What's a reasonable price for an Atari 800XL computer?

[Skippy B. Coyote]

I've been following eBay listings for a while now and prices seem to be all over the map, so I was just wondering if you guys and gals might be able to offer me some guidance on what a reasonable price I should expect to pay for a tested and working nice condition Atari 800XL with power supply would be? For reference when I say "nice condition" I mean no yellowing of the case, all keys and rubber feet present and accounted for, and minimal scratching on the housing and chrome side keys. Not brand new or like-new, just well cared for and in good shape.

 

I should also note that this isn't a want to buy ad, since it'll probably be some time in late summer or early fall before I'll be in the position to purchase one of these computers, I'm just trying to do a little market research ahead of time to figure out what I should expect to pay.

[+KylJoy]

Well, if you look at the "sold" items and sort by "Recent First" it will show you what you can expect to pay. Catching a good deal is often a lot of the fun for me. But if I want it ASAP I'll often spend a bit more to get what I want sooner. What is fair? Well, though most hate to hear it, the truth is that whatever you and the seller agree on is fair and that is different everytime. Me? I'd keep it under $50 but expect to do some work on it. From the recent sales I think you could be spending into the $80s for what you are looking for.

 

Ask on AA to see if anyone has a nice one. I let one go recently for $50 + shipping and it was in nice shape though it had a bit of yellowing. I just figure that anyone that doesn't like the yellowing will use retrobrite.

[spacecadet]

"No yellowing" is going to be almost impossible without spending a fair bit extra. 90% of these have at least some yellowing these days. You'd have to get a real closet classic for *no* yellowing.

 

I think a reasonable price for an unboxed working unit in decent shape with the power supply would be around $60-$70 these days. I've seen them go for less, but usually the ones for less are a bit rougher, or "untested" or whatever. If you want a boxed unit, seems like $100 is about the going rate.

[Skippy B. Coyote]

Thank you for the replies you two! If a little yellowing is just the nature of the beast for these computers then I can live with that, it's not a huge deal as long as the computer has been well cared for and works properly. So far it looks like $60 to $80 plus shipping is what I should be aiming to pay for just the computer and power supply without the box, which is just fine by me and a fair bit more affordable than I was imagining they would be. Of course I'd still want to spend a little extra for a composite video cable and a SIO2SD from Lotharek to play all the games I'd want to play, but it's good to know that the computer itself will be affordable. I may find myself in the market for a 800XL sooner than I was expecting.

Edited April 18, 2017 by Jin