posted on May 15, 2001 04:26:47 PM
Last weekend, I bought (4) boxes of old radio parts from ther 40's and 50's for $60. I figured that I could get some good money. One box was full of NOS RCA radio tubes that seem brand new. I have hundreds, but do not know how to sell them. I don't want to overfill the market and drop prices. Also, does anyone know if people usually need more than one for a "system"? Pairs? Fours? Any help would be appreciated.
posted on May 15, 2001 04:47:26 PM
I sell tubes on ebay, and thanks for not wanting to saturate the market!
You should test them before offering them, if possible. Not only will a tested tube almost always bring more money, but testing it will give you confidence that you're selling good product, and buyers will be more apt to bid.
If you're going to get into tubes, be prepared for some labor intensive work. It takes time to test them, and they have to be wrapped and packed very carefully.
I must tell you though, I buy lots and lots of tubes just to get the small number of desirable ones out of the batch. Out of just about any large batch (such as yours) you'll get some good (desirable) tubes, but a lot of worthless (non-desirable) ones too.
Here's a few to look for, but this is only a very few.
These are garden variety tubes and you may find a few of these in your batch. Some of the more expensive connoisseur type tubes I'm not all that familiar with.
Mostly, you should sell them in groups of like tubes, for example, if you had four 12AX7's you should sell them together.
Forget most of the ones that start with a 1, 2, 3, and 4, and look closer at the ones that start with 5, 6, 12 and then the larger numbers over 20.
I've learned that the only real way to deal with it is to start sorting them by number and putting them on shelves in order, and that takes a lot of time too, but then you can actually do an inventory.
[ edited by loosecannon on May 15, 2001 05:03 PM ]
posted on May 15, 2001 05:10:50 PM
Thanks for all your help...but a few more questions: First, how would I go about "testing" them (they are different sizes from 1" to 6". Also, what if I have say 12 of a kind, should I still go ahead and sell them as a lot? Last question, I have also a coupel dozen "army" tbues from the 40's, are they worth comparable amounts to rca's or again does it just depend on the model.
posted on May 15, 2001 05:17:27 PM
You need to purchase a good tube tester unit, which can run from around $50 for a cheapie to hundreds for a really good one.
Just because you think them to be NOS is no guarantee they are good. You have to test them to determine that.
I don't know...you could sell the whole dang batch, as is, untested.
The Army tubes may or may not be desirable. It all depends on the number.
I guess you'll need to research it for yourself. Tubes are a whole new world. Go for it and good luck.
posted on May 15, 2001 09:22:43 PM
Hi Where would you list a old Radio Shack Tube Substitution Handbook Twentieth edition 2nd printing 1979 and is it worth anything.Thanks for any help you can give me.
posted on May 15, 2001 10:57:37 PM
Selling tubes can be quite tricky since the vast majority of them are worth about a dollar. Cheaper than when new. Due to the fact that there are idiots out there who empty out their attics on eBay and post things at .99 and expect them to soar into the hundreds, when the bulk of them stay at a dollar. In other words, for most tubes the market is saturated. Your basic radio and television tubes are not worth the effort to pack and ship.
The real money lies in power amplifier tubes for audio and ham radio equipment. Most of these are not found in your typical radio/tv's, though some like the 6BQ5 may occasionally be found in standard consumer electronics. A good rule of thumb is to look for large tubes with plate caps. Those are the connectors on the TOP of the tube. There are exceptions, but that is a good place to start.
You can do basic testing with only an ohmmeter, but you need to get the pinouts of the tubes from an old tube or amateur radio manual. Check the filaments for continuity, and then the other elements for shorts. A tube tester is the ideal, but most buyers would be happy with a description of ohmmeter testing and a 10 day money back guarantee.
posted on May 16, 2001 05:21:14 AM
Those tube substitution manuals seem to go for around $3 to a max of $15, most under $10. You could put it in Consumer Electronics/Audio/Vintage.
If you can find a popular piece of equipment that uses the particular tube(s) that you have, list that equipment in the title. It'll help sell the tubes.
Example: NOS xxxxxx tubes, Whiz-Dinger Amplifier
More research more research more research. I've got to think that all the time I've put into tubes is not wasted, and that it will pay off.
