Realization at the city dump e-waste pile

I went to the county transfer station last Tuesday to drop off some old stereo gear. Walking through the e-waste section, I noticed at least 30 VCRs and DVD players stacked in a bin, most of them looked like belt-drive failures or bad laser lenses. It hit me that these are super easy fixes with a $5 belt kit or a lens cleaner, but nobody bothers anymore. Do you all ever pull stuff from the curb or dump for quick flips, or is it not worth the time?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_nathan20d ago

Are you honestly saying people are passing up a quick $50 on marketplace because they'd rather just buy a new one on Amazon for $40? I mean sure if you enjoy messing with belts and lasers for fun go for it, but my time is worth more than that.

mason20920d ago

@the_nathan I get where you're coming from but the thing is not everyone who buys a $40 Amazon special is getting the same quality. Those cheap modern VCRs and DVD players are built like toys, plastic gears and terrible circuit boards that die in a year. Meanwhile a $5 belt kit on a 90s Sony or Panasonic gives you something that will run for another 10 years. And honestly if you're selling on marketplace you're probably getting $50-60 easy for a working unit from a brand people actually remember. Plus there's a niche crowd now - people who collect obscure tapes or want that specific "VHS look" for projects. They'll pay a premium for something that isn't a generic box with a laser that burns out after 20 plays. So yeah my time is worth something but so is building a reputation as the guy who can bring stuff back from the dead.

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