What's the The Secret

[Pointdexter1906]

So, after having thoroughly enjoyed this forum for a few weeks, I have a question. Some of you have dozens of boxes (I know, I stated early on that my goal was to stick with 2 or 3...) Question is, where are you scoring these things? Is it all eBay? Thrift stores? Yard sales? And the other question is are most of you good at electronics and restoration? I got lucky with the D-8443 I got off of eBay (playable lright out the box!) but some of the items I've seen listed are really busted up.

 

[TRC-911]

I plunder irate: I sail from flea to shining flea, looking for the booty, and some boomy, along with some booby (try living the pirates life without any of the 3 aforementioned analogies )

Really, I have had good luck with ebay, craigslist, and fleas. I scored 30 in one day from craigslist for $80 (they weren't really bboxes but they were nice midsize units)

 

[Boom Shaka Laka]

Question is, where are you scoring these things? Is it all eBay? Thrift stores? Yard sales?

All of the above for me. Not so much yard sales, tho, since the time-spent (and fuel-consumed) vs. results ratio is very low. Thrift stores were better 5 years ago than they are now (lots of folks have caught on since then... if not to buy for keeps then to buy for resale). But thrift stores can still hold occasional surprises, if you get there on the right day at the right moment. EBay has always been a crap shoot for quality/honest descriptions (eventually, you get to know the sellers to trust), but, for sheer quanitity, you can't beat it. Occasionally, lucky timing (and constant searching) will get you a just-listed BIN at a good price, and manic searching can also yield a few that are mis-categorized, misspelled, mis-labeled (such as no "boombox" in the title), or mis-described. I also like flea markets, but they seem to be better in Europe (ask ViennaSound) than here in the USA. Scored a few good ones at flea markets last summer.

Some members despise eBay (high prices, inadequate packing, and sellers who conveniently forget to mention defects) and get all their boomboxes locally and in person. I think they put "wanted" ads up at grocery stores and in local papers. And they cultivate local contacts. You'd have to ask them how it's done. Craig's List occasionally offers gems at good prices, but you've got to search constantly, and then be on the lookout for scammers and sellers with guns.

Finally, it helps if you're good at electronics. Member TMR just bought a new JVC Kaboom and took it completely apart to evaluate the quality. Even members who don't have that level of skill have learned how to put new belts on tape decks. Missing, broken, or gooey belts are probably the most common defect in vintage boomers. I'm electronically disabled, so if a box doesn't work when I get it (or stops working while I own it), it stays that way. When I die, a lot of "needs fixing" or "parts" boxes will suddenly become available!

 

[Master Z]

PD, all the places you mentioned are great spots to find them. But the biggest help is telling people your looking for them. Tell your friends neighbors, coworkers, place ads in c-list or the paper saying your looking for them,hand out flyers etc. The more eyes you have looking for you the better.
It also helps if you know a little about electronics or are at least mechanically inclined. then you can score broke or problematic boxes for cheaper and fix them up without too much trouble.
Good luck man!

 

[bill]

everything i got with the exception of my m70 and my new kaboom i got for about twenty dollars.
my m9998k was seven dollars my sony fh7 mk3 was twenty bucks. my pc550 was also about twenty dollars.
most of my boxes are in extremely nice shape. the sony fh7 is like new. some of them have dead tape decks honestly tho i am more there for the radio itself and pretty much everything is really in great shape. i do have a couple dogs. a seven dollar jvc pc3 that i desperatly need to throw new speaker foams in.
i never buy anything from ebay in terms of boomboxes. i am just not willing to pay that kind of cash. dont get me wrong i dont see anything wrong with someone who wants to pay that kind of dough or makes money from it. its just not for me.
i have about twenty boxes and i think in total i am still under the average price a m90 goes for on ebay.
i have also been lucky enough to be given a fair ammount of boxes for free.
a jvc m50 two kabooms i got for nothing as well. a really cool viking box thats pretty nice and was most likely made by toshiba.
i dont really plan on expanding my collection but if something good pops up great. i mean i just picked up a nice pc550 for next to nothing .
you can spend a little or a lot.
i think i am a example of the cheaper collector. i have some really mint boxes and some boxes that need a belt . none of them really need any major work except for a couple of ones that need speakers refoamed.
i am just really regular with my visits to the thrift stores. theres no real formula to it. i mean i am very very lucky.
some of my boxes are grails some of them arent but a grail is always in the eye of the beholder anyways.
i never buy anything that is thrashed to hell. i mean if its beat someone else can enjoy the thrill of bringing it back from the dead. some boxes i am not afraid to open up and poke around others well scare me.

