j.harv
@#$%
Just another random ebay post I thought I'd throw up for fun....
Vintage Tascam 244 Factory Restored to Mint State | eBay
Vintage Tascam 244 Factory Restored to Mint State | eBay
Friend,Dang.
Guys, I'm a poster here and the owner of the unit. I'm a great ebayer with perfect feedback and not trying to rip anyone off.
The unit actually sold a few days ago, but I am only selling local pickup and the guy wanted me to ship it, so I had to cancel the sale.
Vintage Tascam 244 Factory Restored to Mint State | eBay (Vintage Tascam 244 Factory Restored to Mint State | eBay)
Regarding price, I have $450 into it.
Price is a personal thing. A seller can ask whatever they want. Whatever value it has to them. And to me selling below what I asked wouldn't make sense after ebay costs since I love the machine. And I feel this is a rare piece; restored by the TEAC factory. And finally, I don't even want to sell it, and this could be part of the reason I listed it high, too. Off Ebay I'd sell it for $725 if someone in CA wants to pick it up.
Sorry if the price offends some people. But I put a lot of thought into it and a little emotion (I don't want to part with it. )
Friend,
I'm sorry if drawing attention to this listing embarrassed or offended you. I understand sinking a lot of dough into an older unit to restore it. Sometimes you should try to amortize or write off some of that cost, if you really want to sell the machine. Alt, there may be another user or buyer who may come out of the woodwork and pay your asking price on a moment's notice.
Part of the equation might be to weigh how much restoration costs vs. the likelihood of keeping the unit a longer time. This helps to amortize the cost of repair if you keep it, & realistically you may have trouble recoup all restoration costs in a resale.
No judgment. Just logically speaking. I understand & have seen both sides. Partly is the reason for the DIY spirit here, but there's a whole other cost on that side. I see the ultra-high prices on some listings. *Some are artificially high for no reason & not restored*. Then I see many of them relist again & again.
$450 for a fully restored unit with a new head might be reasonable, but finding someone to pay that much might be more dubious but not impossible. I never said nor implied "rip off". We may have discussed the technical details of this repair previously, so I feel for you & I see the value there.
You're the type of seller who should stand your ground, w/$450 on the high side of the market. Maybe try to determine how much of your sale listing is monetarily or emotionally motivated. Upside is the higher asking price may enable you to hang on to your restored device longer, as long as the vingage analog market stays where it is. However, you may get that money if you hold out & find the buyer who seeks the restoration value aspect of the unit. That's totally feasible.
I don't have a crystal ball, or anything. I don't think that a small number higher *up to unreasonable* asking prices can artificially inflate the market. I've seen the market creep up a little, perhaps. The jury's out on that, I think, but I think there's room on the higher side for a truly restored device that seems reasonable.
$750 original listing price seemed unreasonable, $450 more value priced, but that's must MO. Not being judgmental. YMMV.
Good luck!
Given the selling price, I probably would have shipped it!
There are ways to pack such a device to withstand the rigors of shipping.
Probably.
But don't you think this is something the buyer should see in-person?
I was worried it would be damaged in shipping. And Ebay doesn't protect sellers very well. Or if there was anything he didn't like about it, returning it would be such a hassle and risk damage. For those reasons I thought in-person was the only way to go. Plus I love it and felt sadness when it sold. So I probably won't relist it, or if I do maybe higher. lol
Wow. This was an old post of mine! Sorry if I offended you in any way.
I recently bought a Teac 144, supposedly working, for about $150. It arrived non-working ... the seller refunded my money in full and allowed me to keep the unit. I decided to send it to Tascam to bring up to spec ... they quoted about $500 to get it rolling. So, just adding this info here to this thread.
$500 seems like a lot, but I figured it's getting harder and harder to find any 4-track cassette that's working properly. I'd rather spend $500 for something refurbished than take my chances with another one at the normal $150-$250 for "working" units.
The thing is, if I were to sell the unit, I would expect maybe $250-$450 ... you don't always get what you put into it, and you're always taking a risk with old gear. I actually don't have the unit back yet ... Tascam is taking some time with it!
And to the seller of the unit in this thread ... I hear what you're saying ... sellers are free to ask what they wish, and someone just might buy it. But my opinion is that you might want to consider a "fair" market price, not one based on your own emotional attachment to the item. eBay has become something of a "gold standard" with regard to pricing esoteric audio gear, and keeping a unit up for sale for months at an inflated price is not really great for the community that is interested in these older things. $450-$500 would be a 'reasonable' inflated price. $800 is kind of nuts man! Just something to consider.
I actually don't have the unit back yet ... Tascam is taking some time with it!