Ok here is the best guide for buying anything used especially electronics. Most electronics is worth 1/2 of new if it is 10 out of 10 condition... and is not over 4 years old... if older make sure you can get parts and service manual  and owners manuals are interested in. Make sure the manufacturer is still in biz!! (been there done that on no parts for the unit!!

 Most old radios are junk!! Keep that in mind when bidding!! at a garage sale you might only pay 50 cents for a used radio so... If you pay what you would for the unit as spare parts then you can never go wrong!! kinda like buying a used car.... make sure you have a few bucks in the budget for fixing the unit!!  I have 6 right now in some state of repair.. most are waiting for parts you cannot get anymore... so you watch for a good parts unit on e-bay that might have the parts you need. who knows the one you get on e-bay might just be in better shape!!

Most old wood cased radios do not ship well... they get beat back to a pulp (wood joke). I have 2 great examples of them in my repair room right now! They were is real good shape when they were packed... but oops or fedups (lol) dock guy's will trash them every time!!  Also the old tube and solid state stuff has bad caps... any units over 10 years old you should look at them carefully before powering them up! use an auto former with a small fuse or take it to an old tech that does TV repair most of them are used to working on a "hot" case that is when the ac power is live on the chassis!

Always replace old stiff power and AC power cords!! you want to live to hear the old radio work right??

All used radio gear will have wear!! paint chips, scratches, etc. just make sure you are ready for the worse when you unbox the unit and count to 10 million before you leave feedback..... LOL!!

When packing electronics;

If you are a seller make sure you pack the unit like it is going to be thrown off the empire state building!! overpacking electronics is the best insurance out there!!

Always use bubble wrap 2 times around the product then use packing foam "p nuts"

Never ever use paper when packing electronics!! It settles shifts etc. always use bubble wrap first!!

buyers:

Never accept a damaged package from a shipper!! refuse it right there!!

sign the box as refused due to shipping damage!!

and make the shipper return it to sender!!

If the box looks good:

Always have your camera handy when unpacking...

you never know.....

If it looks great and works as planned be sure to e-mail your seller and tell them is looks great!! It always makes my day to hear from a happy camper!!

Keep all of the above in mind and you can never go wrong!!

Paul in Iowa

 35 years exp of selling and servicing consumer electronics.