Perhaps the best advice I could give though, is to not get into tubes unless you really want to get into them and learn which ones are worth getting. That way when you run across a batch, you can do a quick estimation on what you can give for the batch and still come out on it.
posted on May 16, 2001 05:32:54 PM
The best method for a neophyle, is to look at the tubes you have, see if the brands match the boxes and if they appear to be new. Go to eBay, check the completed auctions for the same type tube(s) you have. and work from there. Keep the cross refference guuide and see what DIRECTLY crosses to what, and list the number of the tube you have, and all the possible replacements that it DIRECTLY replaces. Best of luck.
posted on May 16, 2001 07:24:14 PM
Loosecannon hit the nail on the head when he advised research and more research. Until you are sure of exactly what you have and what they are worth, hang onto them. I have a ton of tubes and have never listed any of them. I picked up a Zenith Trans Oceanic S/W Receiver at an auction a while back and was sure glad I still had some of the older low voltage tubes kicking around. I hope to get about 50 times more for that radio when I finish restoring it than I could ever have got for the tubes. Get a tube substitution manual and keep an eye out for a vintage piece of equipment you can use those tubes in.
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
I sell Transoceanic tubes, when I can get my hands on them. Some models of TO's use the 1 and 3 volt tubes, and these are just about the only 1 and 3 tubes that I know of that are desirable (I'm sure there are some I don't know about yet).
I just picked up a very nice batch of tubes today and I'm excited. It is one of the better batches I've found.
I probably have at least four or five thousand tubes, but I've never done a count.
posted on May 16, 2001 08:33:31 PM
Loosecannon,
The 1's and 3's are exactly what I was referring to! I remembered having them ratholed away because I retubed my brother in law's ZTO a few years ago. About the only tube work I do anymore is transmitters and receivers but that Zenith looked like a pot of gold to me and I couldn't resist it. Some of the older military receivers, especially Collins, should do well on Ebay if you ever run across any. BTW, how did you do on that Hallicrafters you posted on a while back??
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
posted on May 16, 2001 09:29:19 PM
Which Hallicrafters? I've had a few and have done fine with them, but I don't remember which specific one you're referring to. Sorry, but you know what they say: the mind is the second thing to go...
I've also had a few 50A1 ballast tubes (emphasis on had) for TO, and they are hard to find.
So, I looked up my tubes and found the a pair of 2A3's that go for at least $125 a piece, so I decided it would be a good idea to get a tester. On ebay, all the testers are "sold as is." DOes anyone manufacture them today? Can you reccomend a model for testing RCA tubes?
posted on May 20, 2001 09:46:49 AM
No current manufacturer of tube testers that I am aware of. The Hickok 800A tester is about as good as it gets. There are a couple listed on eBay now. Do a title search for Hickok 800A.
If you then add a Hickok CA-5 Universal adapter to the tester you can test 9 and 12 Pin compactrons, and 10 pin miniature types and nuvistors. This is especially useful for testing sweep tubes.
If you want a good inexpensive tester, the Precision 612 is a good choice. It won't test the latter tubes though.
Loosecanon can probably add his/her thoughts to tester selection.
posted on May 20, 2001 10:56:09 AM
Well good for you! I've got thousands of tubes, but no 2A3's. If you remember, I advised above to ignore most of the 1, 2, 3 and 4 tubes. There are a few good tubes that start with these numbers though.
The 2A3 is a "Power Triode" tube with a four pin base. There are two substitute tubes for this that may work in certain applications, and those are the "5930" tube and the "2DX4", or perhaps the reverse is also true, that the 2A3 will replace the others as well. When you list the tubes, you may want to mention these two others in the description.
The bottom line is you need a tester capable of testing the four pin tubes. Not all testers do, since by the 1960's many of the older types of tubes were considered obsolescent. For that reason many later 1960's and '70's made testers don't have the four pin sockets.
Noshill mentions Hickok testers, and they would be a good choice if you can find an affordable one that works well. Many older testers need recalibration or other repairs, so please be careful.
Please email me at [email protected] and I might be able to assist you further.
Good luck!
[ edited by loosecannon on May 20, 2001 10:58 AM ]
