Buying a second hand cd player? CDX-05, CDR-07, A few tips

0:00 Buying a second hand CD player

We've done a video on buying a second hand turntable, we've done one on buying a second hand mixer. In this one we're going to look at buying a second hand CD player. Now then, what we're going to do is look on the certain aspects of a CD player. Now then, forget the make, forget the model, forget all about what it is, we're just looking at the fact that this is a CD player and you're going to buy it second hand. Bear that in mind. Now then, first and foremost for any DJ who wants to mix, and that is, it's got to have a good pitch control. The thing is, with this, like any kit you buy, you don't really want to start pulling it apart, and there is no way on God's planet the chap, the lady that you're buying it off, is going to let you start ripping it apart before you buy it. So, first thing, put your fingers on the pitch, run them up and down like so.

What it should feel like is almost the equivalent of you putting your finger on some butter or some oil. It should feel very smooth. If it feels a little bit rough, then the possibility there's been a lot of wear on there. Now then, the second thing you can look at, get a bit closer, now can you see here the lines? Now then, if we go closer again, you can see that the lines are perfect there. Now there is a reason for that, like I said earlier, this is a new CD player, OK? But what you'll find is over a period of time these lines here will start to wear away. Now then, you watch how my fingers are on that pitch control. They're like so. Some people, yes, put them here but what you find is there's more control like this and what's happening if you look there at the thumb that is rubbing against those lines. So...

What you need to look for is to make sure that they're not worn away a lot. If they're worn away a tiny amount, and perhaps the CD player you're buying, they've said, is a year old, then that's fair enough. But if they say, oh it's only two months old and I've never used it, and it's worn away here, I suggest you walk away, don't bother, because they're telling you pack of lies. And there's a good possibility that they're trying to get rid of it because there's something more seriously wrong. Now then, the other features to look at to see how old or how, I quote, used the item is, is mainly the cue, play and pause, but check all the other buttons here. Now this is like, it's like a sort of a clear rubber.

2:43 You can see black writing

Now then, you can see black writing. Now if the black writing has started to wear away or there's a lot of dirt in there, just check, have a good close look. They may think you're a bit of a nutter, you know, having your eye right close to that. But if there's a lot of dirt on these buttons, then you'll know that they've been pressed continually thousands and thousands of times. Now especially, especially with these two, because these are the ones, and over here as well, but more so these, these are the ones where people are going to be... Cue, play, cue, play. So what happens is these start to wear away. So check for wear because that's really what we're looking at. It's all about actual wear and tear. And again, check the general look of the item. If it looks clean, there's no scratches or there's not many scratches then it means it's had a good life. Now again, not many people do this but look on the underside.

A worn away. Now these have got thin, sort of, they're like spongy pads on them. If there's one missing or they're worn away it just proves that it's had a bit of a hard life. Check all the screws are in. Now value is very important with any item you buy because if there's one or two screws missing it means that that person who has had the CD player prior to you possibly buying it or anyone else who's had it prior to them buying it what they might have done is they might have opened that CD player up, tried to fix it themselves and put it back together again. Now the reason I say that is because if the CD player was sent back to the manufacturer or a shop to get fixed, I guarantee you they would, because they're professionals, they would have made sure they fitted every single screw in correctly. It's only people who do boss jobs who possibly throw them on the floor or miss them out, forget to put them in. So bearing in mind the screws, that's very important.

5:04 There's a sort of a rule of thumb, I would say

Again, you know, look at the back, check overall condition, etc. Hold on, that's a bit better. Check overall condition. Now again here, if we look at these particular plugs here, these are the female phono plugs. Now then, you can see there, if we go up close, it's very shiny. Now that means there's not much wear on that. OK, so there's a possibility there, good condition, alright? Now then, when buying, OK, very important. There's a sort of a rule of thumb, I would say. It's more, I suppose, beneficial for the actual person who's selling, but if I buy a second-hand item, I would look really to pay half the original price. So in other words, let's say hypothetically this is 500 quid new. Over here in the UK, everything is 17.5% VAT, so as soon as you buy something out of the shop, you've lost £17.50 if you paid £100 for it straight away. But again, you know, the thing is that the actual seller would not sell that item straight away at half price if they've only had it for a couple of months. So let's say, for example, you want to buy two CD players and that chap wants to sell them at £400.

If I were you, I would go in with a ridiculously low offer first because at the end of the day they can only say no, can't they? So if you say 200 quid and they'll probably say no. Then say 220, no, 230, 240, 250 until eventually they say yes. But again it's psychological, just don't go 220, 230, 240, barter a bit, wait, hang around, just let them tow the line for a while because... You know, even to the extent of you walking out the door. Because they might think, shoot, what's better? Is it better for me to hold on to my CD players, possibly get some more money, or, you know, is a bird in the hand better? In other words, is it better to flog them off to this chap who's offering me a ridiculously low amount and selling them as opposed to hanging on to them? So, if they want 400 quid for two CD players...

Start at maybe 200 quid, half price, same with dollars, same with euros, same with any monies in the world. Start at half price and then slowly but surely work up because if they wanted 400 quid and you said I'll give you 300 and they said yes straight away, then really what's happened is they've got the money they wanted and I guarantee you You could have got them for less, alright? So just bear that in mind, alright? So I hope that's been a help. I know I waffle a little bit, but just bear in mind two things. Most important, check your buttons, check the pitch control for wear and also if there are any more comments or any constructive points that you can put forward, stick them as a comment underneath this video and let's get people buying decent stuff. Thanks for watching, practice and enjoy.

This transcript was produced automatically from the audio of the video and may contain mistakes.