eBay selling only the Panasonic empty box?
 

This is my first time seeing this kind of listing.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/25666962544...mis&media=COPY

I wonder how common this is someone selling just the box and manual. The only reason I can think of someone would want that is to pass it off as a boxed unused unit. Usually I believe the odds of a unit being good go up when you get a boxed unit. I have talked to someone that got a boxed TBC 1000 that was bad but your odds go up generally I think. I wonder if they sell boxes like this for other stuff like VCRs.

I've seen similar listings for vintage computer equipment and memorabilia. For example, just the original box for a 1984 Macintosh computer, or, the original box to a Batman: the Animated Series playset. There is a chance that some people may be genuinely collecting something. In terms of non-VCR examples, I just sold an almost pristine copy of the box and manual for a Mega Man Super Nintendo game for cash. It was in excellent condition (still shiny!) as part of a wholesale lot at a rummage sale that included a working Super Nintendo.

The impression that a piece of equipment that comes with the box might be in better condition is exactly why sales like this go through. I can very nearly guarantee that whoever buys it does not collect old boxes for fun and nostalgia, but rather will pair it with a beat-up barely-working ES15 they found for $5 at Goodwill and mark the whole enchilada up to a ridiculous amount. And get it. Because of the box.

We happen to know and like the ES15, but vintage Mac and gaming gear it ain't.

The sellers are usually people who lost the item or got thrown away and later on found the box in the attic or the garage and want to make a quick buck knowing there are flippers out there that want that box or accessory. This is not a new phenomenon, I've seen it happen all the time.