Selling broken TV at yard sale ?

[Hannathy]

I'd give it away free so I didn't have to pay to put it in the trash. Why would anyone pay $25. without knowing what was wrong. The parts alone could cost $100 and new are under 200. I think if I saw a yard sale where they wanted $25. for a broken and really broken TV I'd worry about everything else if it would work and if things were overpriced, but thats just IMO.

 

[babiesX2]

I vote for putting a sign on it that says 'FREE...HAS MIND OF ITS OWN...' and see if you can get rid of it.

I dont think it be worth your time to price it, then stand there while people haggled over price with you. Just put it up for free and if its still there at the end of the day, either recycle it or perhaps donate it to a school or similar that teaches repairs, they might be happy to get something their students can work on.

I like the way you think!

 

[daisyduck123]

YARD SALE PRO HERE.....

I say mark $5.00 for it...better than throwing it out & not getting any money for it.

$5.00 will buy you a Mickey Mouse pen at WDW.

We have one guy in our neighborhood...he is a yard sale regular.
Every Saturday he drives all over & all he wants are broken TVs, VCRs, etc.

He pulls up to the driveways, leans out his window & asks, "Do you have any broken TVs, VCRs, radios, etc.?"

Last year, he bought our 10 year-old broken VCR. (My mother & I aren't sure, but we think he uses them for spare parts).

 

[nbodyhome]

I'd just say "broken, free to a good home" and be glad to have it carted away.

 

[ryka]

I've never sold a tv but I did sell a broken xbox on ebay once. It sold for 60.00. I see no problem with selling something broken as long as you state it is broken and state sold as is. My father is one of those people that looks for broken tvs, vcrs and radios. He likes to fix them and then sell them.

 

[littleteapot]

FYI -
Our 10 year old Zenith flatlined ($600 new). It would have been too expensive to repair, but I eBayed the remote and got $20 toward our new TV.

hth,

 

[DVC Sadie]

Gee, I dont' think I am "screwing anyone out of their hard earned money" if I have the thing CLEARLY marked as broken!

I will probably lower the asking price, but am not willing to just give it away, at least not early in the day. There is a good chance that someone that knows how to fix it will come by and pay for it--just to fix it and resell it for more. We get lots of "professional" garage salers around here. I figure that people will be more than willing to also make me an offer if they think I am being outrageous.

I do not want to just throw it in a landfill. If it doesn't sell then it will be donated somewhere, because I really do think it can be fixed and has a lot more years left in it. TV's are getting cheap, but not 26 in for under $50 cheap!

Why not donate it to Salvation Army so someone can fix it fr=or free and then they could use it at a shelter or sell it for a profit? If you were willing to have it fixed you could also donate it to either nursing home, an elderly daycare or a womens shelter.

 

[jenr812]

Instead of selling it at a garage sale, maybe you could contact a tv repair shop and see if they will buy it from you for $10-$20 for the parts? You're still getting some cash and the repair shop may fix it or use the parts.

Good idea

 

[Fionasmommy]

I'd also mark it free or just toss it.

 

[kizmac]

I'd set it at your yard sale for free and hope someone takes it. I doubt anyone is going to pay for a broken TV. We had a 36 inch Sony that the picture tube was going in. I paid the Sony guy $100 to tell me it was going to be big bucks to repair so we decided to just chuck it. It still worked but the picture would go black or blink...I can't remember. Anyhow, I sat it in my front yard for free. Someone took it and I was just happy to have the big thing gone.

 

[JuneChickie]

In our state its against the law to "toss it" ,, anything electronic has to be "recycled" and we have to pay to do that. sometimes they charge by
weight for things. A tv of that size would cost YOU 50 dollars ., computer items
are the same way.
Salavation Army here wont take any electronics.
I would mark it "free" " has a mind of its own !!!!!!!!

 

[starwood]

I think as long as you are honest with potential buyers that it doesn't work you can try to get a few dollars for it. If later in the day you have had no offers I would put a sign on it for free. This way if someone wants it they can have it and it won't end up in the landfill.

DS's computer died on Monday and Compusa said it was the motherboard. $380 to fix it. He's better off with a new computer so I intend to put it out at the garage sale for parts. I'm not sure how much we will ask for it but it will be clearly marked that the motherboard is bad.

 

[safetymom]

Most Goodwill's and Salvation Army stores will not take broken electronics.

 

[my3kids]

Put it out there and if anyone wants it for parts or a project for a do it yourselfer, just let them haul if off you you. No way would I price a set that doesn't work, even if I stated that upfront.

 

[sk!mom]

I would put a sign on it that states" "Free to good home - needs repair" and if anybody asks what is wrong - briefly explain what you think the problem is. If they are willing to haul it off, let 'em have it.
/QUOTE]

ITA- When I have yard sales in the past we price everything really low since our mission is to declutter. I don't have them anymore- now we donate.

 

[sk!mom]

Gee, I dont' think I am "screwing anyone out of their hard earned money" if I have the thing CLEARLY marked as broken!

I will probably lower the asking price, but am not willing to just give it away, at least not early in the day. There is a good chance that someone that knows how to fix it will come by and pay for it--just to fix it and resell it for more. We get lots of "professional" garage salers around here. I figure that people will be more than willing to also make me an offer if they think I am being outrageous.

I do not want to just throw it in a landfill. If it doesn't sell then it will be donated somewhere, because I really do think it can be fixed and has a lot more years left in it. TV's are getting cheap, but not 26 in for under $50 cheap!

You stated in your OP that you had fixed the picture "several times" previously. Due to that fact, I doubt that it is a "very nice" TV- it sounds like a lemon. In 26 years, I've called a TV repaiman once for a 10 year old TV. He fixed it and 9 years later it still works (knock wood). A TV that has been repaired several times is certainly not worth putting more money in and I wouldn't want to pass it off on someone else knowing it's history.

 

[crisi]

In our state its against the law to "toss it" ,, anything electronic has to be "recycled" and we have to pay to do that. sometimes they charge by
weight for things. A tv of that size would cost YOU 50 dollars ., computer items
are the same way.
Salavation Army here wont take any electronics.
I would mark it "free" " has a mind of its own !!!!!!!!

There are hazardous materials in electronics. They need to be disposed of properly, and that can be expensive.

Personally, I think you are asking for trouble. I once sold a car with a broken engine block. I sold it cheap - for basically what the body was worth, knowing that someone handy with a crane could spend an afternoon, buy a second hand engine, and make about $1200 on the car.

The guy who bought it didn't believe me when I said it had a broken block (something about being a cute young girl - I couldn't possibly understand what I was saying). He thought he was getting a steal. When it turned out the engine block was broken, he spent weeks harrassing me. It wasn't worth the $500 I got for the car.

I can buy that TV brand new and functional for $100 at WalMart - less if I shop it up at Big Lots or fall into a good deal at Costco. Why would I spend $25 plus potential parts and time on it?

 

[kaytieeldr]

I agree with the poster who suggested donating it to a school. Is there a public vocational school in your area that has an electronics program? I bet they'd love it (afk to contact MY local vocational school about donating my less-than-perfect tv...)

 

[lilprincessnbuzz]

I don't see a problem in selling it at a garage sale if it is marked broken. I remember having people asking if we had any electronics, working or not, for sale. You never know why they want them. If it is CLEARLY marked as broken, and discussed with the potential buyer, then I don't see the problem. I say go for it!

 

[undertheradar]

Put it out with a sign that it is broken and free to anyone who removes it!

I would not sell it as people are crazy these days and the buyer could try to claim that you stated that it works. Give it away and be done with it. There is too much potential downside to try selling it.