Someone found a Chinese retailer selling super-cheap CRT TVs, but don't get too excited, retro gaming fans every new piece of information about them seems to reveal more mysteries

Date:
Fri, 01 May 2026 15:29:05 +0000

Description:
A Chinese company is offering newly made CRT TVs but with some debate over exactly what's being sold

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter CRT TVs are still being 'produced' in China Yours for around $35 / 26 / AU$49 plus a lot more for shipping Think CCTV monitor rather than big-screen TV, sadly It's been years since I saw a cathode ray tube (CRT) TV in anything other than video games or 1970s sci-fi movies, but the technology still has fans particularly among retro gaming enthusiasts, because the pixel art of old games was really designed for the soft image of CRTs.

Of course, these people rely on the second-hand market generally but at
least one Chinese manufacturer appears to be selling them as 'new' products sort of. The company, called Goodwill, was discovered listing CRTs by
redditor Parking_Constant_960 . And the more they've discovered, the odder
the whole thing becomes. Article continues below You may like Samsung shocked as family trades in 39-year-old 'workhorse' CRT TV for new LCD Analog TV Simulator delivers a mind-blowing realistic sim of CRT TVs TCL's new
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Fancy a CRT TV for around 35 bucks? crt from r/crt/comments/1sybfqr/a_rare_curiosity_new_crts_being_made Goodwill's super-cheap CRT TVs: what's the story? The TV Goodwill is offering is neither big nor expensive: it has a 5.7-inch screen and a list price of 239 yuan, which is about $35. That doesn't include shipping, tariffs or other costs, of course. But it's still a tiny price, albeit for a tiny display.

Are these old TVs? Apparently not. Our intrepid Redditor reached out to them and was told that these TVs are currently in production, although it wasn't clear if that meant the TVs had newly manufactured CRTs inside or if they
were being made to house existing machinery taken from old models.

As another Redditor, Zeag, explained: "Last time I saw such listings it turns out they were old tubes repackaged in new shells, it would be a nice surprise if there were truly brand new tubes being manufactured." Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

That's unlikely, Silver_Towers responded: "They make them using old tubes, I worked in the casino industry for cabinet displays. No one on earth still manufactures tubes. The infrastructure and equipment are gone, these are ALL old tunes and at best are in new housing."

Parking_Constant did more digging and found even more TVs , this time in larger sizes, and images showing warehouse shelves packed with CRT displays. More info on the GOODWILL crt mystery from r/crt Communication with the company wasn't great an AI bot handled the conversation so
Parking_Constant, who lives in China, has promised to investigate further by ordering one of the TVs and seeing what turns up. Until it does, the most likely explanation is that these are TVs made using tubes that are NOS: new old stock. What to read next Dont expect micro-LED TVs to get cheaper yet, based on this cost breakdown Cloud gaming on TVs suddenly looks like the future thanks to big changes A report details how much more expensive
130-inch TV screens are to make

NOS is a term used to describe products that are original and unsold, but
that have been in storage. They're a familiar sight in electric guitars,
where NOS pickups are prized for their vintage sound, and NOS parts are
common in the vintage car market.

I hadn't come across NOS in the world of TVs, but then the TV market is very much focused on the new and the shiny rather than old tech. Yet more stuff on the goodwill mystery. On Taobao I couldnt find a way to get this ai bot thing to give me more info although Im 100% sure they at least have NOS color TVs somewhere in their stock. from r/crt Whether these are new tubes or NOS ones, it's intriguing to see CRT TVs are still in production, such as that term applies in this case.

But if you're a gamer looking for a vintage CRT display, you might be better off with a different kind of Goodwill: a charity or thrift store. These Chinese CRTs may be super cheap, but shipping them from China assuming the supplier would even be willing to do that will be ruinously expensive due to their likely weight. Thinking of buying a new TV? Try our TV size and model finder! You tell it how far you sit from your TV, we'll tell you what size to buy based on viewing angle advice from image quality experts, and we'll recommend our three top TVs at that size for different prices. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/televisions/someone-found-a-chinese-retailer-selling -super-cheap-crt-tvs-but-dont-get-too-excited


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