Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I have a AMI jukebox. It plays well and is in good shape. What is the value to sell and where can I sell it?
By Pat from Waco area
We need more info to research prices. Is it an older one from the 50's that plays vinyl or a newer one that plays CD or even newer yet that plays music videos. Is it a full sized one or a floor one? All this plays into the price.
I kind of inherited this Rowe AMI jukebox and it has been sitting in my garage for over 3 years. It worked when my son first brought it over, but now it doesn't. It needs a needle and l am sure that it just needs something minor since it did work. I just want to sell it to make space in my garage.
On Ebay for $500 used
This one is asking $500. picclick.com/
What a neat item!!
To get a true value for your piece is not as easy as just looking online to see what people are asking.
If you look on eBay you will see some similar (I cannot find an exact match which is critical to the valuing process as you always want an apples to apples match to set value in the market) are both selling and sitting unsold for months and months in the $25-$600 range. That is a huge range which is why it is so important to know both your machine and your market.
My fear is if I told you $25, you could be cheating yourself, and if I told you $600, you would be mad that it is sitting for months with no nibbles. Of course, if you have no time and no patience to learn about the market (which I totally get if you just want it out of your house), you could list it somewhere in the middle and just take best offer. That is the easy answer. Value is what someone will pay. Start high, take the best offer.
If you really want to maximize the value for your item it depends on a whole bunch of factors...
First off you are not sure if it is working. That is HUGE as people will pay more for working and much less for "project machines".
Does it have the records? The more original records, the more you can fetch.
Is it all original? If it has been repaired and if the person repairing it used after market parts, that drops the value?
Do you have the booklet? You would be surprised how much just the books get on eBay--they alone can sell from $15 to $30!
Are there any cracks in the glass sections?
Is the box in good shape (no dents/nicks/scratches).
Does it smell like cigarettes or cigars (meaning was it in a bar where it was exposed to smoke all day) or does it have a musty smell from being in storage?
You said yours was in a garage. Was it a dry space or does it have a bit of a musty smell. Smells can take up to 50% of the value off of a piece (the caveat here is sometimes if you sell it to a bar or club that still allows smoking, they may not care as much, but a home buyer wants no smells associated with the machine).
Also, where are you located? In some cities these are a dime a dozen and not holding their value (hence the low end of sales is $25). In other places, they are very rare and command decent amounts. Do you know which market you are in?
Jukebox buyers are very picky about what they buy and values depend on many of these factors above.
My best advice for you to set a value for your is to do a little homework in your town and call around to see if people are selling them and what they are getting for them. If you can't find any examples, that is actually good and means you can start very high and then when you have to come down, you may still fetch a decent amount.
My second suggestion is don't try to sell it on your own unless you are an experienced seller and even better, have a truck to get it to the buyer.
People hesitate to pay other people large amounts for items and quite honestly, sellers hesitate to have buyers come into their home with that much money, because you never know what kind of wacko is going to come in your home, take the juke and steal the money back. Yes, it happens. There are so many scams like this it would warrant it's own segment of Dateline.
Also the part about getting it to the buyer...we had a friend who tried selling a large piece (not a juke--but a very expensive couch) at an family run estate sale and the buyer said they had a way to get it to their home...thing was, they "way" was a couple of teenage kids and a pick up truck.
The item got badly damaged on the way out of the house and the buyer demanded the money back because the items was now damaged.
The lady caused quite the stink and fuss, screaming in the street, so much so that the seller gave the person the money back just to get her the heck OUT of the house. Then they were left with a ruined couch and no money.
No thanks!!
Easier to find a reputable consignment shop that can have a way to showcase the item and a way to get it to the buyer and I would happily take less for that comfort level. That is me. I am an experienced seller, but when I have big items, I delegate those sales to someone far better at managing it than I can.
Post back with an update and let me know how your sale goes!
What would be the estimated value of a good looking and sounding Ami R 90 juke box from 1986? It seems to be in very good condition.
Thank you.
This one is asking $450 www.ebay.com/
These are a hard sell, depending on where you live. In some places there are a glut of these and people are practically giving them away, and yet in other places, these are unicorns and they fetch big bucks!
Also, there are dozens of variables also in setting the value. Like does it work on every play button, does it include every record, is the glass all intact, does it have all original parts, is the cabinet in good shape, does it smell (those that came from bars or places where people smoked are very hard to sell unless you sell to another bar or club)? Do you have the book/manual? I would be remiss in giving you a value without knowing all the facts and where you are located.
There is a company in LA that says they just sold one, but don't give the price. Maybe they will share their sale with you...here is a link:
jukeboxesunlimited.com/
Be sure to find out if the sale was in LA or if they shipped it somewhere.
