eBay “spares or repair” listings can be a big risk. You never know if you’ll find a hidden gem or a box of junk. I decided to take that gamble on a bundle of old portable audio players. For a total of £31.25, I got several Sony MiniDisc Walkmans, standard Walkman tape players, and some other gadgets. The deal was already worth it because the bundle included some very rare and expensive MiniDiscs. This is the story of what worked, what didn’t, and how you can spot a good deal on old tech.

The £31 eBay Haul: What Was In The Box?

The listing described everything as “spares or repair untested.” This is common on eBay. It often means the seller hasn’t checked if the items work. The bundle included:

• Two Sony MZ-NH600 Walkmans. These are Hi-MD recorders. They are sought-after and can be valuable if they work.
• A Sony MZ-R500. This is a standard MiniDisc recorder with MDLP (long play) features.
• Two Sony Tape Walkmans. A WM-FX29A and a WM-FX477. These are cassette players with FM radio.
• A Creative MuVo 2. This is a small, early 4GB digital music player.
• A Philips PopKit DAB pocket radio.

Most importantly, the box also came with a selection of MiniDiscs. This included a couple of 1GB Hi-MD discs. These discs alone are often worth more than the £31 I paid for the entire lot. Finding these discs made the purchase a smart one before I even tested a single machine.

Testing the MiniDisc Walkmans

The First MZ-NH600 Hi-MD Player

This player was in rough physical shape. When I put a Hi-MD disc inside, the mechanism didn’t work right. The disc wouldn’t eject normally. I tried a standard MiniDisc I knew worked. The player powered on and showed an error.

The problem was the laser head assembly. It was stuck at the edge of the disc and couldn’t move. I carefully slid it back and forth by hand a few times. This seemed to free it. After that, the player began to work and could play a disc.

However, the broken eject mechanism means this player needs a full repair. It must be taken apart to fix the spring. This player is a candidate for a repair video.

The Second MZ-NH600 Hi-MD Player

This one looked better at first. It powered on and the display lit up. It could read a disc and start playing. But it had a major issue. It was missing the central control dial. This dial is how you navigate menus, change tracks, and control the player.

Without it, the player is very hard to use. I think it would work with an external remote control. This player is partly working. It could be combined with another broken player for parts.

The MZ-R500 Standard MiniDisc Player

This is the player that had the clearest issue. The central control dial was completely snapped off. I tried a known working disc. The player powered up and attempted to read it.

Just like the other NH600, it started to play. But the missing dial makes it nearly unusable. The good news is the core mechanism reads discs. If I can find a parts donor with a good dial, this could be a fully working machine.

Testing the Classic Tape Walkmans

The Sony WM-FX29A

I found the battery compartment and put in a battery. I could hear the motor spin right away. That was a good sign. Fast forward and rewind functions worked. I put a tape in. It played audio, but the sound was noisy.

This noise is common in old tape players. It often comes from dirty playback heads or worn parts. The player works, but it needs a good clean and possibly new belts for the best performance.

The Sony WM-FX477

This player showed no signs of life at all. There was a tape inside, but pressing play did nothing. The most likely cause is corroded battery contacts. These are the metal parts inside the battery compartment. Over time, they can get rusty and stop the power from getting to the player.

Another possibility is a completely dead motor. This player will need to be opened up and inspected closely. It is the most broken item in the bundle.

The Final Tally: Was It Worth It?

After testing everything, here is a simple summary of what I found:

Item	Status	Notes
Sony MZ-NH600 (1st)	Partly Working	Plays discs but has broken eject mechanism. Needs repair.
Sony MZ-NH600 (2nd)	Partly Working	Plays discs but is missing the control dial.
Sony MZ-R500	Partly Working	Plays discs but has a broken control dial.
Sony WM-FX29A	Working	Plays tapes but has noisy audio. Needs cleaning.
Sony WM-FX477	Not Working	Shows no power. Likely corroded contacts.
Creative MuVo 2 / Philips Radio	Untested	Not tested in this session.

Conclusion: The Real Value Was in the Discs

Even with mixed results from the players, the £31 purchase was a clear success. The real value was locked in the box of MiniDiscs, especially the two 1GB Hi-MD discs. These are rare and costly to buy on their own. Their value easily covers the cost of the entire bundle.

The players themselves are projects. Two of the three MiniDisc players can read discs. This means their core lasers and motors work. Their main faults are broken plastic parts and missing dials. These are common issues with old plastic electronics. They can often be fixed by combining parts from multiple broken units.

The working tape Walkman is a bonus. With a proper clean, it could be a fun vintage device to use.

This haul shows the potential of buying “spares or repair” lots. The goal isn’t to find perfect items. The goal is to find value where others see junk. In this case, the valuable discs made the risk worth it. The broken players are now fun repair projects. With some work, I can likely get at least one or two excellent vintage MiniDisc players working again.

Have you ever found a hidden tech treasure in a junk box? Share your stories in the comments. If you’re interested in the step-by-step repair of any of these players, let me know which one you’d like to see fixed first.