*** Rare 1901 Zon-O-Phone Type “D” Phonograph ***

[Zwebie]

I have previously listed this machine on Ebay at what I thought was a fair "buy-it-now" price, but alas I didn't have any offers.
So, I have decided to relist it as an Auction, with no reserve:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/116326765849

It will go to the highest bidder!
Good Luck, Bob S.

[Zwebie]

Come on people!
Conservatively pricing this machine out for parts totals out to $1650!

Original Zonophone D Case -------------------------------$200
Original Zonophone D Motor -------------------------------300
Original Zonophone Turntable -----------------------------100
Original Zonophone Support Arm & Nut -----------------175
Original Zonophone Tone Arm -----------------------------175
Original Zonophone Crank ---------------------------------125
Paul Baker Zonophone Concert Reproducer ----------- 450
Period Horn & Reproduction Elbow ----------------------125
TOTAL -------------------------------------------------------$1650

[JerryVan]

You have 45 watchers and 3 days to go. I think it will do okay. Bidding always seems to drop off after the first day, then spike at the end.

[Kevin Clark]

Bob. Give me a call about the D sale. Not what one would expect. 253 857 7449

[gramophone-georg]

Good Lord. That end price is downright depressing... and people get upset when sellers part out perfectly good machines? Well, this is exactly why they do it.

There are multiple problems occurring as I see things: First thing is that the market has sagged... badly. It's not just phonographs... it's classic cars and antiques/ collectibles in general. I honestly don't think we'll see a bounce back till the elections are done and settled and maybe the war situation cools. Another Fed rate cut or 2 will also help. People are jittery at the moment.

Second thing is eBay. There's just W-A-Y too much absolute junk clogging the phonographs, parts, and accessories area. Stereo needles, records (don't people realize there a category for these? Geeze.) modern Nipper stuff from Japan, Bollywood garbage, the list goes on and on. The few actual phonographs listed anymore all seem to suffer for what I call "crack pipe pricing"... I just saw a $7,500 Victrola! On top of it, eBay keeps overriding my "Newly Listed" setting to "Best Match" so they can show me Crapophones and $50 rusty HMV soundboxes from India priced at $250 rather than what i want to look at. There's a good chance that Zono listing got instantly buried in a virtual garbage dump of other junk and a lot of us serious collectors are just too sick of fighting the eBay waste transfer station. On the other hand... there's a quite nice outside horn disc Graphophone sitting in the YT here for $690 shipped. Where are all the buyers wanting a nice outside horn machine for under $1000? Sure, it's not exactly stock original, but it's nothing to sneeze at either. The price is a steal. And yet...

It's a bad situation all around right now. Sorry this happened to you, Bob.

[chrisg]

It would have sold for $771.00. I bumped it up 50 dollars from $771.00 to $821.00. With the intention of going back at the end for my final bid. I got busy and missed it

[fmblizz]

What a pity,, Don't forget there will be additional sellers fee's taken out of that number. Ebay has now been a last resort for me when selling...

blizz

[Raphael]

George,

You are right about the elections. I think people with money to spend (on either side of the political spectrum) are waiting and holding their wallets close at hand. Things go up and down, but I've not seen such a lull in the phonograph market since before the COVID pandemic.

I've been trying to sell my all-original ratchet wind Berliner for a while. This is the very machine that I offered a friend $15k for about 12 years ago, but another local buyer ("Dr. Z") had first dibs on it and he paid the same amount. When he died and I liquidated the collection, it ended up bringing about $10k. Then I bought it back yet again when that buyer bailed out of phonographs and sold me most of his collection. Now it sits on the shelf waiting for a buyer on eBay to step up for $8250.

On another topic, eBay, I think they are looking pretty good these days, with auction houses who do nothing charging buyers 25-30%, and (except for Stanton) doing absolutely nothing and giving no guarantees. eBay, once you get over the $2500 threshold, greatly reduces their commission rate. I recently sold a Hexaphone and the overall blended rate was about 6%; the money was in my account in 48 hours. Compare that to waiting months for an auction house to pick up your item, sell it, and then stall you on the payout. I'm not a big fan of eBay, but they are another tool in the toolbox and cost nothing to use until an item sells.

Raphael

[fmblizz]

Maybe I'm wrong but if Zwebie didn't have a store and his Zono did not meet the $2500 threshold, I think his final value commission is in the area of 15% which hurts a lot given the hammer price. Then of course there are the listing fees as well as the fees on the shipping cost. A reserve for protection might have helped but it will cost and additional 7.5% of your reserve price whether it sells or not..

blizz

[Raphael]

Gary,

Indeed, you are right, but even so 15% beats 25-30% any day of the week.

Raphael