# Best way to sell Tivo Premiere quickly



## jcthorne (Jan 28, 2002)

I purchased a new Roamio and its working well so its time for one of my Premiere 2 tuner units with 2TB drive and lifetime service to find a new home.

How much should I ask for it and where is the best place to sell it? Of course if anyone here wants it, shoot me a pm and we could arrange something. Not looking for the last dime out of it. Just something fair and easy.


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## innocentfreak (Aug 25, 2001)

I usually check ebay's completed listings for price. 

In my area craigslist never seems to sell them so ebay would really be the only way.


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## cptlapcat (Oct 4, 2007)

jcthorne said:


> I purchased a new Roamio and its working well so its time for one of my Premiere 2 tuner units with 2TB drive and lifetime service to find a new home.
> 
> How much should I ask for it and where is the best place to sell it? Of course if anyone here wants it, shoot me a pm and we could arrange something. Not looking for the last dime out of it. Just something fair and easy.


I am in the same boat as jcthorne. Is there any place to list a sale on the Community Forum? I have seen people mention that they are listing a Tivo for sale but I can never find the thread.


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## innocentfreak (Aug 25, 2001)

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=68


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## dlfl (Jul 6, 2006)

cptlapcat said:


> I am in the same boat as jcthorne. Is there any place to list a sale on the Community Forum? I have seen people mention that they are listing a Tivo for sale but I can never find the thread.


There will be a growing number of people "in the same boat". So expect the going price to start decreasing! Don't hesitate too long!


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## cptlapcat (Oct 4, 2007)

innocentfreak said:


> http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=68


Thanks innocentfreak. Now I will be able to sleep at night.


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## barrett14 (Aug 21, 2013)

I used this new app on iTunes called "Sold"... They offered me $214 for my Series 3 with lifetime with wireless adapter. They have been selling on Ebay from anywhere between $250-$325. I am thinking about accepting the $214 offer because after shipping and ebay fees, it wouldn't be that much more. 

Sold actually sends you a prepaid box to put your stuff in. You send it back, and they pay you.


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## jcthorne (Jan 28, 2002)

barrett14 said:


> I used this new app on iTunes called "Sold"... They offered me $214 for my Series 3 with lifetime with wireless adapter. They have been selling on Ebay from anywhere between $250-$325. I am thinking about accepting the $214 offer because after shipping and ebay fees, it wouldn't be that much more.
> 
> Sold actually sends you a prepaid box to put your stuff in. You send it back, and they pay you.


Do they have a web site?


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## steinbch (Nov 23, 2007)

barrett14 said:


> I used this new app on iTunes called "Sold"... They offered me $214 for my Series 3 with lifetime with wireless adapter. They have been selling on Ebay from anywhere between $250-$325. I am thinking about accepting the $214 offer because after shipping and ebay fees, it wouldn't be that much more.
> 
> Sold actually sends you a prepaid box to put your stuff in. You send it back, and they pay you.


Interesting. I had never heard of them before. Here's a Business Insider article about them from a couple months ago. Will see what they offer for my TiVo Premiere with Lifetime when I get home. Not sure how it could compare to eBay though since they actually use eBay to sell your product.


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## steinbch (Nov 23, 2007)

Just used Sold and was offered a very reasonable price for my Premiere with lifetime and slide remote. Only problem is that they don't pay you unless they find a buyer. I would love tlc sell for the price they gave me, but I have a suspicion that it's a little too high for them to turn a profit on.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

steinbch said:


> Interesting. I had never heard of them before. Here's a Business Insider article about them from a couple months ago. Will see what they offer for my TiVo Premiere with Lifetime when I get home. Not sure how it could compare to eBay though since they actually use eBay to sell your product.


You didn't provide a link..

(Wonder if you guys are just shilling for Sold???)


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## steinbch (Nov 23, 2007)

mattack said:


> You didn't provide a link..
> 
> (Wonder if you guys are just shilling for Sold???)


I'm not sure that I'd use my 6 year old account to start spamming the boards for some fake company...

http://www.businessinsider.com/new-app-sold-helps-you-sell-old-stuff-2013-4

Here's their website, too.
http://usesold.com/

I'm still skeptical based on what I said earlier, but we shall see. Not sure what happens if they don't find a buyer at the price they locked in with me.


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## I WANT MORE (Oct 13, 2009)

I do not find "sold" in my App Store.


