The Honest Truth About CRT TVs

That massive tube TV taking up half your garage? Yeah, we need to talk about it. The short version: most CRT televisions are worth between $0 and $50, and that's only if they're in genuinely good condition. The longer version is more nuanced, but it mostly involves the word "unfortunately."

Here's the thing—CRT technology died about 15 years ago. Your parents might have paid $500 for that 27-inch Sony Trinitron back in 1998, but the secondhand market has moved on. Hard.

What Different CRT TVs Actually Sell For

A working 20-inch basic CRT from a brand nobody's heard of? You're looking at $10-25 on eBay if it sells at all. A Sony or Panasonic in the 24-27 inch range in good condition? Maybe $30-60. Vintage models from the 1980s marketed as "retro" gaming sets? Those can hit $75-150, but only if they're genuinely sought-after by the niche crowd that still cares about pixel-perfect 8-bit gaming.

We found a few specific examples: a working Sony Trinitron 32-inch sold for $85 last month. A Panasonic 25-inch went for $42. A random Magnavox 19-inch? $12. The pattern here isn't encouraging.

The Shipping Problem (The Real Killer)

Even if someone pays you $40 for your CRT, you've got a problem: shipping. A 27-inch CRT TV weighs 80-120 pounds. Shipping that across the country costs $80-150 via FedEx or UPS. You see where this is headed. You'd literally owe money after the sale.

This is why most CRT sales happen local pickup only. Which immediately shrinks your buyer pool from "anyone in America" to "people within 30 minutes of your house who want a heavy, bulky TV."

The Gaming Exception

The one genuine exception: if you've got a smaller CRT (13-20 inches) that's in pristine condition, it might have real value to retro gaming enthusiasts. These collectors specifically want CRTs for authentic console gaming and will pay $50-150 for the right set. But they're picky—it needs to be clean, working perfectly, and ideally a known-good model.

What You Should Actually Do

Honestly? Donate it. Check if Best Buy or your local electronics recycler will take it for free (many will). If you insist on trying to sell it, list it on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist for local pickup only at whatever seems reasonable ($20-40), and accept that you're doing this for someone else's convenience more than your own profit.

If it's broken, definitely recycle it. Don't let it sit in your garage for another decade waiting for someone who wants a non-working tube TV. That person doesn't exist.

The CRT era was great while it lasted, but these TVs are basically the tech equivalent of a 1987 beige computer tower. Nostalgia is nice, but resale value? That ship sailed.