Ridiculous.
No VCR is "new in box" at this date. Perhaps never opened, but not new in any sense. All the parts have aged, and a box didn't change that fact. Almost all VCRs will have needed a refurb after 20 years, or else will be in dire condition, used or not.
Only a newbie sucker will buy this.
These are not vintage Star Wars figures. For a VCR, packaging does not matter.
And very likely, the seller doesn't know anything about the deck either.
I'd go far as to say the seller is an outright liar, total BSer, based on the other auctions shown. Many of the "new" items are clearly not new whatsoever, and are merely decks in boxes (and many of the boxes aren't in great shape, either). If that's the definition of "new", then I have some original boxes in the attic. One of my refurbs in box should fetch at least 2-3x as much, right? Because "mint in box"?