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## steinbch (Nov 23, 2007)

Just as a little update. They've listed my 320GB Premiere with Lifetime and the Slide Remote for an unusually high $500 for the set. No way that they'll be able to get that amount through eBay. Figured it to be too good to be true.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

The best way to sell it quickly is to sell it at a lowprice. And avoid ebay. Since if you sell it for $500 on ebay, you wll incur around $50 in fees. So you net around $450 before any Paypal fees are deducted. So a low price on here, another forum or Craigslist is the quickest way to sell it fast.


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## lessd (Jan 23, 2005)

aaronwt said:


> The best way to sell it quickly is to sell it at a lowprice. And avoid ebay. Since if you sell it for $500 on ebay, you wll incur around $50 in fees. So you net around $450 before any Paypal fees are deducted. So a low price on here, another forum or Craigslist is the quickest way to sell it fast.


In big cities Craigslist may work, and I don't know how many people will purchase directly off this forum as they would have little recourse if something is not correct, E-Bay I still see as the best place to sell. but now you have about 13% cost between E-Bay and PayPal fees then you have packing and shipping. I guess you would still have S&H using this forum, and with Craigslist you have to find a common meeting place, nothing is that easy.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

I've sold quite a few TiVos directly on this site. Although people may be more trusting of me since I'm a moderator with a 13 year old account and 19K posts.


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## MirclMax (Jul 12, 2000)

Dan203 said:


> I've sold quite a few TiVos directly on this site. Although people may be more trusting of me since I'm a moderator with a 13 year old account and 19K posts.


Dan,

Then you should set up a proxy service ... Seller ships you the TiVo to be sold, you verify that it works .. List it to be sold with the Dan203 stamp of approval .. you take a small commission for your efforts and send the rest back to the original seller.

Step 5. Profit!


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## BigJimOutlaw (Mar 21, 2004)

Someone on eBay wants my Premiere's TSN to confirm Lifetime service with Tivo; is that a safe thing to do?


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## lessd (Jan 23, 2005)

BigJimOutlaw said:


> Someone wants my Premiere's TSN to confirm Lifetime service with Tivo; is that a safe thing to do?


I have wondered about that, if your already a dishonest seller you will give out a TSN that has Lifetime, than ship a TiVo without Lifetime, so I don't know what the buyer gains.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

I've given out the TSN for potential buyers to check in the past if they ask for it. Then they can verify with TiVo that there is lifetime service. TiVo is not supposed to transfer the box to a new account until you give TiVo the go ahead to transfer with the info of the new owner.


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## lessd (Jan 23, 2005)

aaronwt said:


> I've given out the TSN for potential buyers to check in the past if they ask for it. Then they can verify with TiVo that there is lifetime service. TiVo is not supposed to transfer the box to a new account until you give TiVo the go ahead to transfer with the info of the new owner.


I did have one person xfer a TiVo he though he was going to purchase put the TiVo into his account than he change his mind and did not purchase, what a PIA changing it back to my account, so now I don't give out the TSN.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

lessd said:


> I did have one person xfer a TiVo he though he was going to purchase put the TiVo into his account than he change his mind and did not purchase, what a PIA changing it back to my account, so now I don't give out the TSN.




Well that isn't good. Especially since TiVo is not supposed to do anything until it has been approved by the current owner.


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## slowbiscuit (Sep 19, 2006)

Tivo will transfer a box off without contacting the original owner, every one I've sold has been done by the new owner without my involvement. That's why you don't give out the TSN.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

slowbiscuit said:


> Tivo will transfer a box off without contacting the original owner, every one I've sold has been done by the new owner without my involvement. That's why you don't give out the TSN.


I was always told by the CSRs that they would not switch without my approval. They've told me to call them with the info after I sell it. Which is what I've always done. I've had at least a dozen CSRs over the years tell me the same info. If this is really not the case then I guess they like to make it easy for someone to use a stolen TiVo? And it really pisses me off if true since I have always been told differently.


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## mr.unnatural (Feb 2, 2006)

There's no reason to give out the TSN to anyone on ebay. If the buyer is dissatisfied with the purchase because the seller misrepresented the product then ebay will issue a refund on behalf of the buyer if he or she files a dispute with ebay. The seller ultimately ends up refunding the purchase price and original shipping costs. The buyer is responsible for return shipping. You will be refunded any final value fees, but you're on the hook for the original listing fees.

