Converter box prices "plummet" on ebay

O-O · 08-17-2009, 09:10 AM

I guess this is contrary to what I thought was going to happen. You'd think there would be more demand for converter boxes on eBay since there weren't any more coupons being given out which would mean more people would be buying used converters?

Quote:

DTV converter prices are collapsing like a flan in a cupboard. A new Access HD DTA-1080D sold for $26 on eBay this morning. It was listed for $45 at one online retailer. Other Access models are listed starting at $9.99. A Magnavox TB110MW9 starts at $10.45. Amazon has it for $35. A used Digital Stream DTX 9950 is going for $9.49 (less than the $10.35 shipping price.) A new Artec T3AP-LS is at $6.50 after three bids. Several online retailers have it listed for around $45.

All the above models are certified by the government’s converter subsidy program, which stopped taking requests for $40 coupons on July 31.

eBay has around 400 of the boxes up for auction, and bidding appears tepid. Less than 1 percent of U.S. households had no TV reception whatsoever at the end of July, according to Nielsen. The audience measurement firm said 1.5 million households hadn’t converted to digital reception, but 60 percent of those were getting low-power, translator and/or border signals.

DTV Converter Prices Plummet

Aaron62 · 08-17-2009, 09:24 AM

It could be that the last few months of coupon applicants ordered theirs with the intention of buying a converter box and turning around and selling them on the net.

Eureka · 08-17-2009, 09:35 AM

As old analog TVs eventually quit, more and more people will replace them with new digital TVs. So, eventually I think there may be a glut of boxes on eBay.

That being said, I have noticed prices going upward recently for some converter boxes on eBay. The Zenith DTT901, for example.

Aries · 08-17-2009, 10:02 AM

I'll admit that I bought a few cheap so I could make some spare cash, and I also bought some from people who actually didn't need one so they could make back some of their losses. Made some nice pennies that way.

CadDad · 08-17-2009, 10:25 AM

There aren't any dtvpal plus converters on there. Only the TR-40.

StarvedMusician · 08-17-2009, 10:52 AM

Bought my from craigslist for $20 about 2 weeks ago. I lost my coupons and didn't want to mess with reapplying, and I think I actually ended up paying less for my converter than buying new and using coupons.

Eureka · 08-17-2009, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CadDad

There aren't any dtvpal plus converters on there. Only the TR-40.

Most people who bought the "plus" version probably live in fringe areas. After researching converter boxes, they bought the plus version to keep, because the tuner is better than the TR40.

EscapeVelocity · 08-17-2009, 04:10 PM

Yes, the more desireable boxes are going up in price on eBay.

Piggie · 08-17-2009, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CadDad

There aren't any dtvpal plus converters on there. Only the TR-40.

In May and June there were tons of Pluses. Finally I decided I wanted one to play with. Three was exactly one left in late June and I bought it for $30. Still glad I bought it. Haven't seen many sense.