On Jul 24, 2011, at 3:31 AM, Al Gulseth wrote:
I'm trying to determine what a 515 in less than stellar condition is
worth.
There are lots of ways to determine value. Asking here is a good one,
though I expect that it will get you the lowest numbers.
Googling it will get you prices on sites and mailing lists that cater
to hams and some others that are general sale lists.
eBay is also a good site to look at the completed sale prices, to give
you an idea of what people are willing to pay. The advantage of
selling there is sometimes people get on a feeding frenzy and bid more
than something is worth. This often happens with cameras.
That's good news for the seller until the person who bid the highest
realizes when they get the radio that while you said it did not work
and was not good looking, they had read it as in perfect condition
inside and out. That becomes a contest you will not win, and most
likey lose more money than if you just sold it to the first person who
makes an offer here.
Some people have good luck there, some don't. If you're not a regular,
your chances of not having good luck are much greater.
I think the real question is how much would it cost to fix up the
radio to 100% working condition, get rid of the stink, fix the
scratches etc, versus the increase in price it. For example, if it
would sell for $100 as it is, and $500 fixed up, repainted, etc, then
you probably could do it and make some money.
Far too often though, I have seen items for sale that cost $150 or
$200 to fix up and would sell for $50 when done. I would think the
more common Argos, 505's and 509's, Triton's and early Omni's are in
that class. They are good radios, but no one is going to pay a bench
tech $75-$100 an hour for several hours to fix them up.
My GUESS is that it would go for $100-$200 depending upon it's
condition. If it just needs to be cleaned, the scratches are not too
noticable, and there is nothing wrong with it besides old age (dead
lamps, broken dial cord, etc). If it's also the victim of a "golden
screwdriver" (random alignment), or has parts damaged or missing
inside, such as needing a "new" PTO, one or more of the boards,
finals, etc, it would be closer to $50. But that's all a guess.
It also may depend upon the serial number, if it is one of the first
(or the first) or one of the last (or the last), the price will be
higher.
73,
Geoff.
--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, N3OWJ/4X1GM
Making your enemy reliant on software you support is the best revenge.
|