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The one and only "HOW MUCH IS MY BOOMBOX WORTH" thread

ao - 2013-03-28 22:33

----Edited----

 

If you have something to sell and genuinely have no idea what to ask then please use this thread.

 

As we all know, boomboxes are not like cars and don't have set listed values.  The first thing to do is to look through completed eBay auctions to get a fix on the kind of money your model has sold for recently.

Alternatively you can post here with a pic or two plus as much detail as you have about the condition (cosmetic and functional) then our resident team of seasoned experts (you lot) will give their ball-park thoughts on what they think it's worth.

Negative comments towards posters and their offerings will not be tolerated and will be deleted instantly.  Please do not post if your comment isn't related to the value of the posted items.

 

Also, can I urge all of you to direct posters towards this thread if you see them 'running wild' elsewhere on the forum.

 

Here is the old Boombox Prices thread.

ao - 2013-03-28 23:52

To get things rolling...

 

I have a rather nice Panasonic RF-5410 I was thinking of selling.  Cosmetically clean but could do with a dust.  It has it's antenna but appears 'now' to be missing it's volume knob.  I'll need to check but I can swear it has AM/LW/SW1/SW2/SW3.    It kind of works, the radio works well but the cassette doesn't, assume belt and grime issues but nothing that detracts from this unit being capable of being fully restored in the right hands. 

 

So guys, what do you think she's worth?

 

lav.loo - 2013-03-29 01:38

i can't help but think the speaker grills look like old phone dials on these, sorry chris

 

 

feuifuie

caro - 2013-03-31 08:56

Hi all,

I have a Vintage Promax J-1 Super Jumbo Boom Box Ghetto Blaster .. perfect condition.  Can anybody tell me what they think this is worth?  Thanks very much!

Boombox

nickfish - 2013-03-31 09:10

Hello and welcome. This is the absolute definition of a marmite box. On ebay recently they have fetched between £150 and £300 it totally depends on who sees it. The condition matters a lot because they tend not to travel well and are not well built. Mine works and is in one piece but i keep it because it is hysterical to look at rather than for its sound quality!

johnedward - 2013-03-31 12:57

Absolutely AWESOME Topic Cris.   Wonderful to have a place that seasoned members can give honest real world value to sell currently not the inflated often over bid up by two buyers with more money than sense or value of something.  Although in the end the paramount statement is "Its worth what someone is willing to pay".   I look forward to this being a long standing topic with some great boxes and range of realistic values that excludes some idiot drop in person to our forum fishing for a wild price to ebay his BBX.   We members look out for each other..... as it should be.

ao - 2013-03-31 13:06

Thanks John, it's just a trial really but in essence it should work.  The thing is, these aren't used cars, there isn't a specific value as such.  But you're right, consider it more of a 'what is the best price someone who 'may' be looking for such a box/walkman right now, willing to pay' thread

claret.badger - 2013-04-01 00:19

Originally Posted by Lav Loo:

i can't help but think the speaker grills look like old phone dials on these, sorry chris

 

 

feuifuie

and that makes it  BLOODY BRILLIANT in my book

Worth - 75-130 really Chris

FANTASTIC radio - everyoine should hear and feel the quality

claret.badger - 2013-04-01 00:20

Originally Posted by Caro:

Hi all,

I have a Vintage Promax J-1 Super Jumbo Boom Box Ghetto Blaster .. perfect condition.  Can anybody tell me what they think this is worth?  Thanks very much!

Boombox

In the US these can fetch north of 450 if fully functioning
less than 300 if not

depends if the right buyer is in the "room"

caro - 2013-04-01 07:28

Originally Posted by NickFish:
Hello and welcome. This is the absolute definition of a marmite box. On ebay recently they have fetched between £150 and £300 it totally depends on who sees it. The condition matters a lot because they tend not to travel well and are not well built. Mine works and is in one piece but i keep it because it is hysterical to look at rather than for its sound quality!

 

caro - 2013-04-01 07:31

Thank you very much ... our friend just had it and it looked so cool I wasn't sure ... she has fond memories of it because her dad who knew all about music gave it to her for her son in the 80's.  She said she really didn't need it , it was just sitting on a shelf all these years.  I just wanted somebody who would appreciate it to have it.  I had no idea about it until I started researching.  Pretty cool.  Thanks again.

caro - 2013-04-01 07:33

Originally Posted by Claret Badger:
Originally Posted by Caro:

Hi all,

I have a Vintage Promax J-1 Super Jumbo Boom Box Ghetto Blaster .. perfect condition.  Can anybody tell me what they think this is worth?  Thanks very much!

