What's a reasonable price for a hoover convertible?

[josh1998]

I've always thought hoover uprights were cool and I wouldn't mind having one. So I was checking them out on ebay and WTF?? I couldn't believe how much people want for a hoover convertible on there! I get that some of them are rare and highly collectible and I don't know much about vintage vacuums yet but the ones I saw were absolutely nothing special. I know that because some were pretty trashed and dirty looking. But they were over $100.00 plus shipping. One I saw was from the 80s and it was $150.00 plus shipping. Am I missing something here? I thought hoover uprights were one of the most popular vacuums in the USA before like the 90s. Most of the ones on ebay all say "rare". They can't ALL be rare.

So I'm just wondering what a decent price for a hoover upright would be. I know it depends on the year and model and everything but I'm not talking about anything super rare or in some wild color like pink or orange or still in a box. Just a regular upright in decent condition. No particular year either. I saw a decade 80 that was really cool but not cool enough to pay $200 plus shipping. I can't believe the prices on some of the vacuums on ebay. I think people get confused about "vintage" and "trashed" .

 

[fan-of-fans]

Many vintage things on eBay have gotten far overpriced, including Hoovers. If I were you I would check local yard or estate sales and thrift stores. My Habitat Restore used to have a few metal base Convertibles, but since then I hadn't seen any. Though I did see a plastic base one at a yard sale but it wasn't worth getting because it was broken.

But I'd check thrift stores as a best bet. Sometimes older ones show up, such as I still see PowerMax and some others, so maybe a Convertible will too.

eBay is just overpriced and the shipping on a metal Convertible will be too high for it to be worth it.

 

[justjunque]

Hi Josh,

I have two 1980s Convertibles. Probably the least desirable in terms of value or collectibility, but I just liked them and wanted ones that I could actually use.

One, very clean dark red one that I found on Craigslist.
That one cost me $20 or $25.

The blue one with the "Ranger" style hood, I found at a Goodwill store.
It was marked $12.99 IIRC, but when I got to the register, I got the pleasant surprise that it was half price day!
I walked out the door with it for just under $7!

Barry

 

[josh1998]

Those are really nice. I will have to keep trying CL and thrift stores. So far the only vacuums I've found on either have been bagless newer ones and a couple of orecks.

 

[vacuumdevil]

I think on the internet market like eBay or Etsy 50 to $200 isn't unreasonable.
The last one I sold at a store was for $85 fully tuned up.

However amongst collectors we tend to just trade or give things away for a little to no money. One of the things I love about the vacuum cleaner collector community!

 

[huskyvacs]

I got this one at the Habitat Restore for $18.00 on 4/21/2018. It was in my cart within 0.006 seconds of seeing it on the floor!


I set my eBay vacuum budget for $45 and don't go over that amount, that includes shipping. A lot of people spend quadruple that for vacuums but I don't have that kind of money. I only look on eBay for vacuums I would never see in a million years in my specific city. I go to Goodwill when I want to see what they got and see if there's anything unique or respectable there, or whatever calls out to me to buy it. haha

 

[fan-of-fans]

There are some Convertibles on eBay with low starting bids sometimes if you're willing to do a little work on them, cleanup, etc. I have never bought a whole vacuum from eBay but I have bought some attachments there.

 

[justjunque]

Huskyvacs

Yup...that's a nice one!
I love green!
Do you have any pictures of it since you got it home?
I'm guessing you gave it a spa day?
So far, the closest I have to a green vacuum of any kind is my Hoover Portable, which is more of a turquoise.
I'll find something eventually. I'm not in any hurry.

I was kind of the opposite of you when I saw the blue Convertible at Goodwill.
I generally don't buy uprights, and I already had the red one.
So, I went over and looked at it, then walked away.
Then went back and looked a little better, then walked away.
Went back and flipped it over to see the model number and the underside.
Stood near it for a while, debating with myself. Trying to figure out how angry the wife would be if I dragged it home.
I'm surprised the store manager didn't come over and start questioning me! Lol
Finally I gave in and lugged it up to the register.

Barry

 

[josh1998]

Yours is nice too. Yeah, like you I can't really afford to spend much on collectible stuff right now so I try to make the stuff functional as well considering my boyfriend's collectibles aren't in any way functional. He collects vintage toys. I want a hoover upright to keep upstairs so I don't have to drag my Kirby up and down the stairs. Man is that thing a beast to try and carry!

