Buying old components

[Bushbaby]

I was a wee bit disappointed this morning having picked up a package from the post office containing some old double caps from an ebay auction. Having examined these, the seller has literally ripped these from radios etc, and in most cases with the bit of the circuit board still attached rather than unsolder it!
Has it come to the point that equipment has to be destroyed in order for individual to try and make money:ready for launch:?? I can just imagine someone out there in the ether with a screwdriver and hammer smashing equipment thinking 'I can sell this bit if I can get it out'. Perhaps I'm just getting old!

Rob

[Joe]

The sad thing is, Rob, that a radio, and other things come to that, are worth more in bits than as complete items. Think what you could get for a scrap car and then think how much replacement lamps, wind-screens &c cost.

You're not getting old; it's just a mad world.

- Joe

[Shaman]

Hi Rob, this is so very common, i am afraid, on Ebay there is one guy who springs to mind. All he seems to do is strip good sets to sell them in parts, i guess this is ok as its his own sets, but a drain on some i guess historic/interesting sets, i guess the components sold are not tested, this is bad for the buyer, as you dont know what you are getting....regards.....Alan

[tiv48]

very sad but take say a pye p75/76 buy the compleat thing from ebay for say £10 +p+p or the seller strips it and gets £8 for mains tx maybe £4 for speaker tx say another £3 for speaker £5 for el41 and another £2 each for the other valves
,so seller has already doubled his monny + a bit on p+p on each item still has dial smothing cap bulb houlders ect to put in job lot and dont even get me started on anything that has a px4 output stage
rob t

[Skywave]

It's an awkward issue, isn't it? Suppose a seller has an old radio that is working just fine but it is genuinely surplus to his needs - including space to use or store it. He wants it 'out of the way', so to speak. So he puts it up for sale at one (or more) of a number of places where such things are sold and obviously at a sensible price: it has a value and why should he simply give it away? Unfortunately, it doesn't sell. However, he needs that space that it is occupying and he needs some cash in return (perhaps to restore some other item). So he strips it for bits and sells them. At least that is better for all concerned than simply taking it to the local tip.

Now please don't misunderstand me: I am not condoning such sales methods and have never done them myself and I can't envisage myself doing so: I am strictly 'sitting on the fence' on this matter - but it is a dilemma for the seller. Perhaps I've overlooked something, to wit, what other choices does he have (discounting disposing of it at zero £ return) ?

Al.

[Retired]

Hi,

Thanks for bringing this up Rob.

I want to dispose of a lot of my radio collection as they are taking over so as a start I posted a PYE P76F onto two forums including this one with an asking price of £25 which I thought fair as the set cost more than this to me.

I didn't sell it so I then listed it on eBay with a starting price of 99p and again it didn't sell.

The set was in excellent working order and although the cabinet had been flatted by the previous owner and it had 9 woodworm holes down one side it would have made a great first restoration for someone.

After paying quite a bit for it a lot of years ago I thought if I posted it as free of charge then I would have had a queue wanting it. I make no excuses for breaking it and today I've listed a number of removed parts on eBay as a small package and it has already attracted the opening bid of 99p. I have given the loud speaker away to a friend who is most welcome to it.

Am I to blame for breaking the set or is our hobby so deep in depression that no one wants to buy such a lovely set even for 99p?

I've also listed a McMichael 372 which is quite a rare set and after six days it has still only attracted a 99p bid. I honestly feel like hiring a skip and throwing the lot in wondering why the heck I bother.

Sorry if I sound negative or even bitter but quite a while ago I offered free of charge an intercom stating it must be collected from my home address. To cut a long story short I ended up posting it and because I hadn't a cardboard box to fit I made a wooden box and paid £9 postage out of my own pocket thinking I was helping a fellow forum member out. A few days later I received a complaint from the new owner saying that the drive belts had turned mushy and messed the works up a bit.

I also had trouble when I helped out under a forum courier service; I offered to take a radio to Golborne as long as the radio was brought to my home. I ended up driving to the far side of Huddersfield to collect it thinking perhaps the person who had it didn't drive. When I arrived there was a car parked on the pavement outside the house; the guy was kitted out in cycle racing gear and he let his female partner heave the set out of the attic whilst he chatted to me in the kitchen. To really rub it in the guy worked at Dewsbury and must travel past the end of our street to get to work. I did deliver the radio to Golborne and heard nothing else about it,

I enjoy helping people out but I don't enjoy being had for a total fool. It's less hassle to take stuff to our local tip. I've received a lot of kindness and generosity over the years from forum members and wanted to help others by way of thanks; I don't mind putting myself out for genuine people but unfortunately a small number spoil everything.

