Introduction

People who post to community sales pages are becoming more aware of the renewed interest in CRT televisions and monitors. Often, listings use terms like "vintage" and "retro" to describe their listing, which both draws the eyes of video game players and funnels the listing into a specific searchable or curated product category. Unfortunately, this makes it difficult to find CRTs for low prices, and so here are some tips to help buyers find more reasonably priced televisions and monitors.

Sites with local CRTs

Community sales and classifieds websites change in popularity over time and across regions. Currently, the following are websites and forums that typically host CRT listings .

North America

Facebook Marketplace
Your community's "Free and For Sale", "Everything Is Free", and "Curbside Alert" Facebook Groups.
OfferUp
Craigslist

Reddit's r/crtgaming monthly CRT Listings posts
Nextdoor
Electronics recycling centers, though some do not allow for scavenging

Some sales sites, like Mercari and eBay, host more shipped products than local. Additionally, chain thrift stores have generally stopped accepting CRTs, though locally-owned thrift stores may continue to accept them.

Search Terms

CRT televisions and monitors were referred to with different names in differing regions. Additionally, some listings nowadays just refer to their CRT listings as "old". Try searching for each of the following:

CRT TV
CRT Television
CRT Monitor
CRT Computer Monitor
Old TV
Old Television
Old Monitor
Old Computer Monitor
Tube TV
Tube Television
Tube Monitor
Tube Computer Monitor
Box TV
Box Television
Box Monitor
Box Computer Monitor
Direct View TV
Direct View Television
Direct View Monitor
Direct View Computer Monitor
Standard Definition TV
Standard Definition Television
Color TV
Color Television
Color Monitor
Color Computer Monitor
Vintage TV
Vintage Television
Vintage Monitor
Vintage Computer Monitor
Retro TV
Retro Television
Retro Monitor
Retro Computer Monitor
Flat Screen TV
Flat Screen Television
Flat Screen Monitor
Flat Screen Computer Monitor
VGA Monitor
VGA Computer Monitor
Trinitron
Video monitor
PVM
Professional video monitor
Professional monitor
BVM
Broadcast video monitor
Broadcast monitor

Other search terms could be related to the specific model number of television or monitor you are looking for. For example, "Sony TV", "Sony KV" or "JVC". The more generic your search terms, the less likely the lister will have knowledge (or interest!) in their CRT, hopefully driving down the price.

Some sites, such as Facebook Marketplace, will use algorithms to determine if a listing is a CRT, regardless of whether it is listed as so, and suggest it to you. After a few searches, you should be catching most listings.

Industry

Businesses have largely transitioned from CRTs to more modern technology, and decommissioned equipment has made its way into the hands of collectors over the past fifteen years. Although most companies have likely recycled or sold their stock by now, it's worth an email or occasional auction search on the following industries.

Hospitals, medical suppliers, or medical surplus
Audio/video services, including photography, videography, and production for events like conferences
Locally-owned computer repair shops
School district or university surplus

Price

Price will vary between models, production year, wear and tear, compatibility, and other factors. Generally, the cost of a television or monitor increases with its maximum supported video signal. For example, sets with only RF and composite will usually be cheaper than sets with S-Video, Component, or VGA. SCART and RGB BNC monitors rarely come up, and will often be listed for hundreds of dollars.

Other factors for CRT price include aspect ratio and size; 16:9 sets will likely be more expensive than 4:3 sets, and larger consumer TV CRTs will often be listed for cheap or free, due to the owner's desire to remove it from their property.

On-Site Testing

It's always preferable to have photos or videos of the television before driving to pick it up. If possible, you should bring a small console to test the set when you get there. Two consoles of note would be the Wii and PSP 3000. Both the Wii and PSP 3000 are inexpensive consoles that can natively output 240p, 480i, and 480p, as well as 4:3 and 16:9 video signals over component; however, the PSP 3000 has the benefit of being battery-powered, which saves on cables and plugs necessary to test.

Always bring a buddy when buying things online. This is to ensure your safety when meeting strangers, but it is doubly true for CRTs which can weigh up to 200 pounds!

Clean-up

Chances are, the CRT you just picked up is gross. First, wipe down the plastics with sanitizing wipes, quickly followed up with a paper towel and isopropyl alcohol to remove the sanitizing residue. Next, use a soft abrasive, such as a credit card or magic eraser to remove tough residue left by stickers or spilled drinks. You may find success using compressed air in the chassis, but there is limited ways for dust to escape on some sets. Do not open a CRT unless you are trained and equipped to discharge it, or else you may die or be seriously electrocuted.

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Reddit users Scoobyl, PedalPDX, and DangerousCousin for their feedback.

CRT:Finding Local CRTs

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