Boombox

In the US these can fetch north of 450 if fully functioning
less than 300 if not

depends if the right buyer is in the "room"

 

caro - 2013-04-01 07:36

Originally Posted by Claret Badger:
Originally Posted by Caro:

Hi all,

I have a Vintage Promax J-1 Super Jumbo Boom Box Ghetto Blaster .. perfect condition.  Can anybody tell me what they think this is worth?  Thanks very much!

Boombox

In the US these can fetch north of 450 if fully functioning
less than 300 if not

depends if the right buyer is in the "room"

Thanks .. yes in U.S. .. it's in great shape, its just because it was sitting on a high shelf for the years and not being used.. it had one of the antennas was up.. and it got caught in the door that was right next to where it was sitting by mistake .. so the top part of one of the antennas broke off, but you can put it back on.  That's the only thing that was wrong.  Thanks for your advice .. just want somebody that can use it or appreciates it to have it ..

ao - 2013-04-01 08:00

Originally Posted by Claret Badger:
Originally Posted by Lav Loo:

i can't help but think the speaker grills look like old phone dials on these, sorry chris

 

 

feuifuie

and that makes it  BLOODY BRILLIANT in my book

Worth - 75-130 really Chris

FANTASTIC radio - everyoine should hear and feel the quality

It's an interesting box and has all the Panasonic quality about it but it is old, it has issues and it doesn't have FM, oh and it's mono.  Might try selling it for £50, what do you think, too ambitious?

brutus442 - 2013-04-01 08:04

Originally Posted by agentorange:
Originally Posted by Claret Badger:
Originally Posted by Lav Loo:

i can't help but think the speaker grills look like old phone dials on these, sorry chris

 

 

feuifuie

and that makes it  BLOODY BRILLIANT in my book

Worth - 75-130 really Chris

FANTASTIC radio - everyoine should hear and feel the quality

It's an interesting box and has all the Panasonic quality about it but it is old, it has issues and it doesn't have FM, oh and it's mono.  Might try selling it for £50, what do you think, too ambitious?

Not sure about 50 Chris. You say it "kinda works" and being a mono box I'd peg it around 30 tops but that's just MHO

nak.d - 2013-04-01 08:57

Originally Posted by agentorange:

To get things rolling...

 

It kind of works, the radio works well but the cassette doesn't, assume belt and grime issues but nothing that detracts from this unit being capable of being fully restored in the right hands. 

 

So guys, what do you think she's worth?

 

 

Cris, change the belt already! Service it as much as it appropriate and post it for sale. When done, I'd say £35 rather than £50 maybe nearer to an achievable price.

 

ao - 2013-04-01 09:47

Originally Posted by Nak D:
Originally Posted by agentorange:

To get things rolling...

 

It kind of works, the radio works well but the cassette doesn't, assume belt and grime issues but nothing that detracts from this unit being capable of being fully restored in the right hands. 

 

So guys, what do you think she's worth?

 

 

Cris, change the belt already! Service it as much as it appropriate and post it for sale. When done, I'd say £35 rather than £50 maybe nearer to an achievable price.

 

Oh really, I thought these were quite desirable in the mono arena.  Might not bother now

nak.d - 2013-04-01 14:01

 

Oh really, I thought these were quite desirable in the mono arena.  Might not bother now

To be fair Cris I could be wrong... I forgot about the SW bits, looks like this could be quite rare. One on the bay went for a bit more than £35! That was two years ago (amazed google came up with and eBay allowed me to view such an old auction).

walkman.archive - 2013-04-01 14:48

I'm curious to know how much this wonderful boombox is worth, the Toshiba Bombeat X-01, RT-S933 (new in box):

 

Toshiba-Bombeat-X01

 

I know that the Bombeat 40 is one of the most desired boombix, and this model is very close (probably even higher featured).

Thanks for any help!

docs - 2013-04-01 14:58

Hi WA, I have seen a few of these sell, most recently was mmcdomino's on German eBay for around £350 (jap version). The previous model (EU) which I saw sell was £520 or so.

New in box and in super condition I would say would be around the higher value but wouldn't go much higher than that. They may have been the S932 but the boxes are pretty much identical except for the dark coloured grills instead of silver.

