Any value in a broken tv?
Author
Discussion

Dr Murdoch

Original Poster:

3,906 posts

159 months

Tuesday 7th January 2025
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My son managed to break our tv (through something to a mate who missed the catch and the something hit the tv...). It now has vertical lines where it was hit, and the tv shuts down 5 secs after turning it on.

Anyway, it's a 55 Sony RRP£1200 in 2022. Is there a market for broken tvs? Seems a waste to bin it.

Baldchap

9,458 posts

116 months

Tuesday 7th January 2025
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We have a bloke locally who will take them and presumably attempt to repair and sell them, but he doesn't pay for them, he just takes them away for free.

There are tens of dead flatscreen TVs every time I go to our local tip, so if there is a market it's kept quiet.

LeeM135i

711 posts

78 months

Tuesday 7th January 2025
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Took our dead oven to the tip on Saturday and there was a container full of them so I would guess not.

paddy1970

1,332 posts

133 months

Tuesday 7th January 2025
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eBay: You can list it as "For Parts or Not Working." Be transparent about the issue (vertical lines, shuts down after 5 seconds) and include clear photos.

Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree: Local buyers might prefer picking it up to avoid shipping costs.

Websites like TV Repair World or Spares2Repair specialise in purchasing broken electronics.


OutInTheShed

13,206 posts

50 months

Tuesday 7th January 2025
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I know someone who scrounged a TV with an intermittent problem.
Sold the remote on ebay.
The power supply is now powering a 3D printer.

Sometimes you can get a discount trading in stuff that doesn't work.
I think that may be driven by some kind of point scoring about WEEE?

Cliftonite

8,687 posts

162 months

Tuesday 7th January 2025
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.
OP. Do you have "accidental damage" cover on your house insurance?

Dr Murdoch

Original Poster:

3,906 posts

159 months

Tuesday 7th January 2025
quotequote all
Cliftonite said:
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OP. Do you have "accidental damage" cover on your house insurance?
I do, and have put in a claim.

anonymous-user

78 months

Wednesday 8th January 2025
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Probably worth a little if you have an easy way to try.

Eg my 7 year old Samsung died.
It was in the garage awaiting tip run.

My daughter said I should sell it, I told her that if she did she can keep the cash.

30 mins later an old school friend of hers turned up, into electronics, sold via facebook & she was £50 richer!

Dracoro

8,993 posts

269 months

Wednesday 8th January 2025
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Dr Murdoch said:
Cliftonite said:
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OP. Do you have "accidental damage" cover on your house insurance?
I do, and have put in a claim.
They may want to take the TV.

I had ins claim (John Lewis) and they took broken one away (alto fault rather than damage).

thebraketester

15,553 posts

162 months

Wednesday 8th January 2025
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Even trying to get rid of TVs which work can be a nightmare. I've got one on FBMP at the moment for free and its not "sold"

Lucas Ayde

4,100 posts

192 months

Wednesday 8th January 2025
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Unless it's some set that had issues with, say, the mainboard where s/h parts have some value, it's pretty much worthless and needs properly disposed off because of the various materials used in construction.

You can typically take them to a council recycling centre who will take them and dispose for no cost. They don't seem to attempt to reuse or repair - I got rid of an old Philips that wasn't really broken (had a few niggles but those were design faults around the Freeview tuner) and they didn't care - just told me to dump it in with all the other flatscreens.

If that facility isn't available where you are, IIRC there is some sort of 'reducing eWaste' directive whereby the original retailer has to accept old/broken electronic gear for free too so if you still have proof of purchase you could bring it back (if it was ordered from an internet based seller though, the cost of shipping would likely make that pointless).

Doofus

33,234 posts

197 months

Wednesday 8th January 2025
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thebraketester said:
Even trying to get rid of TVs which work can be a nightmare. I've got one on FBMP at the moment for free and its not "sold"
This is why you should always keep the packaging.

Stick the old TV in the box (even the box for the replacement tv will do), and leave it on your doorstep. It'll be gone by the morning.