 

[oldskool69]

I've scored boxes from all sorts of sources from friends to eBay ranging from free to DAMN! (At least in my eyes, some have paid a couple of grand...I don't know if I could do that and not at least drive it. )

I've scored cheap grails as well. You just have to keep looking and know when to strike and depend on lightning to strike. If it's a uber rare boomer, you may go for an eBay auction. But always keep your eyes open. You never know what may happen....

 

[Old school Scott]

I've gotten mine from either Ebay or thrift.
It used to be that you could look at my collection and pick out the Ebay wins because the quality of box was greater with the Ebay ones, but now that my hunting skills are better it's about even stephen.
Here are some from the Ebay group.

 

[Old school Scott]

And here are some from the Thrift.

Cheers OSS

 

[bill]

those are pretty cool oss.
i am always happy to see other people are able to find boomboxes in the thrift shops where they live. those are always the best finds.

 

[ViennaSound]

Flea rulez!
Got nearly all boxes from there!

Some from the local internetbasar.
Less from thrift stores.
Very less from ebay

I´m the flea pirat!

 

[Strānj-Bōōmbŏks]

In Merida, Venezuela (believe it or not) there are absolutely no fleas, no thrift stores at all, Craigslist is something only a few people know exists and the possibilities of having someone send me something here (let alone have it arrive in 100% good condition) from eBay is more near zilch than anything else. :'-(

So, what I usually do is do my famous "technician shop" rounds. Leave them my cell phone or a home phone just in case something good drops by. A lot of people leave their radios to be repaired and believe it or not most of them never come back for them so I buy them off! Can you believe that people have left something there for as much as 2 years!!! The last one I got like that was an Aiwa TPR 945E it was only $25!!! (will post some disassembly I did on it.)

What I also do, is that my older brother lives in Florida, so a few things I've bought on eBay in the past I have had sent to him and then hopefully this year I'll go and get them (in December), if my wife gets her US Visa that is...

 

[bill]

some guys do pretty good at fleas here,but i gotta be honest i cannot stand the vancouver flea market. i mean the stuff there is just so dirty filthy a lot of times and well i guess i am kind of a germaphobe in a way.
not to mention the vancouver flea market is a well known fencer paradise. i just hate our big local flea.
i can the ones in your area are a bit nicer roman.

 

[mellymelsr]

...I have found craigslist and ebay to be a great source for finding boxes, along with members on this site. I have found some nice grails on ebay for under $100 and in perfect working order. I like craigslist because you can see the box up close and personal before paying for it. I have been lucky enough to have never been ripped off. The most expensive box that I have paid for is my $200 mint M9994k and would happily do so again. Value for a box doesn't matter to me. i don't plan on selling any. I got into this because I love boxes and enjoy taking them apart, cleaning them, customizing and painting them, and sitting back and enjoying the results. The boxes and the music I listen to on them take me back to some of the best moments of my childhood and you can't put a price on that. The price of this hobby pales in comparison to my other hobbies but I actually get more enjoyment from this one. I have my ultimate grail and it cost me less than $100 and I waited 30 years to get one...but if I had to spend $2000 or $3000 to have it I would happily do so because the memories it takes me back to are worth a lot more than that...so the secret is to have patience to wait for the ones you really want and if your finances allow be willing to pull the trigger and buy them without concern for there cost...but I only have 15 boxes not hundreds so that works for me....

