VTLA For Sale

[tonystardis]

http://s1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa464/tonystardis1/
Regretfuly I need to sell this. I appreciate help from everyone with ideas on restoration but need to cut down my hours at work to half a week and will need the money plus it needs a good home hopefuly. I will list it sunday night at 9;30pm est under seller name tonystardis.I will list it one time as a whole machine with a starting bid of 850.00 for 7day duration no reserve. If it does not sell I will relist it in pieces same night the original auction ends,seeing that a motor and turntable just sold for 625.00 combined I hope it sells to someone who will restore it and I wont have to break it up. Its basicly a complete runner needing restoration minus one knob,couple albums,casters.Needing a spot of veneer repair ,tone arm repair and cabinet refinishing. Motor runs good just needs to be cleaned and regreased.Its in pieces now,down to the basic cabinet ready to be stripped. Will deliver to Nyc Phila or 60 miles north or west of Stroudsburg PA for 75.00 OR trade for a small running box truck!!

[Phono-Mark]

Hi, Tony: In your eBay listing you state "If it does not sell I will relist it in pieces same night the original auction ends,seeing that a motor and turntable in seperate auctions just sold for 625.00 combined,so I hope it sells to someone who will restore it and I wont have to break it up."

You don't have to break it up. And I think that the fact that the turntable and motor you refer to sold within the last 3 weeks for such high prices indicates that two users needed them badly enough to bid so high; unless a third user comes along, it's unlikely that a near future listing of these items would fetch a similar price, as the under-bidder would not face the same competition in a later auction. You should look at the third highest bid to see what the highest and second highest bids would perhaps be in a subsequent auction, and figure that the winning bid could come in at one bid increment over the third highest bid. The third high bid on the motor was $277 and the turntable, $150, so one possibility would be if the second and third highest bidders are your highest and second highest bidders and bid as they did in the prior auction (for a very clean motor and turntable) then you'd get $279.50 for the motor and $152.50 for the turntable - a total of $432. Of course, anything can happen on eBay.

If parted out, the motor and reproducer and turntable would probably be the largest part of the value; once you take those out, then the rest of the casework fetches very low dollar amounts, as happened in March when doors and horn and drawer from an L-door brought just a few bucks apiece - a total of about $76 (drawer was the highest, at $31.) I can't imagine that you'd get another $400 for the rest of the parts (although of the remaining parts, the albums themselves would likely have the most value) so you could end up potentially worse off by parting it out than by selling it at a lower price if it doesn't sell this time. And the machine itself certainly does not benefit.

This is a very early VTLA, with serial number in the low 2000s and "Patent Applied For" decal on the horn and Pooley tag in the casework, so it is worthy of restoration and preservation and not being parted out. I really hope you find a buyer for the whole machine, and if not, that you re-list it at a lower price. I live in southeast PA and would consider it myself, but not at the listed price, as I cannot afford that.

I'm not disparaging your goods; just trying to make an economic case to keep the machine together. I hope you find a buyer for it and get the cash you need.

[tonystardis]

Hi Mark, I do appreciate your thoughts. I have been rethinking my statement on listing as parts and have not made up my mind,will see how the week goes.. I didnt look up to see what second highest bids would be but was hoping at worst case ⅔ wich is about what you suggest motor and turntable may go for. There are a lot of parts like brake, motor board,speed control,tone arm bracket and such. But it would be be a lot of work and such a shame to break it up. Its not too pressing that I sell it,trying to wipe out my bills before I lose half my hours at work and insurance and start my own side bussiness,but I do know Im not going to get to do the project so am hoping for the best.
tony

[rizbone]

Your description on ebay says the original casters were replaced by ball glides. Are you certain these are replacements. I thought the VTLA had a ball caster to begin with.

[modelt]

Hi My VTLA has ball casters on it.
My second one does not.
I am not sure when thy changed.

[tonystardis]

Thanx for the info guys, I learned something new today!!
tony

[tonystardis]

I'm going to give it one last shot to find it a home,reduced the price a little.

[tonystardis]

Sold it to a friend who will definately give it a good home.