D6C Boxed. Mint.

G'day pop pickers,

I hang out more at Tapeheads (ChrisNAK) than here for some reason. I don't know why, it's also a great forum! lol

In any case, I have a mint D6C that I'm considering selling and just wanted to test the waters over here.
I scored it recently, and actually, quite unexpectedly when I went to pick up a booty of 100+ Sony Metal XR tapes over at a 2nd hand hifi shop in Rotterdam, NL.

Dude: 'Oh,we're selling these too if you're interested?'
Me: 'Errrrr, y...yuuuhh, could be *gulp* interested. How much?'
Dude: '*** Euros'
Me: 'Deal!'



I'm currently trying to 'bond' with it, although I already have a D3 and a D5M and had the chance to bond with a DC2 recently but failed as it just didn't give any significant enjoyment gains over the D3.

I'm expecting not really to bond with it and hence I'll consider any serious offers for it. I saw one in a slightly worse condition go for Eu1000 on ebay this week, so I consider that to be a fair benchmark.

Anyhoo, some pics:

 

Someone has too much money .

Good luck.

 

My friend just because people are selling them at crazy prices,it doesnt mean that they sell...I found one here for 250e and still thought it was too pricey for something that old...This prices need to come down on earth seriously.If the sellers want to sell them this century at least....

 

1000 EUR/USD is the typical listing price on ebay for D6C, but that doesn't mean that all those listings are necessarily going to sell. I've seen listings that sat for months or years without selling.
A fair benchmark can only be on a completed sale. To be even more fair, an average over more than one sale needs to be done. Then of course one needs to keep in mind ebay is the most expensive platform.

Another aspect is this: a D6C will need a service no matter what, as old rubber will be degraded even if it hasn't been used that much and electronic cabliration was not done right from the factory on these.
So for proper Dolby decoding, Dolby levels will need adjustment. For good recording rec level and bias adjustments are also needed (this is even more critical for Dolby encoding).
Not to mention the mechanism clean and relubrication. These have to happen if one wants a unit working as new, otherwise it will be noisier, Dolby won't work right and longevity will be reduced (especially on the motor).
Hybrid potted modules (muting, rec EQ, pb EQ) also go bad intermittently and replacement or depotting is recommended even if they do work.
So obviously a fully serviced unit will have significantly more value than a "just working" one.

I won't give any specifics in regard to the price benchmark, but can state the obvious: a boxed unit will have more value than just the walkman itself. The cosmetic condition is one of the most important factors.
First generation units with parabollic amorphous head have more value than the later 35711 head (still amorphous), while the latest ones with 35712 head (permalloy) have the least value.
Wear on the head is another important aspect, look for pittings where the tape rides. The one in original post looks in perfect condition, as is the general condition of the walkman.

EDIT: I now see that the thread is from 2019. Nonetheless, despite the prices have rised since then, the supply is larger than ever. And I think we are not in a situation where demand is greater than supply.
Attach 2 pictures of a recently finished auction-style lisitng of a TC-D5M. Note I would not consider this price necessarily a benchmark, since it's caused in part by the fact that user has zero feedback.
However, this is not the first nor the last sold at this price. Keep in mind ebay has the "money back guarantee" program, so there is no actual risk in buying an item like this.

 

It sold for my asking price.

 

One in that condition and boxed will sell at that price, no doubt about that. My description was more generic, aimed for newbies reading the thread.
What I was trying to state is most people who list a D6C on ebay (I'm talking just the walkman or walkman + leather case) ask that price and not all of them are goint to get it.

Boxed units like this in absolute mint condition are relatively rare, the vast majority have been used on a regular basis due to the good recording and portability.
Most that I have seen and repaired have some kind of visible wear marks on the head, indicating a relatively high number of hours.
However, I re-state that a service is needed even on a mostly unused unit. While certainly not as critical as a heavy used one, electronic adjustments are a must.
Lubricants used in the mechanism (grease, oils) dry over time and the rubber tends to become hard. Similar to brake fluid on a car that tends to absorb moisture over time, even if car is not used.
Similar with rubber tires/bushings on a car and practically all fuilds (which need replacement regularly, even if car is not used).

What I consider the problem to be in regard to the prices is the fact that if one sells a device at X amount, that X becomes the benchmark for everyone, regardless of state and other aspects mentioned.
In real life economics, things don't quite work like that. If we suppose I have a shop selling shoes and I happen to sell a pair at a really high price to someone desperate to get that pair, that won't set a
benchmark for all shops in the country or in the world. That's because in real economics, companies want to sell as quickly as possible, keeping stocks long not being a good practice for making profit.

