Quote:
Originally Posted by suburbanbeat
Hi all. I am having a hell of a time finding a reliable S-VHS VCR. I've purchased a few on eBay that were advertised as working, only to receive non-functioning units. I just want a machine that will output S-video and stereo audio reliably for at least a few years. I even tried bringing one of my non-working eBay decks to a local repair shop only to be told that the repair would require chips he couldn't source. Ugh.
This feels like a "please take my money" situation! Is there anyone out there who is trustworthy and has an inventory of S-VHS VCRs that they have personally restored?
Thanks in advance!
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Short answer:
Look in the marketplace forum here.
About me
I started to refurbish and sell extra gear in 2017, precisely because the gear we needed was getting lost and destroyed. It's hard to have a capture community, when we have nothing to capture with! That was my motivating factor. I didn't want this site to disappear into irrelevance, because everybody was forced to suffer through garbage thrift store VCRs and $2 low-quality Chinese Easycaps, with no TBCs. We could continue using good gear, even if I had to make it myself.
When I refurb gear, I do it with the intention of it lasting another decade. Just a few days ago, in the forum, somebody commented on gear they bought from me 7 years ago. So far, so good! Less than 1% have issues so far, and I do my best to address those, with advice, even years later.
My goal is to help people, I'm not a used VCR/car salesman. This stuff takes me far more time and energy than people realize, and I'm proud of what I've accomplished so far. The margins are slim, the time is excessive, and it's a labor of love more than not.
I've met a lot of great people, especially filmmakers, archivists, librarians, organizations, celebrities, studios, etc. People that need and want quality are out there, and they have interesting sources and projects. But lots of home DIY'ers as well. This gear isn't some fictious "professional" quality, but rather just
quality quality for anybody that wants/needs it.
Much of my gear comes from better non-eBay sources, using my video contacts that go back to the 90s.
About eBay VCRs:
Almost all eBay sellers (of video gear) are recyclers, and almost all of them lie. The terms "working" and "tested" are nonsense/BS, and generally mean "it lights up when plugged in". But even if they actually inserted a ratty old retail copy of Home Alone (or TMNT, or whatever), then hit all the buttons, it's still not a test of any kind.
At least 80%+ of all eBay VCRs are complete trash. And yes, that includes "tested" and "working" units. This is not a random number that I pulled out of my butt, but (lately) is measured at least once annually by me. Yes, I put up my own money, attempting to see what happens when I try to buy a VCR. It's not pretty.
The remaining 10% are all over the place, and 100% of those 10% need proper maintenance to function as expected. I even paid big bucks for a "refurbished" unit (HA!) that needed an actual refurb to be viable. Another "refurished" eBay unit was DOA junk, proving that even that term is misleadning hogwash now, abused by sellers.
I'm amazed at how often sellers try to fight returns, and some even threaten you. People are f'ing crazy these days. About 25% of these bad deck sellers hurl accusations of how you actually broke their junk deck, how you're ripping them off, etc. Deflections, gaslighting. Most of these people are too dumb to set the VCR clock. It's a huge waste of time that can literally drag out for 3+ months, with your funds/credit tied up. Meanwhile, you have no gear, and will not be getting any.
The draw of eBay is always pricing. But you get what you pay for. Or more accurately, you get nothing for your money. You buy wasted time.
About repairs
The "local repair guy" is never who you want touching any of these items. There are specific people, for specific items, that are referred by myself and some others. With this used gear, knowledge and experience matters. Generic "repair shops" do not have the knowledge or parts for these quality VCRs.
