Hello Susan, I don't think I have that model but it looks like a pretty basic entry-level model. There might be some value in it but I'm thinking more like $5-$15 USD. There's a ton of NOS entry level units still floating around, a lot of them used to work, now they need maintenance just to play and that can be much more than the unit is worth. I may be wrong but if I saw that in a thrift store, I'd probably leave it regardless of the price.
My personal experience is that the high end units are extremely difficult to find "in the wild" I've bought a ton mid-level units over the years at garage sales, thrift stores, etc. They're usually a dollar or two but I never see the high-end units. They were fairly rare in the 80's and I think most people today still have them tucked in a drawer knowing they paid big money back then and they're not ready to let go yet. Some of the units like yours are nice but they made hundreds of thousands of them and they were under $50.00 USD when new.
I think this would be worth more than that, Mr. X. While not a top-tier product, this was not cheap entry level product. The features it has is nothing special (AM/FM radio, auto reverse, Dolby) but it's quite well made and expensive back then. The cassette door is metal but the rest of the body is plastic. I have serviced some of these, and also the TCS-470 which has the same mechanism. Inside, it's a metal chassis with a good build quality. If we look at the price of this unit back then, we can see that it placed quite high in the product lineup. As for $200, I do think that that's quite on the expensive side. It's probably quite rare, especially as a complete boxed set, but it's not one of those highly sought-after models.
Hi Susan that what you say is correct as you have at the moment 23 bids on your item with a top bid of just over £191 pounds so there must be others who think it is a desirable unit .`Good luck with the Auction
I reckon the cardboard box is worth more than Mister X suggested. His price might be right for a unit with scratches, cracks and a missing battery cover.
I am the most surprised of anyone - as of today it is on ebay at $250 and 7 days left to go - this may be an education for all of us - if we come across one of these models buy it-I very much appreciate the great input !!!! Susan
I checked your auction on Ebay, bid is $250 and still 7 days to go. This model is not a collectible walkman/ nothing special about this model. Good luck for the buyer and I am happy for the seller.
I looked up on the shelf and I do have one of these displayed! I'll have to admit, it's just a tad better than entry level as stuck-in-time mentioned, it was probably popular due to the smaller size with radio at an affordable price. It does have smaller buttons and knobs like early AIWAs, maybe that's why I grabbed it, I can't remember gettimg it. I'll believe it when this unit sells, I see units get bid up all of the time lately, then they get relisted shortly after the non-sale. The bidding looks interesting, the time the bids are placed and the amounts don't make sense plus all of the bidders are "private."
@nickelindimer You just found one significant reason why such a unit is desirable. It's similar to the TPS-L2/Guardians of the Galaxy. I saw a lot of people put that into the ebay listing title, because buyers search for those keywords, but not for TPS-L2 (that's hard to remember). There are some who sell clones of the TPS-L2, WM-3s or even unrelated walkmans and still use the keywords to have great visibility. This won't necessarily make the listing sell better, but they will sure get the clicks. Other people put "Sony" in the title, despite they don't sell a Sony. Seen this on local websites. The fact that "It's a Sony" makes it more desirable from start. I don't know for how much this particular unit sold for, but I assume probably at least $350-$400. For a boxed device that looks sturdy I consider a price like this to be correct. There are only 2 of them listed on ebay at the moment ($60 and $100), none is in mint condition, so this is a pretty rare device. Another obvious fact is this: on such a device that is not very popular, the cosmetic condition and accesories are very important, so price can vary considerably depedning on this. This should (in theory) apply to all devices, but in reality some will ask a lot on a TPS-L2, just because it's a TPS-L2, despite the outer casing is a mess, it has missing parts or it doesn't work. Of course, as a buyer you should not pay in such cases, because there are plenty available.
I don't remember the final price but once again I was blown away. It's nice to have one on the shelf but it's one I never would have followed the price on. I'll have to check out the new Cobra Kai, I watched the first season but never picked it back up, everyone says it's pretty good.
