How much is my 37" 720p LCD TV worth?

August 14, 2009 9:53 PM

How much is my used Sharp Aquos LC-37G4U (37" 720p LCD TV) worth? How much would YOU pay for it?

A co-worker may be interested in buying my old TV. Neither of us is sure what would be a fair price. Can't find any of this model on eBay to make a direct comparison; found 2 listed on Craigslist in other cities -- one for $400 and one for $600 (which I'm SURE is too much) -- but who knows how much they actually got. The details:

- Sharp Aquos LC-37G4U
- Bought Feb. 2005
- 37" LCD
- 720p (does not support 1080p)
- does NOT have built-in HD tuner
- Nice condition, fully functional, still have all accessories and whatnot, e.g., stand, remote, manual

Links: Sound & Vision - ExtremeTech - PC Mag - Amazon.com

Looks like a new 37" 720p LCD can be had on Amazon for not too much over $600 -- but since technology marches on, a new one would have a built-in HD tuner, better contrast ratio, probably more inputs, and might be better in other ways.

If it were yours, how much would you expect for it? If you were buying it, how much would you pay for it?

posted by greendress to technology (9 comments total)

Personally I wouldn't expect to pay more than $350, $400 tops. My reason is that it already has 3+ years of use, and is well out of warranty. Now most TVs will last for much longer without issue, but it is a risk with any used equipment. I know the Aquos line is great visually, but at only 720p I don't think someone is looking at top of the line these days. It has its place, and I'd love it as a second monitor for my computer setup, but only at the right price.
posted by shinynewnick at 10:23 PM on August 14

$200. It seems to only have one HDMI input with can be frustrating with all the HDMI supported devices now.
posted by Burhanistan at 10:29 PM on August 14 [1 favorite]

I'd pay $300 tops. It'd make a decent bedroom unit for me since I don't necessarily need 1080p there.
posted by sanka at 10:32 PM on August 14

I bought my parents a 37" (maybe 42"?) 1080p with HD tuner for $600 last year. Had to stand in line at 5am to get it, and it's Polaroid (they put their brand on TVs now?) rather than Sharp, but I still wouldn't pay more than $500 for your TV new now, which works out to $125-$250 used.

You may be better off searching eBay rather than Craigslist to get an idea of reasonable prices. Frequent low priced offers on Craigslist do establish a lower bound on a fair price, because anyone price shopping will just wait for one of those. But frequent high priced offers on Craigslist do not establish an upper bound on a fair price; they merely establish a lower bound on human foolishness. No, lady, your "good as new" plastic cat litter box is not worth $10, and it still won't be when you post it again next week.
posted by roystgnr at 10:52 PM on August 14

Keeping in mind all of the information above, and considering the fact that the backlight becomes dimmer over time (and the 3 year mark is generally when they start degrading), I wouldn't pay more than $150.
posted by LuckySeven~ at 7:16 AM on August 15 [1 favorite]

Your dinosaur TV is worth ~100 bucks. I've got a Toshiba 65" 720p rp with an awesome picture that's worth < $250 & I paid 10x that for it. Welcome to the land of obsolescence.
posted by torquemaniac at 8:12 AM on August 15

I just sold a 3-year-old 42" off-brand 1080p LCD for $450, which the buyer seemed to feel was a fair deal. So subtract points for smaller, lower resolution, and older.
posted by adamk at 10:57 AM on August 15

$250 is what I'd pay for it. I just bought a 1080p 40" Aquos for $549.
posted by bz at 11:32 PM on August 15

The co-worker ended up not buying the TV, but I sold it on Craigslist in early October for $275.
posted by greendress at 1:43 PM on December 13