Am I alone in feeling this way?

Kind regards, Col.

[Bushbaby]

Hi Col,
I hope all is well with Bron and your good self.
The problem is that the unscrupulous are breaking radios (often having them given to them to free in the first place) and selling the parts back to us who want to make repairs to the equipment that we own and are trying to restore. I honestly think that we are all better off waiting for something like the Golborne forum and trading amongst ourselves thus cutting out the pound hungry middle man.
I've had no issues whatsover trading with anyone on this forum in fact its been the opposite trying to offer money in some cases for good favours that have been given!
Outside of this there is an expectation of a lot of something for nothing and its impossible to please people under these circumstances. I can think of a person on another forum (which I shall not mention by name) who not only wants items for free but also expects others to deliver them to their home too (for free). Wow, talk about having your cake and eat it too!!

I'm sorry to say that this is way our society has turned out - the idea of doing someone a favour can often leave you out of pocket and unhappy (if not angry too!).


Ranting on as always

Rob

[Retired]

Hi,

Thanks for your good wishes Rob; Bron and I are much the same and would like a lot of global warming.

It is a shame when only a few spoil things for the many. I've received lots of help from forum members and even have made top class friends through the forums. I'm more disappointed than angry or feeling bitter about the few bad apples that have come my way because on the whole the majority of forum members are very decent people to the point of being over generous.

When asked for help I always try to help out if possible and have previously spent days on a project totally free of charge in order to put something back into the hobby.

I mentioned that I've listed my McMichael set for sale and I stated clearly that it was for collection only from my home address. I've just received an enquiry asking if I would be prepared to take it to Huddersfield railway station. I've given an honest reply that in my opinion our local council hate car drivers to the point that I would only drive into Huddersfield town at gunpoint given the abysmal parking conditions. I have however asked for a rough idea of where he lives as perhaps I could drop it off to help out if I'm travelling nearby.

For what money these sets are now making it isn't worth the effort trying to pack them together with all the driving around involved. What a sorry state of affairs.

Kind regards, Col.

[Steve_P]

I can't travel far on my own right now, so I do ask for things to be posted.

Now as far as Ebay is concerned, I buy from it but don't sell there as I don't know where it's going, who is buying it and why?

If you want rid of a set and can't wait until our ecconomy picks up, then the best places are at a rally or a BVWS or Radiophile auction. I know how you must have felt Colin but don't join the herd. We are different.

I would give a set away to someone who will appreciate it rather than sell it to who knows will buy it.

A similar thing applies to Radiograms, which another site not too far away says interesting and not totally fait things about, There are stories of people bidding on Ebay for some radiograms and then asking the seller to 'Send me the valves and dump the rest.' Also, a rare but ''uninteresting' radiogram might be the last of it's kind... so fix it or keep it safe.

Of course, the way that people in general today don't want 'old stuff' (There are common phrases they use that I can't repeat) means you need to keep a will of who gets what among collectors. All my Philips stuff is going to Mark!! Seriously though, make a will and make your vintage radio friends know about it, maybe make one an exacutor.

The way to stop people doing that to old sets is NOT TO BUY SUCH BITS. Besides, if the part is faulty then you are up s*** creek without a f***** paddle.

I wonder how many cheap Dansettes there will be in a few years time?? It's a fad that, nothing more.

Cheers,

Steve P.

[Radio Fixer]

Selling at rallys or auctions (BVWS or others) cheap sets are often bought by dealers for a few pounds to end up on a table at a future event. If they make a few quid, good luck to them I say. They take a chance on covering costs and that must be difficult at the moment. But unless you happen to be going it is it worth taking the sets? Maybe from the comfort of your PC its better to try them on Ebay

See nothing wrong in breaking sets either and selling the parts that may help someone else out. If there were less sets then the rest might be appreciated and valued more. Trouble is they were small enough to put in the loft unlike old cars. So well done Colin for doing what most would find hard to do.

It took me a long time to realise that spending lots of time and money on common, damaged sets was useless when it came to move them on. Its far better to have one rare, unbroken set and do a great job restoring it than having 10 of the former. These should be regared as learners...

Gary