Something I didn't mention because I have no idea what these radios are in most cases is the nuclear option. Parting them out. You have a lot of people on E-bay that would buy a replacement rotary ripped encoder, special dual shaft pot, swithches, or meter for $15 and shipping, but wouldn't consider buying an entire radio for 9.99 plus shipping to fix theirs. Many of these radios may be inexpensive AM units that nobody really wants on face value. But they share a commonality with upper end SSB units with many of the chassis parts, knobs, and components. Radios also have become pretty homoginized. The 4 pin cobra mics, 7" width brackets, and so on have become pretty much design standards. If you have an older mic for example that used an odd connector or arrangement, there's somebody out there willing to pay at least 15 plus shipping for it or more if it has unusual features like up/down or remote capabilities. There's where you need to do a little homework and advertise that a particular part is compatible with a list of radios. Sometimes the individual parts are worth far more then the sum if marketed correctly. Similarly, I used to retain series of radios that had many proprietary parts used across many models. Pulling a weird audio chip or cosmetic part from a junker vs ordering that part meant a substantial difference in price, often obsolete, and a fast turn around where no other shop would touch it because they knew they couldn't get the parts or a subassembly. Obviously not for everyone, but someone out there may have a radio that just happens to need a top cover, some knobs, or part to make their radio whole. This may not have been relevant 10 years ago, but lots of older folks as we've spoken about before are getting pretty nostolgic for getting their moldy unit sitting up in the attic working again just for the sake of seeing it alive since the good old days.
On the flip side, people wanting older radios that had conversion possibilities has been greatly eroded by the proliferation of export units, so finding and oldie with a 02A,'858, or 8719 PLL isn't the holy grail it once was.
