Does it work?

[jera1951]

Why do some sellers say untested when all they have to do is plug-it-in?

[stainlessenginecovers]

Same reason some people sell $10,000 cars and state 'needs a battery'.  So, now it's not proven that it starts/runs or holds a charge all for $100 battery while trying to sell a $10k car? 

[donsdetour]

Depends on what the item is:

Old electronics can just smoke (destroy) expensive parts that the item with proper restoration can save: by just plugin em in and trying it...

To be truthful I do not believe most untested as is: oh yes most do not know what I just said: and try the item, and smoke em... then say they never tested em...

Best to avoid such unless you know what to ask the seller.

[redmodelt]

Because it is being sold for parts, not a working unit. Testing to me would be a bit more involved than just plugging it in. That would be testing all the components to make sure they fall into the specified range for operation. Most people are not setup for that. I have a vintage radio, sure it powers up, can even sort of tune in a station, but can barely hear it. Even if I stated that in a listing, very good chance the buyer would still expect a fully functional radio. Many buyers don't even bother to read the description.