eBay Hacks, 2nd Edition

Sell a Broken VCR on eBay

Unload your nonfunctional merchandise on eBay guilt-free, and help save the planet while you’re at it.

With DVDs all the rage these days, VCRs are going the way of 8-track tapes, fuzzy dice, and honest politicians. As you might expect, eBay is the perfect way to unload that old machine that has been blinking 12:00 for as long as you can remember. It won’t be worth very much, but some lucky bidder will be happy to get a bargain, and you don’t have to be responsible for adding it to a landfill.

But what if it’s broken? If a working machine isn’t worth much [Hack #42] on eBay, why even bother trying to sell one that doesn’t work? As you spend more time on eBay, you’ll begin to understand that for every item, there’s a market. All you need is a little time, creativity, and knowledge of the item you’re trying to sell.

The VCR, for instance, is essentially an obsolete technology. DVDs look and sound better, and DVRs (such as TiVo) are easier to use and do a better job recording TV programs than VCRs. Thus the market for new VCRs has bottomed out, leaving only the cheapest units available for retail purchase.

Now, VCRs are mechanical devices, and as such, do have a habit of breaking down, which means that there’s a steady supply of people who want to replace or repair their old units, if for no other reason than to watch old tapes of Fantasy Island. As you might expect, sending these old units back to the factory is out of the question, because replacement parts, ...