Used TV Resales, very slow...

[tom66]

Re: Used TV Resales, very slow...

Economics Kevin - if your TVs aren't selling at $200 then you need to lower the price.

Unfortunately there's little market for generic used TVs - it has to be a "feature-packed" model to be interesting.

I stopped doing it quite a while ago. Very occasionally only do it now, as a hobby basically.

[nomoresonys]

Re: Used TV Resales, very slow...

Instead of selling refurbished TVs, maybe start parting them out and just sell the boards, LED strips, etc. Damn, have you seen some of the prices those used LED strips sell for?! Sort of like parting out used cars, where the parts are worth more than the running car itself. As evident by the number of requests for help on this forum, it's clear a lot of people are no longer willing to pay someone else to repair their sets. So, they give it a go at the repair themselves. Look at shopjimmy, they seem to do a brisk business selling parts. Of course, there are those DIYers that don't perform any testing and just order boards in the hope that will solve their problem. These "experimenters" can waste your time and return good boards in non-working condition, but if you have access to a lot of TVs and are willing to assume some risk, then this could be another avenue of income.

.

[nomoresonys]

Re: Used TV Resales, very slow...

I get it, but I'm doing this to make a few $, not as a hobby.

I understand there are cheap tvs for sale.

There are also 48" 1080p Sonys for $400 on at Best Buy. I'm just asking approximately what others in the biz are getting for used ones, and what sites/apps are working best...

I think newspapers are the best bet, like the 4 lines for a week specials etc, probably just need the weekend tho if they have such a rate, maybe give a 3 month guarantee. Like the pennysaver in L.A. has a huge circulation. It's funny, You see lots of people that only buy used vehicles but say they would never buy a used tv, price has a lot to do with it I'm sure.

[maxvalutech]

Re: Used TV Resales, very slow...

Over here in Oz I get a heap of TVs for nothing. Mostly been 2008 to 2011 models but now starting to get later ones FHD and smart with WiFi. Only a hobby and I sell on local buy/sell Facebook sites. No problem selling 40" and above but smaller than that limited sales. I generally charge twice screen size e.g. 40"-42" are $80/90 depending on age and condition, 50" to 55" go for $110/150 tops. No warranty but I do say any problems first 4/6 weeks bring it back and i'll look at it but a number are for peoples kids to play their games on so I'm not offering more than that. Not much good fixing them if you can't move them and I have given a few to friends or deserving types. Was in laptop sales repair 15:years ago again as a hobby and saw new prices $5000 come down to $500 over just a few years. Same now in TV e.g. 55" FHD smart 4 years replacement warranty $570 and I tell people to turn LEDs back to 60% and that $150/200 per year cost is cheap entertainment. I don't expect there is any future in this as a business as 65" new prices here $690 Aldi and recently TCL smart with 5 years warranty for $990. Few people look to fix anything these days and the next generation will be.......?

[Moreno83]

Re: Used TV Resales, very slow...

I ONLY repair Panasonic plasma tv's and here in the Netherlands people actually look for plasma models because of the picture quality.

Last week i tried to repair a Panasonic led tv for the first time ( very thin IPS panel ). Had a bad led and everything went fine untill the last part when i put to much pressure on the big panel with my finger and it cracked. Panel was so thin , it cracked way to easy with just 2 fingers. Took the leds and board out and trashed the tv.

But yes i can still make good money with those plasma tv's. Buying it for 40/50 and selling the 50VT30 for 350/400$. I only sell to people who are seeking good quality tv's.

[Moreno83]

Re: Used TV Resales, very slow...

Ps , when you replace a LED on a tv and sell it , there are still chances another led fails the week after they purchased it and the people return to your shop and complain lol. Nah , not worth it those shitty led tv's.

[dick_barton]

Re: Used TV Resales, very slow...

I ONLY repair Panasonic plasma tv's and here in the Netherlands people actually look for plasma models because of the picture quality.

Last week i tried to repair a Panasonic led tv for the first time ( very thin IPS panel ). Had a bad led and everything went fine untill the last part when i put to much pressure on the big panel with my finger and it cracked. Panel was so thin , it cracked way to easy with just 2 fingers. Took the leds and board out and trashed the tv.

But yes i can still make good money with those plasma tv's. Buying it for 40/50 and selling the 50VT30 for 350/400$. I only sell to people who are seeking good quality tv's.

I'm looking at a Gumtree advert for a 40" Samsung plasma set being advertised locally for £15 ($20 US dollars). The problem is that even if I managed to get it working and often find I have to buy a new remote control, I would be lucky to get £30 ($40 US dollars) for it.
There's just no interest in plasma set around this area anymore.

[maxvalutech]

Re: Used TV Resales, very slow...

An interesting development here in the state of NSW there is a funded scheme for lower income people let's say to replace old CRT or plasma sets with a selection of new cheapie type sets at 50% off normal price. This mainly due to our electricity prices being very high at around $1.60 per day plus 36c per kWh used.. People I deal with don't differentiate at all really but no new plasmas sold here for about 5/6 years.

