sale, watching emails, dealing with people etc... took few more hours for each item.
Then I stopped almost completely.
Yes, there's money and upgrade and fine if one doesn't have a good job for additional income. (My opinion of course...)
Nowadays, I think I go to thrift store probably once or twice in a year, or if it's on my way.
And when I'm in there, I don't bring home unless it's either very good piece or very cheap that I can make a lot unlike before when I brought everything.
For the guy who mentioned he'd go back to thrift store hunting after retirement, if that's your retirement activity, please think and plan now for better enjoyment in your last decades in this earth.
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Ziinda
Active Member
Thrift stores are great if you
Have space to store
Orphaned speakers
Speakers that need
New sourounds (used to cost $1 or less 10 years ago now cost more than the speakers are worth)
New drivers (burnt tweeters and woofers swapped out with the cheapest junk available)
New crossover parts
New tinsel leads
Cabinet repair and modifying
The worst speaker model made by a manufacturer.
Over priced mediocre junk (even if it's praised here, that means nothing)
You'll pay more than prices found on local selling sites that will have better quality and work properly, no running around wasting gas and time. Many times you'll see even better deals on other equipment while your at their place too.
Thrift stores now get the junk that has something wrong with it for sure, if it did work and look nice, it would have been posted on eBay, if it works but not perfect looking, it will be sold on the stores own auction site, all other stuff that can't be sold elsewhere ends up at the stores. This is a well known fact that I can't believe people haven't figured out yet.
The only thing I buy at thrifts is vacuums and carpet cleaners to repair and flip.
I learned my lesson and would never encourage anyone to bother with the crap they sell for far too much money, they get an item that actually does work and they charge more than it costs brand new, that's how seldom they see working items
Have space to store
Orphaned speakers
Speakers that need
New sourounds (used to cost $1 or less 10 years ago now cost more than the speakers are worth)
New drivers (burnt tweeters and woofers swapped out with the cheapest junk available)
New crossover parts
New tinsel leads
Cabinet repair and modifying
The worst speaker model made by a manufacturer.
Over priced mediocre junk (even if it's praised here, that means nothing)
You'll pay more than prices found on local selling sites that will have better quality and work properly, no running around wasting gas and time. Many times you'll see even better deals on other equipment while your at their place too.
Thrift stores now get the junk that has something wrong with it for sure, if it did work and look nice, it would have been posted on eBay, if it works but not perfect looking, it will be sold on the stores own auction site, all other stuff that can't be sold elsewhere ends up at the stores. This is a well known fact that I can't believe people haven't figured out yet.
The only thing I buy at thrifts is vacuums and carpet cleaners to repair and flip.
I learned my lesson and would never encourage anyone to bother with the crap they sell for far too much money, they get an item that actually does work and they charge more than it costs brand new, that's how seldom they see working items
Sounds like someone had a bad day at the thrifts.
We all know about all that, but we keep at it hoping one day the thrift gods will see it’s our turn and smile on us.
Uncle Fester
Super Member
I've noticed the selection and quality of speakers in the local Savers has declined a lot over the past two years.
Almost every speaker that looks even somewhat promising reveals rotted surrounds, punctured cones, etc, when the grille is removed.
I don't think they even do that much, they just price it based on what someone on eBay is asking for the same model.
Also, I suspect that they cherry pick anything good before it gets near the floor.
I have too many speakers anyway. But if I ever do come across a pearl for short money, hey, never say never.
Almost every speaker that looks even somewhat promising reveals rotted surrounds, punctured cones, etc, when the grille is removed.
I don't think they even do that much, they just price it based on what someone on eBay is asking for the same model.
Also, I suspect that they cherry pick anything good before it gets near the floor.
I have too many speakers anyway. But if I ever do come across a pearl for short money, hey, never say never.
Ziinda
Active Member
Just like I said, I wish my girl friend would never have shown me thrifts, once I found that first good deal I thought it was going to happen on a regular basis and it ended up costing me much more in the long run than if I just saved a that wasted cash and worked overtime instead of shipping thrifts, I could have bought me some top of the line Maggie's like I saw back in 2000 for half price at one of the now closed high end stores. Marked down to $8k from $16k, saw them as I wandered into a huge listening room waiting for the guy to finish up with my purchase I just made on a set of Mirage M series surround speakers for $3k. That same girl friend convinced me not to get the Maggie's because I lived in an apt and had many careless crazy friends that couldn't afford to fix them if they should happen to fall or damage them plus they simply wouldn't fit in my tiny living room.
I should have got them and I would never have bothered with any thrift junk. I know this because now I have something similar and can't see ever bothering to buy another piece of junk that needs work and had no value or purpose. Most speakers under $10K are awful sounding and the drivers are found in a parts Express catalog but have very nice cabinets. You're paying for the expert cabinetry work not the speakers. Once you are over $10k you're looking at speakers that have been custom designed and made in house to suit that cabinet not the other way around.
Unmatched sound quality that you're run of the mill speaker or even the best offered at best buy can't even come close to matching and nobody will say otherwise when an A B test is done. Save your money and shoot for the stars, you will never regret getting a quality speaker that will last you a lifetime. Be smart don't get pulled into all the BS and consider what can be resold if need be. Many high $ speakers are huge and ugly some just are all show with tons of drivers from floor to top then another row of the newest fancy tweeters and mids made from some rare element but burn out faster than they can mine the ore to make them.
Take a look at some new macintosh speakers as well as Wilson's and a bunch of others to see where high end is now headed. Some I can't even be sure that the design is their biggest mistake or some magical lucky guesswork that disproves all theories floating around right now.
I still don’t understand why Goodwill continues to price speakers separately. They don’t price pants by the leg.
Wow, that’s harsh!
alteclipsch
Super Member
Gosh, I wish I'd known that the speakers I own sounded awful because I paid less than $10k for them. It makes me think I've wasted 40 years of my life listening to the used Altecs I've had for that long. And I'd like to find someone, anyone, who's ever spent over 10k for theirs, just to hear how good sound sounds.
Just like I said,all the drivers work perfect,there are no big scratches in the piano black finish.
These NHT speakers are a far cry from junk.
Sorry to hear thrift store shopping consumed your life and led you down a path of ruin.
I have wondered the same thing. good point about the pants.
desertrat748
Super Member
3 years ago I stopped by at local thrift store that donates to struggling families and children, women in need of help, etc. Good causes and normally really easy to make a good deal with items that aren’t selling.
Spotted a pair of Altec Lansings, the 2 way with a large tweeter and 10 in woofer. They were sold overseas and weren’t the expensive ones icyw. I gave them away because they weren’t anything special.
No price tag but they were in perfect condition so I asked salesman “how much for those big speakers?”
His reply was “$5 for them because they have been here for months “.
Went to pay for them and the young lady cashier asked me if I knew what the price was and I said yes they are $5.
She rang me up and said, “That’s $10 sir”
We had to find the salesman to get her to ring up $5 for the set of speakers! I don’t understand. What happens when you buy a pair of shoes?
I don’t understand the logic as I don’t think many people buy just one speaker or just one shoe. One headphone/earbud? One glove? (Well left only for golf, but not for winter). I wonder what Goodwill would do if you just bought one?
At least where I live they do put the price on all components when there are more than one that go together, but the price is for all pieces. Some now will go through the trouble of labeling them 1of2 2of2, and so on. Many of their employees do not have much work experience and I see inconsistency between stores just in my area, I imagine it gets worse spread out over many different areas.