How much of a premium is a NOS VCR worth?

[ehbowen]

I've made no secret of the fact that I like my Mitsubishi HS-HD2000U D-VHS VCRs. By now I've accumulated four of them at prices ranging from $200 to $275 (not counting my first, which I bought new [well, floor model] in 2007). They've been reliable, handle EP mode well, and seem to be very easy on tapes. So I have no buyer's remorse whatsoever.

Recently, though, this item came up on eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mitsubishi-...app-cvip-panel

Someone else has already pounced on it; good for them. I saw it when it was first available and passed due to money issues (unresolved car trouble). But I was also a little hesitant to pay extra for an item which screamed, "I've been sitting on the shelf unused for fifteen years!" Probably not a store shelf, either, more likely an unairconditioned warehouse or garage.

So my question is, when dealing with vintage electronics...how much of a premium is wise for "New In The Box?"

Edit To Add: In case the listing disappears, it's for a "NOS VCR, in original box with all cables, remote, and manual." The Buy It Now price was $350 and shipping would have been $51.70.

[latreche34]

It's worth whatever the owner wants to charge for it, or whatever high the bidders decided to go.

[lordsmurf]

NOS means nothing.

Being in a box does not free it of the effects of aging, or of gravity. If anything, a NOS VCR is more likely to have seized-up parts, since those have never been used. There's even a chance it's DOA out of the box.

It really is a case of Schrödinger's cat. Until you open the box, you have no clear idea of what's happening. Right now, it's both working and non-working. Which is ridiculous (and the point of Schrödinger's cat). The most likely outcome is that the deck will have issues (sort of like the cat being dead, due to radioactive material being in the box).

The fact that the auction shows it removed from the box, means it's standard seller BS. It's not new, it's used. If you look closely, you can see wear signs.

This aspect of eBay has a lot of overlap with vintage MIB toys. You can buy a $$$$ toy (Transformers, Robotech, etc), and the figure is actually damaged. About 2 years ago, Harmony Gold put vintage NOS warehouse finds of Zentraedi Battlepods on their sites, for the steal price of $60 each. I bought a pair. The pods were yellowed, dirty, smelly, moldy, and the stickers were confetti. And mine were in good condition compared to what others got. Sometimes you want to buy open/used items, not mystery boxes. Like my Battlepods, mystery boxes need to be cheap (and $60 was wildly cheap).