[nomoresonys]

Re: Used TV Resales, very slow...

I ONLY repair Panasonic plasma tv's and here in the Netherlands people actually look for plasma models because of the picture quality.

Last week i tried to repair a Panasonic led tv for the first time ( very thin IPS panel ). Had a bad led and everything went fine untill the last part when i put to much pressure on the big panel with my finger and it cracked. Panel was so thin , it cracked way to easy with just 2 fingers. Took the leds and board out and trashed the tv.

But yes i can still make good money with those plasma tv's. Buying it for 40/50 and selling the 50VT30 for 350/400$. I only sell to people who are seeking good quality tv's.

Nice market there, in my area midwest U.S. can't give away plasmas.

[bluto]

Re: Used TV Resales, very slow...

I agree that the marketing channel is the biggest problem with buying/selling of used TVs and parts. Craigslist is dead to me and probably many others as well. Too many scammers and wierdos on there. The risk of getting robbed or killed is substantially higher than a trip to your local best buy or walmart. It is not the hip new site to sell your couch to a nice college student that it once was.

Also for parts... Where else can you sell besides ebay? Even that seems tough for the seller now days. I visited an old TV repair shop recently to donate a dead LCD set. The guy had what seemed like hundreds of circuit boards parted out from TVs neatly bagged and hanging up like shirts in a closet. I asked him if he sold those on ebay and he said he dosen't bother much with that because the buyer can just ask for a refund if the part does not fix their problem and he would be forced to pay return shipping if he wanted his part back.

Bottom line, people suck and this is why we can't have nice things.

[tibimakai]

Re: Used TV Resales, very slow...

I quit quite a while ago, as well.
I have just purchased from Walmart, a refurb 55" Samsung 55MU6290 4k TV, for a grand total, of $357(!)
After the TVs, I have started reaoairing and selling home theater receivers receivers, mostly Onkyos.
These are not really selling either. Some online places sell these, as refurbs, for $240-$270 shipped with 1 year warranty(!)

[Davi.p]

Re: Used TV Resales, very slow...

Hi, i live in Italy and prices are different, by new, used and broken so i don't quote my rates, but in theese last 3 months i've touched the very worst record of ever, never keep a tv on sale for more than a month, now are 3 for this fu**ing Sharp tv (but very quality image tv) so things seems are getting very harder, in fact i'm sensible of this wind and lost interest to tv repairs. For jetadm, it's a stupid job resale tv parts,all stupid people can do it, to choosea job, 1. is very productive job ($) or 2. is an interesting one for some reason, not a boring one...
What i want to say is or you become faster at repairing and you put smaller prices or you choose another activity.

[chrismurphy]

Re: Used TV Resales, very slow...

My 2 cents worth
Manufacture's are just replacing TV's that fail within a year
I suspect that within a few years there will be no repairs done to TV's as it will be cheaper ,faster, and simpler just to replace then to repair
The call for parts may last a little longer if they are cheap but soon that will go by the wayside
People want the latest and best and will use any excuse to get a new one

[dick_barton]

Re: Used TV Resales, very slow...

I remember when finishing my Radio & TV servicing course many, many years ago being told that the tv servicing was fast becoming a dead-end business.

The number of tv rental shops on the High street dwindled to zero over the following decades. However there has always been a pocket of people who cannot afford an outright replacement when their set goes faulty and look for a repair at a price less than the cost of a replacement.

TV servicing will be with us for some time to come but like lots of other industries we have to change and become smarter to stay ahead of the game.

I also believe that the age of "throw it away" will change. Manufacturers may not be happy but I seem to recall a recent report that the EEC is seeking a minimum number of years that appliances should be serviceable and parts made available from the manufacturers so as to minimise landfill.

After saying all that I never did work in "TV servicing" and other than being a hobby for me it would be good to hear from those who service as a full time job.

[nomoresonys]

Re: Used TV Resales, very slow...

Ps , when you replace a LED on a tv and sell it , there are still chances another led fails the week after they purchased it and the people return to your shop and complain lol. Nah , not worth it those shitty led tv's.

+100 I don't like the led lit tvs either.

[N9ZN]

My 2 cents worth
Manufacture's are just replacing TV's that fail within a year
I suspect that within a few years there will be no repairs done to TV's as it will be cheaper, faster, and simpler just to replace than to repair
The call for parts may last a little longer if they are cheap but soon that will go by the wayside
People want the latest and best and will use any excuse to get a new one

NO, NO, NO, this can not be allowed to happen but I suspect I agree with you and it will happen indeed. This is very similar to what I said right before vacuum Tubes went away.

[audiofreak19]

Re: Used TV Resales, very slow...

Yea I got out of the tv flipping hobby a couple of years ago. The profit just wasn’t worth the time unless I had small components already on hand that would fix it.