Dan notes a spike in Zenith Trans-Oceanic prices

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who notes:

There appears to be a spike in Zenith Trans-Oceanic sales. The recent eBay sale of a D7000Y for $900 sparked a number of new auctions by sellers seeking to take advantage of this apparent
trend.

The following D7000Y was listed with a $900 Buy It Now price by someone obviously
cashed in.

Click here to view on eBay.

Wow! I’m curious what could have encouraged this spike in prices. I have a Trans-Oceanic but will not sell it because it was my first portable radio. With that said, if there are readers who’ve considered parting with theirs, this might be the right time. Thanks for the tip, Dan!

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13 thoughts on “Dan notes a spike in Zenith Trans-Oceanic prices

  1. Lindomar Rigon

    Olá, olha não sei porque tem pessoas que acham este rádio incrivel, ele apenas é bom! no brasil temos o Philco Transglobe b481, é fantástico, com algumas modificações, ganha deste Zenith, aqui preferimos o b481, os senhores não conhecem!

    Reply
    1. João Rocha

      Lindomar, concordo com você que o Philco Transglobe tem performance muito semelhante ao TO. Porém a diferença fundamental é que o Transocenic tem toda uma bagagem histórica que o Transglobe nem chega perto.

      Lindomar, I agree with you. Philco Transglobe has a very similar performance than TO. But the basic difference is that TO has a very large historical background that a Philco Transglobe do not come even closer…
      (For non-Brazilian: at the same time of Transoceanic transistored models had been sold in US, Philco has launched in Brazil a multiband shortwave radio “Transglobe” which was a strondous success and even today that model has a many enthusiasts and collectors in Brazil.)

      Reply
  2. Jake Brodsky, AB3A

    I remember being envious of a friend who had a TransOceanic 3000 in the 1970s. The idea of a portable shortwave radio (meaning it had a handle and you could carry it with one hand, though not very far) was so cool.

    I can envision someone buying one for sentimental reasons. But modern receivers are better in almost every way.

    Reply
    1. Edward

      The SP600 was my favorite but it needed a hand truck to move and an extension cord. My all time favorite is the Hallicrafters S71

      Reply
  3. Walt

    Heh, the seller is Guy Atkins. Guy is an expert in top notch eBay listings, and with a 100% rating, he usually gets top dollars. Well done, Guy!

    Reply
  4. Lou

    This isn’t meant to be a political statement. What you read into it is your opinion.

    I would firmly put this recent rise in prices on the stimulus efforts here in the US.

    While it’s true that a few really do need help, the non targeted distribution of stimulus funds has resulted in people with money to burn. Money that you didn’t have to directly earn is always the easiest to spend on “nice to have” vs “I need this to live” items.

    While it goes against the current narrative of Americans being on dire straits, data from the Federal Reserve shows that overall saving rates and balances have gone up significantly during the pandemic.

    People are reaching a point where something has to give. If they can’t spend their money on stuff that might be restricted like travel, might as well move down the list to things they’ve always wanted but thought was frivolous.

    Reply
  5. Jim griffin

    The 7000Y in question was pristine. I was one of the bidders, but dropped out early on. Perhaps two collectors got carried away.

    Reply
  6. Matt Todd

    A transocianic was my first shortwave radio. It was my grandfathers and between that and a scanner from my other grandfather its what really got me into radio. Unfortunately my house was broken into in 2009 and it was stolen. I have a ebay alert for new listings for the extreme long shot that it shows up there.

    Reply
  7. Tom Stiles

    I did a YouTube video late last year talking about the insane prices for older shortwave radios.

    Tom Stiles

    Reply
    1. Tim

      It may be the radios, but too many other things of value are rising too. What is happening is the value of our money (how much you can buy) is dropping. Inflation has dropped the value of the US dollar to around 2 cents. Spending trillions eviscerates our credit, which destroys the spending power of all “fiat” (no intrinsic value, or “paper”) currencies, including the US Dollar.
      If there is something you really have wanted, radio wise, better plan to get it sooner, rather than later. Or, save items of value (gold,silver, ammo, etc.) to trade for the devices of your wish.

      Reply
      1. Lou

        @Tim –

        You’re absolutely right about just pulling the trigger on purchasing hobby items. Do it now versus later.

        One of my other interests is retro gaming. Talk about a hobby that has seen prices explode. Unreal pricing to say the least.

        Reply

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