 

[jameswp67]

I have also and I agree with Bill; you have to be regular and it can happen! Good hunting!

 

[bill]

james you and i are way overdue for a visit.
drop me a line when you can.

 

[Jovie]

If you are close to higher volume thrift stores this greatly increases your chances.Goodwill superstores are especially helpful.Even so,you have to hit them daily knowing the right time they restock.Yardsales are good places to look and many pop up very close to home.They often offer up suprises you never knew about. These sources,however,require you to settle for what you can find.The great thing about Ebay is that you can choose what you want to get.Though I've found many at local places,Ebay has still yielded the most of my preferred boxes by far.That said,I have found a Lasonic LPC-990,a GE 6035,Mag 8300,and a number of other sought after types at garages sales,local thrifts.

When going to places like Goodwill,always carry an electric cord with you.Usually just an oval,rectangular, or (the more commonly available) closed "U" shaped ended cord will be enough.If you have a figure-8 (or variant) style cord,this will help if your into some '90s JVCs,Panas..I've had luck finding really nice units that have been sitting all day on shelves of high volume stores simply because there was no cord available to test them.My latest find of this type was just a week ago.It was a really cool Fisher PH-W803 surround sound box in near perfect condition and late into the evening!

 

[Gluecifer]

Being in Australia I've found the 'in the wild' finds can be very rewarding. My Gf-777 came from the local tip/dump and I've scored a couple here and there from thrift shops and fleas too.

I think the main thing you need is patience when looking. I've made flyers, let businesses know and basically tell everyone new I meet that I'm looking for them. It's a habit you get into and eventually becomes second nature; especially when you're carrying one around in public and it's often the initial talking point.

My collection, however, is predominantly furnished courtesy of eBay. As I've collected more and more I've become alot more focussed on styles and models I wish to add. I don't have the space to keep everything I come across, so being selective is the second most important thing I find to patience.

It's also worth noting most of my most prized radios have come from esteemed members of boomboxery/stereo2go and these will always hold and extra special place in my collection. A lot of my most appreciated boxes (and ones I further desire) were never released domestically in my country, so having to import them from kindly members in other parts of the world is a great option for me.

When I began collecting I had no idea about any kind of deck repairs and rebelting and through wanting to learn and paying attention to this wonderful community I've managed to do a lot of my own repairs. The knowledge base on boomboxery and s2go is really awe inspiring.

You've done the first and most important thing to do in this hobby and that's joining this community. I wanted to collect these things for more than a decade before I found this community, without it, I'd still be looking for box #1. Within 2 years of pretty hardcore collecting I'm 50 radios in, with no chance of stopping any time soon.

Be tenacious, but be patient. Find out what you really like and be selective. Learn what you can, share what you do.

This will bring you lots of blaster-karma and lots of lovely ghettoblasters to experience.



Rock On.

 

[eldorado]

I've gotten mine from either Ebay or thrift.
It used to be that you could look at my collection and pick out the Ebay wins because the quality of box was greater with the Ebay ones, but now that my hunting skills are better it's about even stephen.
Here are some from the Ebay group.[ Image ]

i just love the ken tech and the other realistic yoyu got recently!!!

grrrrreat

 

[2steppa]

All mine came from Ebay bar two one from a member here and one member on the 'other' site.

Both member deals were as sweet as a nut, Ebay has been good the majority of the time no major issues really, only one box (my Hitachi 8190) had a non working tape when described as '100% functional' but that was no real hardship to fix.

So far, no 'in the wild' finds for me..... yet.

 

[eldorado]

and by the way , i buy all my radios from ebay,

none from flea,

i believe no good radios will be at the local flea,

maybe wood and old radios and tv's but ghettoblasters... no.

but i will search because i havent been there for almost 6 years.

' feira da ladra ' , feira being market

' ladra means thief in femine , female thief, cause in portuguese we have comonly the o is for male

a is for female, sometimes it goes like that, ... morcego means bat, morcega means she bat ... : P