Hope that helps.

baconbuttyman - 2013-04-03 12:50

Hi guys, could some one tell me what this little beastie is worth

JVC RC828-LB Biphonic ghetto blaster
This unit is in perfect working order, item is in very nice condition too, only issue is the left arial is broken at the top, but this does not interfere with the working of the unit
Tape functions are working fine.
Radio is functioning well, picks up all channels as it should, the illumination of the radio dial is also working well.

 

lav.loo - 2013-04-03 12:57

that jvc would probably sell for around £80/100 in that condition, that's my guess but i could be a little out

here's a link to one that sold on the bay, not as good condition but not that bad.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rare...phonic-/321083367238

ao - 2013-04-03 12:58

Thanks for posting baconbuttyman.  There's a lot of RC828's in the UK and they turn up on eBay quite a lot.  Personally I like the look of this one and I actually have one somewhere.  It's got all the bells & whistles but the styling may not be quite as bling retro as other radios.  I'll go out on a limb and say on a good day you might get £80 for a clean fully functioning unit with 2x antennas.  But it's an unpredictable market these days.  This one went last week for £25 - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rare...;hash=item4ac20f5f46

ao - 2013-04-03 12:59

Originally Posted by Lav Loo:

that jvc would probably sell for around £80/100 in that condition, that's my guess but i could be a little out

Ha, great minds

lav.loo - 2013-04-03 13:02

Originally Posted by agentorange:
Originally Posted by Lav Loo:

that jvc would probably sell for around £80/100 in that condition, that's my guess but i could be a little out

Ha, great minds

it's a good thing hey Chris, i forgot to add the link to the ebay auction and edited but you had already posted the link

baconbuttyman - 2013-04-03 13:05

Originally Posted by agentorange:

Thanks for posting baconbuttyman.  There's a lot of RC828's in the UK and they turn up on eBay quite a lot.  Personally I like the look of this one and I actually have one somewhere.  It's got all the bells & whistles but the styling may not be quite as bling retro as other radios.  I'll go out on a limb and say on a good day you might get £80 for a clean fully functioning unit with 2x antennas.  But it's an unpredictable market these days.  This one went last week for £25 - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rare...;hash=item4ac20f5f46

 

Originally Posted by agentorange:
Originally Posted by Lav Loo:

that jvc would probably sell for around £80/100 in that condition, that's my guess but i could be a little out

Ha, great minds

Yeah i saw that one, and to be fair, the radio wouldnt pick up any stations according to the seller, I did forget to mention that this unit has 3 sw, 1 mw and 1 fm frequency, all work fine.

lav.loo - 2013-04-03 13:09

it's a nice box for sure BBM but not that sought after unfortunately.

i still think the £80 mark is realistic but you never can be sure if it goes the epay route.

the only real way to find out is to auction it

baconbuttyman - 2013-04-03 13:13

Originally Posted by Lav Loo:

it's a nice box for sure BBM but not that sought after unfortunately.

i still think the £80 mark is realistic but you never can be sure if it goes the epay route.

the only real way to find out is to auction it

Thanks, i think i will keep it, price can only go up, where would i get a replacement arial for it.

lav.loo - 2013-04-03 13:52

off a scrap one would be your best bet if you can get one for next to nothing.

not sure which other models have the same ariels that would fit, maybe someone can help you out here.

put an ad in the wanted section and good luck it's defo worth restoring

redbenjoe - 2013-04-03 14:08

this is such a good idea for a helpful thread --

 

its important that the inquiry include the location --

for instance ,

that nice toshiba bombeat may get US$700 on usa ebay -

but in japan = only $200

walkman.archive - 2013-04-03 15:33

Originally Posted by docs:

Hi WA, I have seen a few of these sell, most recently was mmcdomino's on German eBay for around £350 (jap version). The previous model (EU) which I saw sell was £520 or so.

New in box and in super condition I would say would be around the higher value but wouldn't go much higher than that. They may have been the S932 but the boxes are pretty much identical except for the dark coloured grills instead of silver.

Hope that helps.

Thanks for the info. Wow, that's so much money for it (EU model)...

jason.hall - 2013-04-03 15:57

Chris..... If you're thinking about selling the pro max please let me know. I'm here in Arizona I would be interested in buying. Chefjhall39@gmail.com

claret.badger - 2013-04-03 18:17

Originally Posted by baconbuttyman:

Hi guys, could some one tell me what this little beastie is worth

JVC RC828-LB Biphonic ghetto blaster
This unit is in perfect working order, item is in very nice condition too, only issue is the left arial is broken at the top, but this does not interfere with the working of the unit
Tape functions are working fine.
Radio is functioning well, picks up all channels as it should, the illumination of the radio dial is also working well.

