Singer · Zigzag · Late 1950s (manual dated 1958)
The 403A is the 401A's sibling from the same Anderson, South Carolina plant, sold in 1958 as the Slant-O-Matic Special and the world's first semi-automatic with a slant needle and gear drive. Semi-automatic means it has no built-in pattern cams. Every stitch beyond straight, even plain zigzag, comes from a Fashion Disc dropped onto a holder under the lid. Nine came with it, with the zigzag disc kept in the machine and eight more in the attachment set. Without the discs it's a very good straight stitcher. With them it does much of what a 401A does. That makes the disc set the first thing to ask about, since a 403A listed with none is a different buy from one with all nine.
Under the throat plate
Ask for a photo under the slide plate with the bobbin case in place. A missing bobbin case or the wrong needle system is the most common reason a machine that looks fine won’t sew.
Missing Fashion Discs are the big one, since even zigzag needs a disc. Like the 401A, it goes stiff when the gear grease hardens, and the slant-shank feet often go astray.
New to old machines? How to check a used sewing machine walks through the handwheel, the wiring, the bobbin case and a test seam.
Buying guide
We'd buy the 403A with 13 cams, the accessory box and the manual, titled to sew well, at $317 delivered from Canada. That's inside the $230–420 delivered band most complete 403As ask. The discs matter most on this model, because it has no built-in stitches and even zigzag needs a Fashion Disc, so one listed without them is a straight stitcher until you find a set. There are at least 35 for sale, several in cabinets with no shipping quoted, so plan on pickup for those, and ask any seller for a video of the handwheel turned by hand and a zigzag sewn on scrap. Skip the $697 delivered cabinet listing whose first photo shows only the cabinet and stool.
$258.55est. delivered
The lowest delivered 403A titled tested, at $259 delivered with its pedal and power cord. The title mentions no Fashion Discs, and without them it sews straight only, so ask how many come with it.
Vintage 1950's SINGER Sewing Machine Model 403A w/ Pedal Power Cord Tested!
$316.55est. delivered
It comes with 13 cams, the accessory box and the manual, titled to sew well, at $317 delivered and inside the band. That's more discs than the nine Singer supplied, so ask for a photo of the set to check the zigzag disc is there.
Singer 403A Sewing Machine, 13 Cams, Accessories Box, Manual Sew A+
$376.00est. delivered
Titled working with a video of it running, and the photos show the foot control, a tray of cams and attachments. At $376 delivered from a 98.8% seller, it's the easy buy if you want zigzag on day one.
Vintage Singer 403A Sewing Machine w Cams & Attachments Working - Hear in Video!
$469.95est. delivered
Titled cleaned and serviced, with the serial NA924292 in the title and a full row of cams in the photos. At $470 delivered it asks above the band for the service, and the seller rates the cosmetics only fair.
Singer 403a sewing machine cleaned and serviced Fair Cond w/Access SN NA924292
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 14, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ. eBay shows yours before you pay.
Snapshot
Checked . Some may have sold.
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 14, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ. eBay shows yours before you pay.
Used$258.55est. delivered
$170.00 + $88.55 shipping
Buy It Now$170.00
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Good buy
Titled tested, with pedal and cord. No discs mentioned.
Seller: dhuddle11
100% positive
Used$316.55est. delivered
$253.24 + $63.31 shipping
Buy It Now$253.24
Good buy
13 cams, accessory box and manual. Ships from Canada.
Seller: true_value_shop
100% positive
Used$376.00est. delivered
$337.50 + $38.50 shipping
Buy It Now$337.50
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Good buy
Titled working, with cams, attachments and a video.
Seller: artifacts2vintage
98.8% positive
Serviced$469.95est. delivered
$409.95 + $60.00 shipping
Buy It Now$409.95
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Good buy
Titled cleaned and serviced, fair cosmetics, serial NA924292.
Seller: eavdave
98.7% positive
Used$172.10est. delivered
$110.00 + $62.10 shipping
Buy It Now$110.00
Our take
Not titled tested, and no discs mentioned.
Seller: shinealight2018
100% positive
For parts$216.02est. delivered
$189.96 + $26.06 shipping
Buy It Now$189.96
Our take
Sold as is. Titled turns on, which isn't the same as sewing.
Seller: wmmedicalsupply
99.7% positive
Used$696.85est. delivered
$599.00 + $97.85 shipping
Buy It Now$599.00
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Priced high
First photo shows only the cabinet and stool, so ask for photos of the machine. Over twice the median.
Seller: iwantchippewalures
100% positive
Used$350.00+ shipping
$350.00 · shipping not stated
Buy It Now$350.00
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Check the seller
Zero-feedback seller, title shared with another account. No shipping quoted; ask, or plan on pickup.
Seller: van952333
No feedback yet
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Singer
Zigzag$290–$420 typical ask
Singer
Zigzag$270–$450 typical ask
Singer
Straight stitch$290–$450 typical ask