 

[huskyvacs]

@ JustJunque

I have not given it a bath or fixed it up yet, as I'm still trying to get to the garage and get the workbench cleaned off so I can set up my "workshop", as well as getting an outdoor portable sink built that I can run off the garden hose to wash plastic pieces and what have you (not a good idea to be washing dirty vacuum parts and having lint, sand, and hair clog up the plumbing)

It's in good shape on the first test and looking-over, it clearly was sitting in one spot for a long time as it has a rust pattern on the brushroll in the shape of the skidplate. The belt has long since gone, or maybe it got sucked into the bag when the store tested it.

The motor sounds great and has a generous spin down for its age considering it's never been repaired (no rebuild date or vacuum shop stickers), but I plan to give it fresh oil/grease once I buy some (Mobil EM) and polish it up.

I've been (slowly) putting together a toolbox with everything I need at repairing vacuums as I study people's posts on here, and the Convertibles are allegedly great starter vacuums to work on for beginners, so we will see.

Here's what it looked at sounded like once I got it home.



I didn't power it up in the store, because if there's one sure thing that causes all the shoppers in the store to drop everything and stare at what you're doing, is plugging in an old vacuum and having the motor squeal like nails on a chalkboard, lol

 

[rivstg1]

Josh1998

Are you carrying your Kirby at the handle at top? If so, then yeah, it feels real heavy( that’s all wrist strength and some bicep)! If you carry it at the base handle, the vast majority of thats weight goes away

 

[josh1998]

Yes I carry it by the handle grip. How else could I carry it?

 

[hmc1981]

Josh...

Yes, they can be super clunky and heavy to carry... but here’s a pic... makes carrying them so much easier!

Also, even though my experience isn’t with Hoover, I have to agree that eBay is insanely expensive when it comes to trying to find machines to add to your collection. As Huskyvacs once posted, (and I’m paraphrasing) people have these older machines and think they are sitting on a goldmine. I’ve recently seen on Letgo an absolutely trashed and near destroyed G5 listed for $450 - the seller mentioning in the description “It’s a Kirby, these things go for $2,800.00.”

It’s also very true (another poster mentioned) that this group is filled with a lot of really great people and we often sell or trade machines/parts with one another, negating the need to settle for flat warm beer at a chilled champagne price.

I like to check out Craigslist or Letgo, OfferUP, and Facebook Marketplace for internet searching. Thrift stores, garage and estate sales, visiting local vac shops, stuff like that.

Anyhoo, I’m rambling on...

 

[kirbyklekter]

Hi Josh, it's also safer

to carry the machine by the base up and down the stairs, you can see better where you're stepping! Also keep an eye/ear out for a curbside pickup that towns/cities sometimes have. The things that people will put out knowing that it is a free service is amazing. I've picked up at least 20 of my vacuums this way and all for free! They only do it about once a year but when you see it happening. they will rotate to different sections of the city so just keep an eye out. Just my 2cents!

 

[josh1998]

I tried it and it is much easier to carry that way. I would never have thought about carrying it like that. Yeah people get crazy on ebay. I would also be concerned about buying something I couldn't plug in first. If there was something wrong with it I couldn't fix it. The most technical ability I have is changing the bag, belt and lightbulb on my Kirby.

Thanks, I will keep an eye out for that curbside pick up.

 

[josh1998]

Hmc1981, I also wanted to ask about that Kirby in your picture. The small Kirby's are so cool. When did they make those? I might have to try finding one of those for upstairs instead of the hoover.

 

[sptyks]

The small Kirby's were all made before 1970. The best of the smaller Kirby's are models 510 through D80 and they were made between 1950 and 1970.


 


Here is a picture of my Kirby Dual Sanitronic 50 (DS50) made in 1965.

 

[rivstg1]

Josh1998

I'm glad you figured out/discovered now, about carrying g your kirby lower and thus making it much easier! Concerning. The 'smaller/lighter' kirbys, basically 1970& back to the beginning , they're were smaller and lighter (14lbs last I weighed mine). Dual sanitronic 80 & 50, then Sanitronic, then 562, 561, 519 down to 505 in he 1940's.( going backwards in time that is). They work very well even today, especially with a four role brush, and even better if converted to modern hepa bag( I have some that are and some that are 'stock'. One of the pics is my 516 (1956) shows a more modern Kirby mini-emptor on it with bag( hepa inside) als before/after polishing on the DS80

 

[josh1998]

Those are really cool. They look almost art deco. I like the way they look better than the newer ones. That one from 1965 with the light cover that lights up is very cool.