 

70 pound box all day long - but worth more than that hold on to it

 

it's as loud as TOAST

I love mine but my tape deck don't work

baconbuttyman - 2013-04-04 03:10

Originally Posted by Claret Badger:
Originally Posted by baconbuttyman:

Hi guys, could some one tell me what this little beastie is worth

JVC RC828-LB Biphonic ghetto blaster
This unit is in perfect working order, item is in very nice condition too, only issue is the left arial is broken at the top, but this does not interfere with the working of the unit
Tape functions are working fine.
Radio is functioning well, picks up all channels as it should, the illumination of the radio dial is also working well.

 

70 pound box all day long - but worth more than that hold on to it

 

it's as loud as TOAST

I love mine but my tape deck don't work

Yeah, I often thought about picking these up when i saw them, i got this one for £24 of a boot sale in Blackpool (UK's Version of Las Vegas for all you Americans on here ). Yes it is very loud but tbf i thought very clear when i put in my old Shakin Stevens tape lol

How about you sell me your aerial of your broken tape unit

metad - 2013-04-04 03:50

Originally Posted by baconbuttyman:

Hi guys, could some one tell me what this little beastie is worth

JVC RC828-LB Biphonic ghetto blaster

 

Originally Posted by baconbuttyman:

i got this one for £24 

 

You just answered your own question

baconbuttyman - 2013-04-04 05:57

Originally Posted by metad:
Originally Posted by baconbuttyman:

Hi guys, could some one tell me what this little beastie is worth

JVC RC828-LB Biphonic ghetto blaster

 

Originally Posted by baconbuttyman:

i got this one for £24 

 

You just answered your own question

even i know it's worth more that £24 lol

docs - 2013-04-04 07:59

Is it? I'm not sure.

metad - 2013-04-04 08:13

Originally Posted by baconbuttyman:
 even i know it's worth more that £24 lol

then why did you ask ?

baconbuttyman - 2013-04-04 12:32

Originally Posted by metad:
Originally Posted by baconbuttyman:
 even i know it's worth more that £24 lol

then why did you ask ?

why not, am i not allowed to ask what you guys think it's worth, what i paid for and what it's worth could be two different prices could they not, it's replies like yours which will deter others from asking too

radio.raheem - 2013-04-04 12:36

Originally Posted by baconbuttyman:
Originally Posted by metad:
Originally Posted by baconbuttyman:
 even i know it's worth more that £24 lol

then why did you ask ?

why not, am i not allowed to ask what you guys think it's worth, what i paid for and what it's worth could be two different prices could they not, it's replies like yours which will deter others from asking too

I paid £10 for mine...mint some years ago....gave it away not long after i had it....but people pay more for them these days

samovar - 2013-04-04 12:38

Originally Posted by baconbuttyman:
Originally Posted by metad:
Originally Posted by baconbuttyman:
 even i know it's worth more that £24 lol

then why did you ask ?

am i not allowed to ask what you guys think it's worth

aren't these guys allowed to answer the way they do

baconbuttyman - 2013-04-04 12:50

Originally Posted by samovar:
Originally Posted by baconbuttyman:
Originally Posted by metad:
Originally Posted by baconbuttyman:
 even i know it's worth more that £24 lol

then why did you ask ?

am i not allowed to ask what you guys think it's worth

aren't these guys allowed to answer the way they do

not exactly inviting is it, some one takes the trouble to set up a thread so people may ask what an item is worth, then when some one does, you get some honest answers, then you get some answers from people who seem to have an attitude of animosity.

people may or may not answer in which ever vein they like, but can of serve to stop others from asking, thus may damage future forum membership, i do know what i am talking about too, There is a saying, if you have nothing nice to say, then keep your mouth shut, kinda works in life and on line

People like me come on here to get peoples advice as some of you obviously have more knowledge about these boxes...simples

lav.loo - 2013-04-04 13:05

here we go again

ao - 2013-04-04 13:06

Please guys, this thread will only work if we keep strictly to the task of valuations.  It was going so well, mud slinging will just kill it.  Baconbuttyman was good enough to post asking for feedback, I think we should respect this.

 

We decided to try this thread idea out and I believe it deserves a fair crack of the whip, if it descends into arguments then it will just be pointless.