I can tell you generally that in my experience the money to be made from jukes is when the seller is able to take them apart and sell it off by the piece. There is good money to be made for working motors, and other pieces from these machines because people that have them want real parts to keep their going, not after market parts.
Post back what you learn!!
Thank you so much for your valuable information!
We have a Rowe AMI R83 jukebox with 200 records on it from 1979 and are wondering what would the value be for it? It's fairly clean, hasn't been used much in the last few years and all the disco lights are working as far as I can see.
I am finding an R80 and an R86 but I am not finding anyone selling an R83. For the R86 they are asking $865 for the unit. The R80 in full working condition they are asking $1375. I am not finding any of thesew sold right now so I can not tell you what they have been sold for in the past. Normally the value is determined by what the person sells one for and not what they ask for the unit. Most of them are listed at a higher price and say best offer on them.
I have a Rowe AMI 1969 MM3 Jukebox. It works perfectly with the psychedelic screen working as well. Can anyone give me an approximate value?
You can get a free trial account and you can see what it some for here www.worthpoint.com/
Cool item!!! Valuing it will depend on a whole bunch of things.
Does it have the records? Is it all original? Do you have the booklet? Are there any cracks in the glass sections? Is the box in good shape (no dents/nicks/scratches). Does it smell like cigarettes or cigars (meaning was it in a bar where it was exposed to smoke all day) or does it have a musty smell from being in storage?
Also, where are you located? In some cities these are a dime a dozen and not holding their value. In other places, they are very rare and command decent amounts.
Jukebox buyers are very picky about what they buy and values depend on many of these factors above.
If you look on eBay you will see some similar listed at the moment (I do not see an exact match--which is why I am asking if the item is all original--that front panel does not look original to me, but I could be mis-remembering). The similars are both selling and sitting unsold for months and month in the $300-$400 range. The higher the value, the more original and with some or all of the original records.
As an aside, there is a market for the parts if they work. Meaning if you were super handy and could take it apart and test each part, you could make---in many cases--more money for the parts than the whole.
I am attaching a link for just parts that have sold recently on eBay:
www.ebay.com/
People love the original parts to finish/fix their own jukes!! It is a huge sub market!!
Thanks for sharing!!
At our Elks lodge we have an R-84 Rowe AMI jukebox. We are looking to sell it to one of our members and are just curious what it might be worth, it plays. Sometimes it just starts playing by it self. It is full of records, but needs to be cleaned.
Thank you.
This one is asking $500 www.ebay.com/
Did you sell your juke? Can you share what you fetched for it if you did and where you are located? I am always interested in learning values in different parts of the world.
The value for jukes is really regional and is heavily supply and demand based. If you are in an area with lots of clubs that have jukes and everyone is downsizing, then there are a lot out there for sale and the value drops. If you have few around and people are seeking them, you will get more.
If you haven't sold it yet, you would be best served to find a company in your town that specializes in amusements and video games and have them value and sell it for you. Some even buy outright, repair and then sell. That may be a good option also. If your club is selling for cash, and someone is super handy, have them take it apart and sell off all of the working pieces--the parts are huge sellers on eBay--especially if tested. People have their own jukes they want to keep going and they want original parts and are often willing to pay top dollar to get these pieces.
You can see that if you go to eBay and put in the juke name and parts or motor or arm. Parts sell!
This is a 1979-1980 ish Tempo model. It doesn't have all of the colorful lights like some of the others of that time, which is what most people want when they look for a juke (flashy and outrageous are what people love). This was a workhorse machine and did a great job playing music. One of the challenges in selling club machines is if they have a heavy cigarette smell. That can really drop the value.
Where I am (Pittsburgh) this model may sell in the $100 to $200 range in the condition you describe. If it was pristine, it may get into the $300 range. Like I said, most people want the flashy ones, those can fetch into the thousands if pristine, working, and fully loaded with period appropriate music.
Post back with an update!
I have a 1980 AMI juke box, 160 selection. How do I find the value?
Thank you.
We have a Rowe AMI stereo jukebox in great working condition. It is a 1962 model, taken out of service in 1967. It was purchased by us in 1969 and refurbished in 1982.
It will come with all of the records and additional records too. It plays 45 and 33 1/3s.
This one is asking $3800. It has not sold yet. www.google.com/
How do I find out how old my jukebox is? It's a Rowe AMI Triangle Industries Inc. It takes coin and bills; also what is it worth?
This one sold for $105 in 2015. www.ebay.com/
I have a AMI Rowe 164 model JBM 200 jukebox, in working condition. The chrome and glass are intact, with blemish to chrome.
By Bill
