The Vortex I used steel wool and WD40 on the plastic Norm, it came up like new almost..
I didn't have a problem selling it ,I think My price was a little higher than your price Norm,sometimes when listing cheaper items it can seam harder to sell speaking for myself , I think when listing cheap items people think that something is wrong with it.
The Vortex can sell for a good price if you get a collector, just have to price it higher than a standard mower so the average guy doesn't buy it.