Whilst consumers have eyes on the latest large screen LCD or plasma TV, it seems that the old CRT TVs are still worth the big bucks to thieves.
Sydney-based AV specialist store Len Wallis Audio had an assortment of CRT TVs sitting in its carpark which it was going to sort through and give away. However, approximately 10 ten days ago a bunch of thieves came and beat them to it, taking the lot.
“We had a whole bunch of second-hand CRTs sitting in the carpark, but they weren’t locked up or anything. We were going to find the ones that worked and give them to charity. But I guess charity comes closer to home,” said Len Wallis.
Although those behind the ‘theft’ could obviously see some value in the second hand CRT TVs, Len Wallis said the trade-in market for visual products is not doing very well.
“Second hand plasmas aren’t worth much and second hand CRTs are worth almost nothing for us. We had a second-hand 60-inch Marantz screen sitting on our floor which would have cost the first owner about $20,000 four years ago. We only just managed to sell it the other day for $3000,” Wallis said.
“We do a lot of trade-ins in HiFi, but not much in vision because [second-hand displays] are not holding their value,” he added.
