Valuation

Most classic (pre-1981) 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 classic 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:

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.