 

lav.loo - 2013-04-04 13:10

yep lets keep it clean guys, there's been too much tit for tat on here of late.

deliverance - 2013-04-04 13:33

Originally Posted by Lav Loo:

yep lets keep it clean guys, there's been too much tit for tat on here of late.

metad - 2013-04-04 13:41

"radioattic" gives the best guidance by far

 

quote from here http://radioattic.com/radiovalue.htm :

 

I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOUR RADIO IS WORTH!  [you may just want to stop reading now and skip the rest of the page....]

I get many requests from people wanting to know the values of their radios.  Appraising a radio's value takes time, and it would take more time than I have available to make a stab at fulfilling all the requests I get.  But more important than the time it would take to research these requests, the subjective nature of radio valuation makes it something I am just not qualified to do.  One could make a stab at it with the radio and references in hand, or with a detailed description of the radio's cosmetic and operating conditions, but you're always guessing.  Anyone who has priced the same radio using both a Bunis and Stein reference is probably still wondering what the radio is "worth."  The "value" of a radio eventually becomes simply what one is willing to pay for it.  Or what someone is willing to part with it for.  Ask three people and you'll get three answers.  Gosh, we're still trying to figure it out!

Here's a good example of what I'm trying to say.  You go to a swap meet with a bunch of radios, including your favorite (got to make room).  One price guide says it's worth $200, another says $300.  You split the difference and put a price of $250 on it.  300 people go by your table on day one and you get no offers.  Day 2, you lower the price to $150; no offers all day.  Day 3, after you have your table set up, you decide you want to keep the radio after all but don't want to rearrange your table.  So you change the price to $450 so no one will buy it.  Twenty minutes later, someone says, "I've been looking for one of those for YEARS!" and thrusts $450 into your trembling hand.  So what was the radio worth?  $450?  Not on day 1.  Not on day 2. 

If you tell a buyer you want $100 for a radio and he agrees, you got it right: it was worth $100. 

 A good number of people who ask me to appraise a radio turn around and list the radio on eBay or craigslist.  If you don't want to list your radio for sale at the Radio Attic (or sell it to me!) then please forgive me if I don't want to spend time doing free research for you.

If you are contemplating advertising your radio for sale at the Radio Attic, please remember: since the Radio Attic charges an advertising fee based on selling price, it would not be ethical of me to assist a seller or potential seller in setting a value.  So please don't ask (even after all this, I hate to say no).

There are several excellent and respected value guides available.  Marty Bunis and Mark Stein put out several over the years; while the most recent is at least four years old, you can get an idea of your radio's value relative to other radios.  All these books are out of print, so you will have to find them in libraries or in the used book section of amazon.com or someplace like that.  At used book prices, they are an excellent investment for anyone who collects old radios.  But remember, even if you or someone else gets a "value" for your radio from one of these references, that every cosmetic defect, every missing tube or non-original part, every whistle or hum that is not supposed to be heard, subtracts from that restored-and-operating value printed in the book.  If your radio is cracked, if it has aluminum knobs instead of the original carved wood, if it has a piece of carpet for the speaker grille, or if it has mud-dauber nests or smells of rodent urine, throw the book value away, as you likely have a piece of flea market junk.  Maybe with many hours of careful cleaning and restoration, it will be "worth" something, but for now... junk.  Potential value as a restored radio simply can't be figured into the value of a broken or rotting hulk, no matter what your neighborhood antique dealer or your Aunt Minnie says.

samovar - 2013-04-04 13:48

the now closed thread on Boombox Prices puts things in more or less the same perspective:

 

index.php?board_oid=193392314111653483&content_oid=193392314111800849

metad - 2013-04-04 13:55

yep, it was the right thread.

cause impossible to give the "right" answer on such a question.

ao - 2013-04-04 14:03

I kind of wish you guys had made all this effort when we were asking for feedback a couple of weeks ago.  Samovar, that thread was closed the day Jens wrote it btw.

 

What does everyone else think?  I'm not fussed either way, it either works or it doesn't, I'm not going to stick my neck out if it's not fit for purpose.

 

Are boombox values simply not as exact as we'd like and prices depend totally on who's around at the time?

 

I'm happy to can this if it's not working.

lav.loo - 2013-04-04 14:08

looks like it's going downhill already Chris, it may be a good idea to can it and maybe have a think on another idea i will try and come up with something myself so it's not all on your toes