What is with the double talk?? If an item is mint then it is as it was 30 years ago not Excellent for a 30 year old item!! 

that word mint is thrown about to much , how many of us have 2nd hand items that dont have one single mark on them not many .

Boomboxes are not coins, therefore they do not have any official grading standards.  So one person's definition of "mint" is as good as another's.

glad you have cleared that up .

bang on .

The problem isn't with the terms mint or excellent or very good ect... The problem is with the person who is doing the evaluation or grading. Most people don't know the difference between ex "Mint" "Near Mint" and "Excellent" and there is a huge difference.

I have a box with only one mark on it.  Nothing else.  No scratches on the glass, no dents, no scuffs, no stains, nothing.  Just one little pin-mark on the side.  Sort of like a little thumb-tack mark.

If I ever sell it, I'm going to call it "mint" in the title.  Forcing me to call it excellent would be unfair, because there are tons of other people calling their boxes excellent even though there is tons of damage.

Now of course, I would mention that little pin-mark in the description. But overall, the box is still "mint" by most sane people's definition.  And if they disagree with me, who cares -- I'm not forcing them to bid.  By telling them about the pin-mark, I've done everything I'm obligated to do.

best thing to do on an auction is dont take what the seller says too seriously,unless he/she has backed it up with good pics..

were have you been bm

There is no way to enforce a standard definition of "mint".   Ebay is Ebay, it's not a professional collector's site. They don't enforce rules like that, because they don't have the expertise or manpower to do so.

It is up to each buyer to read the description, and decide for himself if he trusts the seller.  Would you trust someone who just says "mint" and doesn't say one more word about the cosmetic condition?  I certainly hope not.

This is why I would say about my box:

"It is in mint condition except for one tiny pin-prick which I am pointing to in photo #3.  That is the only damage I can find.  The tuner glass and tape door are perfectly clear, the metal trim has no scratches, dents, or corrosion, the speaker grills do not have any rust or dents, the speaker do not have any stains, and the speaker surrounds are undamaged.  The paint on the plastic is glossy and smooth.  The chrome knobs do not have any rot.  The tape door is perfectly aligned, and opens smoothly.  There aren't even any scuff marks on the feet.  As far as the operating functions, there is no static in any of the controls.  All 4 speakers produce sound, and it is clear sound without any distortion or hicupps.  The sound coming from both channels is equal when the balance knob is centered.  The stereo and stereo wide settings function properly, with an equal amount of sound coming from right and left.....

And so on......

Seems fair enough to me.

just taking a back seat man,not been feelin it,not had that boombox feeling for a while..think i'm gettin too old for it now lol..

Ahh back to the question,i've read auctions where the person has said "its working perfect" but when the things arrived its had stuff wrong with it,some people would cry and moan straight away,claim or complain to ebay and leave negatives,but if i get a box,aslong as i know i can fix it,i wont bother,i've messaged them and told them of the problems,but i never claim or complain..i just keep the peace and fix it myself..

Here is a "virtually mint" one. By virtually i wonder if they mean virtual reality

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-JVC-GHETTOBLASTER-BOOMBOX-3080-UKC-IN-VIRTUALLY-MINT-CONDITION-CONDITION-/120884644028?pt=UK_CE_Portable_Audio_Portable_Stereos_ET&hash=item1c254948bc

 have a few clean boxes....but mint to me is new in the box unopened...nobody has those...and shouldnt be expected to as these are over 30 yrs old