In the second hand market, however, it seems to be quite the opposite. Many people are not necessarily willing to sell, but to speculate. The mindset goes something like "I have a TC-D5M. Will list it at 2000$.
If someone happens to buy, I'm happy. If not, I'm going to keep it, as the value can only go up". Even the mindset "the value can only go up" is based only on short-term observation. We don't know how
big the market will be in 10 years, 20 years or 40 years. And I reckon the market will shrink in 20-30 years from now (possibly even less). For me, as a buyer, it's always about supply/demand ratio.
If the supply is high (which it is, proven by the high number of devices available for sale), I don't need to pay more to someone pretending to sell a "very rare" unit, while someone else is selling a similar one at half the price or less.

At the end of the day, it comes down to patience: the more patient a buyer is, the lower the buying price.

 

I agree that we cannot give an accurate price guide: that's why I did not give any specifics. Interest can be gauged to a degree by observing how many listings sale and how quick. Interest has clearly increased since the pandemic began, that is what drove the prices up.
Available money (I would rather say the willingness to spend on this particular items rather than availability) can be gauged (to some degree) by how quick those high price lisings sell and how many particular devices are sold per unit of time (per month, per year).
Factors like first gen/second gen, accessories, box, cosmetic condition, wear and service history do make a difference in the final price, as they do on a car. The only exception to this can be a product that's so rare, a better one simply does not exist.
Some people are indeed investing for future value and that's ok. My opinion: on some specific devices that are both rare and desirable the value will probably increase. On the rest, not so much. Something like the D6C is very desirable, but far from rare.
Yes, compared to the early 2000s, the prices have increased significantly. But that's because at that point in time those devices were considered trash, while now people have realised they're not. This dynamic will certainly not happen again, as the perceived value of such items cannot rise indefinetely.
If we look at the big picture, the pandemic drove even more people to using streaming services, using more new tech (such as wirless earbuds/headphones), so everall people are going more and more towards the mainstream. I mean this huge demand for new tech is what caused the chip shortage.

Looked at the VW SP2 (wikipedia): only 11,123 units have been produced and only for the Brazilian market. Those 2 factors alone make it a pretty rare car, especially one that is not full of rust and degraded beyond repair. If I were to compare this to walkmans, the dbx ones are probably the only fair comparison.
It is very likely that from the 11,123 produced, only a couple of thousands are still in decent condition, likely less (only a handful are probably available for sale). That alone justifies the price to be 30k $. My opinion is the initial assesment of 3000$-5000$ was way out because not considering these factors.
As a comparison, 6.83 milion units of VW Golf III have been sold. Source: https://www.volkswagenag.com/en/news/stories/2019/10/the-glorious-seven.html
So, for example, a walkman like WM-3EX is obviously going to have more value than a simple WM-3. Same with anniversary or special editions (like BoodoKhan) that were only made in limited numbers and not that many are still available in good/mint condition.

There is obviously nothing wrong with making profit, it's quite the opposite: sellers listing at very high prices and waiting for months or even years are the ones not making profits or not as high/quick as they could because they don't sell or not as fast.
I say not as high, because if a seller sells with less profit/unit, but sells more units/unit of time, the overall profit will be higher than selling a really high profit one once every 9 months.
People who do this on a regular basis or do a business out of this actually have fair prices, exactly because they do want to turn a profit, not to have some money stuck in a piece of vintage gear.
Given what I have said, I think it is clear I do not have anything against high profits nor do I begrudge people making those, it's not about that at all. It's rather about buyers making a more informed decision and knowing the big picture, rather than what ebay shows them.

 

Valentin, you‘re looking on this quite „scientific“ but you can reduce that all to a minimum:

value is that, what someone is willed to pay for it

 

Which to an extent depends on what other people are / were prepared to pay in the recent past. To add to the uncertainty that can work both ways depending on rarity / collectability.
There was a debate on Youtube as to whether people who have actually got the Ford Broncos they ordered should flip them for a significant profit, or simply enjoy their new vehicles.

 

I must add that some D6C are of infinite value: mine is a present from @Boodokhan for when I were in a pretty bad state of mind and it is a reminder to my-self that Good Folks are still among us!!