Pioneer's Legendary Audio Classics Valuation
This page provides you with a general method to determine the value
of a Pioneer Classic. This information and methodology
formalizes a system I've been using for years in my collecting
and selling efforts, in lieu of "seat of the pants"
valuation or published figures that are not reasonable, or
appropriate, in my opinion, such as those in the Orion Blue
BookTM.
Most classic (pre-1981) Pioneer gear actually resells for
between 50% and 105% of it's original retail price, rather
than any discounted price or sale price. A few items (such as the
high end separate preamps, amp and tuner combos, for instance)
sell for well over the original retail price due to scarcity
and perceived value.
This page tells provides you with a method to use to determine
what a fair resale value can be for Pioneer items you have,
by looking at the critical points for the unit and adjusting
a known price accordingly. Once you have a final result, use it as
a guide for your pricing, not the final word (though
I use it that way, you are under no obligation to do so, of
course!) The retail prices on the site are the higher ones;
meaning that if a unit sold for $500 one year, and $550 the
next, the $550 price will be in the slot, assuming we're aware
of it. For the resale values, I try to get at least five
of them on units of known condition so I can work them into
my tables and get a reasonable average before I post them, so
they're pretty reliable in general. For really rare units, you can't do that because
there just aren't that many available for sale, so use your head as
well as the data on the site.
In general, the way my method works is you take the original retail price for the unit,
or the resale price if that is marked on the site, and apply
the factors in the table below to it to determine a fair
resale value for the particular unit you're considering. To apply, multiply
the price by the indicated value, or adjust the value
according to your best estimate of where your unit sits between the minimum and
maximum points and then multiply. Then use the resulting
value with the next factor.
When a factor does not apply - for instance, tuner condition
does not apply to a power amplifier - simply do not apply
any factor for that item. That's also true if the item is
fully performing in any area that is rated 1.00, as what
a factor of less than 1.00 in the valuation system
does is reduces the value based on issues that
will affect the buyer negatively. When something is 100%
as it should be, there is no value reduction. When a factor
is over 1.00, it increases the value of the unit.
Here is an example, using some factors from an imaginary situation:
Let's say we have a SX-1250 receiver
and that the retail for this unit was $440.00 (it wasn't, but work with me here - we're just doing math.) The site doesn't provide
a current resale value, so you begin with the retail. If there
was a current resale value, you'd use that instead,
that's very important to keep in mind, especially for units
that sell for unusually high dollar figures, such as the 10B tuner.
We'll say the output is just fine, full power, clean as a whistle.
The factors for those are both 1.00, so in both cases...
1.00 x $440.00 = $440.00
...which shows that if something is working fine, you can
ignore any 1.00 entry, as it will not affect the price.
Now, let's say that one of the meter lights is out. From the
electronic table, we see that if they're all out - however many
there are - you apply a factor of 0.96. But only one (which is half
of them, as there are two) is out, so that factor should be only
half as severe; We would use a factor of 0.98, because the old
reduction from 1.00 was 0.04 and 0.98 is 0.02, or 1/2 as much. I
think that's pretty clear, and you should be able to work out what
to do with any item from that example. So...
0.98 x $440.00 = $431.20
Now, lets say that the gain controls are noisy also. From
the table, the factor is 0.95, so...
0.95 x $431.20 = $409.64
We'll say the mechanical condition is perfect.
We'll turn our attention to the cosmetics of the unit.
We'll say that the unit was used for sound reinforcement
on stage, and as per usual for one of those, it's had
a fair beating - the front panel is beaten up a bit, and
so are the knobs and the metal case, but the meter
lenses escaped any wear by pure dumb luck. There is no
box, wood case or user's manual, but there is a
service manual. So...
0.75 x $409.64 = $307.23 (for the front panel)
0.93 x $307.23 = $285.72 (for the case)
0.85 x $285.72 = $242.86 (for the knobs)
0.93 x $242.86 = $225.86 (for no wood case)
0.97 x $225.86 = $219.08 (for no user's manual)
1.02 x $219.08 = $223.47 (for service manual)
...and the $223.47 that we end
up with is a good, fair price for the unit as described. So you
could use that number as a starting point to think about what you'd
want to pay, or what you'd ask for. That's all there is to it.
|
|
Of course, if you think the tables below are out of line for some
issue(s), or for some specific unit(s), use your own starting price
and/or factor(s) as you think most appropriate.
I'm not trying to set prices here, I'm trying to provides a means to
formalize the process of setting prices, because many people
have no idea how to proceed, and the "standard" references
are, in my opinion, way out of line. As I mentioned before, I've
been using this method with these factors and the price points on
the site with considerable success for quite some time. Your milage
could easily vary.
Finally, it's worth mentioning that the factors here are derived
both from how difficult it is to restore a particular feature
to factory condition, and to a lesser degree from how expensive
such restoration is, generally speaking.
Electronic Condition
Issue |
Min Desc. |
Min Factor |
Max Desc. |
Max Factor |
Output |
Not present |
0.10 |
Perfect |
1.00 |
Dial illuminating lamps |
None Working |
0.96 |
All Working |
1.00 |
Meter illuminating lamps |
None Working |
0.96 |
All Working |
1.00 |
Stereo and/or Dolby indicators |
None Working |
0.95 |
All working |
1.00 |
Oscilloscope |
Not Working |
0.60 |
Working Perfectly |
1.00 |
Any mode indicators present(aux, am, FM, phono, etc.) |
None Working |
0.95 |
All Working |
1.00 |
Output Power |
Not rated power |
0.50 |
Full rated power or better |
1.00 |
knobs quiet when turned |
Scratchy, noisy, sticky |
0.95 |
Smooth and Quiet |
1.00 |
Tuner operation |
Loss of sensitivity, alignment off |
0.60 |
At spec. or better |
1.00 |
switches |
Noisy, unreliable |
0.60 |
Quiet, solid, positive |
1.00 |
Mechanical Condition
Issue |
Min Desc. |
Min Factor |
Max Desc. |
Max Factor |
Jacks and Plugs |
Not functional or broken |
0.70 |
Perfect Condition |
1.00 |
Knobs, Levers and Buttons |
Broken off Missing Caps or Knobs |
0.50 0.80 (missing is much easier to fix than broken!) |
All Present |
1.00 |
Tuning knob action |
Slips, feels loose |
0.95 |
taut, repeatable, free of slippage |
1.00 |
Cosmetic Condition
Issue |
Min Desc. |
Min Factor |
Max Desc. |
Max Factor |
Wood Case |
Not present |
0.93 |
Perfect Condition |
1.00 |
Metal Case |
Not present |
0.93 |
Perfect Condition or has wood case over any damage |
1.00 |
Front Panel |
Scratches, nicks, gouges |
0.75 |
Perfect Condition |
1.00 |
Knobs and Buttons |
Scratches, nicks, gouges |
0.85 |
Perfect Condition |
1.00 |
Dial and Meter Glass |
Scratches, nicks, gouges |
0.75 |
Perfect Condition |
1.00 |
Lettering |
Scratches, nicks, gouges, wear, missing |
0.80 |
Perfect Condition |
1.00 |
Other Issues
Issue |
Min Desc. |
Min Factor |
Max Desc. |
Max Factor |
User's Manual |
Not present |
0.97 |
Perfect Condition |
1.00 |
Service Manual |
Not present |
1.00 |
Perfect Condition |
1.02 |
Sales Brochure |
Not present |
1.00 |
Perfect Condition |
1.01 |
Original Box |
Not present |
1.00 |
Perfect Condition |
1.01 |
Original Sales Receipt |
Not present |
1.00 |
Perfect Condition |
1.01 |
|