I own a Samsung HLN-617W DLP TV that I purchased new in August 2003, for a small fortune (think back to when these sets were ~$5K). I also purchased a 5 year service plan, which I used once when I lived in Florida to have the set "cleaned" and "tuned up", which included a new bulb - compliments of the service plan.
Since then, I've moved to Colorado and have since had the set ISF calibrated. The difference was amazing, and I really like the set.
Recently, the "No. 3 Fan" quit working, as indicated by an on-screen message. After 3 minutes, a message appears on screen telling me to "Check the No. 3 Fan", and then after a few minutes, the set shuts down. For the first couple of days, the fan would start back up. To make sure the fan wasn't simply clogged with dirt, I removed the back panel and blew it out with compressed air. That did not fix it. And then in a couple days, the fan would simply not work at all.
The good news is, I still have 14 months left on my service plan, and I placed a call to have the set repaired. Today was my scheduled call, but the repair person told me that he spoke to Samsung, and the remedy is to have the entire "light engine" replaced. It will be another 5 working days while we wait for the parts to come in.
So here I am with no TV for a while, and I'm getting the itch to start looking. The JVC 61" D-iLA 1080p set looks tempting at only $2K, plus I have a Best Buy 12% off coupon - and at that price it's a steal. But - I can't do it unless I can sell my current TV after it is repaired.
What I have to offer is pretty nice - a 61" 720p DLP set, free of cosmetic flaws, freshly serviced by an authorized repair center, a brand new lamp replacement bulb (which I bought earlier in the year and have not installed yet because I don't need to), with an ISF-calibrated DVI input (if the light-engine replacement doesn't screw it up). Also, I'd be happy to transfer my remaining warranty if that's allowed.
I've never sold something like this before. Besides talking to my friends and neighbors, I've got no idea how to go about it. I can't find any listings on eBay to let me know what the going rate for this set is. I've never used Craigslist before, but I don't see any current listings. eBay is a big risk, because I'd have to list it with the idea that someone would pick it up, and I'd like to avoid fees for listing it if it doesn't sell.
I'm looking for advice on how to sell something so large - something that would need to be picked up by the buyer locally. Either that, or someone in the Denver Metro area on the forum who wouldn't mind a trip up to Longmont to pick the set up.
Also, I have no idea what to ask for when selling the set, as far as a price is concerned. Any ideas? (any offers?)
Thanks in advance for any advice.