I've been selling on ebay since 1996 and I've gotten to where I don't even bother with selling via auctions anymore. I'll check the results of past sales to see what the going price is for a comparable unit and then set my price accordingly. I usually list items for a 30-day period at a fixed price with reasonable shipping. Make sure the description is accurrate and complete, but don't overwhelm potential buyers with too much detail. Nobody wants to read a novel when a couple of short paragraphs will suffice.

I have literally sold items within hours after listing using this method. I've also had to relist items that went beyond the 30-day limit. Using a fixed price reduces the fees you have to pay ebay since it's fixed and not based on the opening bid. Ebay fees may seem a bit steep to some people, but when you consider the alternatives and the number of people you reach with your listing it's still a pretty good deal. I used to post ads in the local paper and it cost me considerably more than listing on ebay for just 3 days and a limited local market.


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## Scooby Doo (Dec 18, 2002)

mr.unnatural said:


> There's no reason to give out the TSN to anyone on ebay.


Well clearly some buyers want to know it and that fact alone provides some reason to give out the TSN. I guess the question is whether there is any reason NOT to give out the TSN? The TSN is on the side of the retail box so it can't be that big a security issue for someone to know it. Is there anything that someone with a TSN, but without the associated box, can do?


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## DaveDFW (Jan 25, 2005)

mr.unnatural said:


> There's no reason to give out the TSN to anyone on ebay.


I've sold at least five Tivos through ebay over the years and never given out a TSN. Aren't prospective buyers usually satisfied with merely a photo of the info screen showing lifetime with a partially-redacted TSN?

If someone becomes a nuisance about demanding the TSN up front simply forget them. There are plenty of buyers out there.


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## Hi8 (Mar 6, 2002)

slowbiscuit said:


> Tivo will transfer a box off without contacting the original owner, every one I've sold has been done by the new owner without my involvement. That's why you don't give out the TSN.


 I just bought an S3 - and they (TiVo) would NOT transfer the TSN to my account until the seller called and provided my 'email address' and zipcode that was used on my account. Perhaps you had a different CS person? But I tried calling 3 different times without success - because one of the CS reps told me All I had to do was go through the guided setup using my ZipCode and then call back and they would transfer the unit, NOT!


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## lessd (Jan 23, 2005)

Hi8 said:


> I just bought an S3 - and they (TiVo) would NOT transfer the TSN to my account until the seller called and provided my 'email address' and zipcode that was used on my account. Perhaps you had a different CS person? But I tried calling 3 different times without success - because one of the CS reps told me All I had to do was go through the guided setup using my ZipCode and then call back and they would transfer the unit, NOT!


If you set up the TiVo using your zip (assuming it is different than the sellers) all you do is tell the TiVo CSR to look at the setup ZIP and it matches your account ZIP and TiVo has never given anybody a problem moving the Lifetime service using the ZIP code method.


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## jcthorne (Jan 28, 2002)

I posted the 2 tuner 2TB premiere with lifetime on this site for $350 shipped. Is that not well below current market price?

I think the market for Premieres on this board is pretty small.


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## Hi8 (Mar 6, 2002)

lessd said:


> If you set up the TiVo using your zip (assuming it is different than the sellers) all you do is tell the TiVo CSR to look at the setup ZIP and it matches your account ZIP and TiVo has never given anybody a problem moving the Lifetime service using the ZIP code method.


 must be the luck of the draw as to who you get on the phone, cuz they won't transfer it for me... after I setup with the ZIPCODE.


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## lessd (Jan 23, 2005)

Hi8 said:


> must be the luck of the draw as to who you get on the phone, cuz they won't transfer it for me... after I setup with the ZIPCODE.


I have sold many TiVo and that what I tell each customer, I never had to tell TiVo to move any TiVo I sold, and most got moved (some people don't even try to move their TiVo so after a time I do it for them into a dummy TiVo account)
What would happen if you don't know the original owner or they died, how would ever get the TiVo into your account.


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## JohnnyO (Nov 3, 2002)

dlfl said:


> There will be a growing number of people "in the same boat". So expect the going price to start decreasing! Don't hesitate too long!


You've got that right. As soon as I get a week on my new Roamio, one, if not both of my TiVoHD's with Lifetime will be on the market.

John


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