Is Agon becoming the eBay of audio?


I realize that this has been dissed before.
FWIW I'm a regular window shopper on Agon and have noticed a trend by sellers to misrepresent their wares and disregarding Agons condition rating guidelines in higher frequencies.  More listins stating item as"new" when item is obviously not and asking for top dollar. As of late for example an ad was placed for an item as "new" when owner admits that it is 1.5 years old and has at minimum 200+ hours of use. This in itself would be rated a 9/10 at best by the Agon rating system. Sellers are more defining and rating their product based on cosmetics than on functionality. For those buying it is increasingly important to do some deep research and close inspection of represenation pictures by enlarging available pictures to avoid disappointment. 
It is my opinion that buyers should not let emotions or immediate wants sway their common sense. At first sign of questionability be prepared to walk away.
Let the buyer beware

128x128gillatgh
Ebay is pure garbage Audiogon is not i sell everything here have no problems.Only sell to people with much feedback.
I've always had good experiences on Audiogon, unlike ebay or Craigslist. However, I recently looked to purchase a tube amp on Audiogon I've been looking for, but have been hesitant since the the seller has zero feedback... What's the general feeling about purchasing a higher end item from someone without feedback? Does Paypal really offer protection if the purchase goes south?
I just had a bad experience with a seller with no feedback. After his failures to follow thru I got that warm and runny feeling and walked away. Glad I did. 
So far I’ve only had good experiences on Audiogon (and on Canuck Audio Mart). With the exception of one foreign seller who turned out to be shady and thankfully I didn’t bite.

I endeavor to be as honest and descriptive as possible when I sell, and I have a decent nose for what to buy.

One thing that drives me nuts is the amount of crappy  pictures in adds. I’m amazed when someone actually wants to sell something, especially a really expensive piece of gear, and takes a picture that makes it look like it’s under water in a pond. And...only one photo at that.

I often buy speakers and the aesthetics are very important to me. I want to see if it’s in excellent condition and I want a good representation of the finish, wood veneer or whatever. But many people’s photos make this almost impossible because they’ve taken it in such poor light a speaker finish could be red...or orange...or brown...you don’t even know.

When I sell my speakers I shoot them in the most accurate, natural light possible, and I compare the photos on my computer screen to the real thing until I see a very accurate representation. That’s when they go on for sale.

BTW, I notice on Ebay today someone selling MBL 121 monitors - which are the small stand mounted MBL speakers. But he has instead pictures of the big full-range MBL 101Es!

Oh..it’s ok...pictures of the 121s are coming...

That’s a good way to send of "trusty vibes" to potential buyers.

I don’t think I’ve seen anything quite that bad on Audiogon.
One of the things that eBay doesn’t offer is being able to research equipment’s pricing history - if there is a track record - as A’gon does.  I use it for everything I buy. 

In doing so I’ve avoided purchases with sellers who are either asking well above the averaged, or offer no reason why that’s so, i.e., replacing/upgrading parts, etc. I’ve avoided making offers because what I would be willing to tender would strike the seller as “low-balling”, even though it would be based upon the research here.  

Case in point - there are two ARC tube preamps being offered now, two different models, and both are asking at least $500 above the average price obtained via the A’gon history.  Hmmm.  Both are from reputable sellers with A’gon history, but neither piece possesses any additional attribute that would have me pay more than what my research revealed.  

I have traded in equipment with bricks and mortar retailers toward the purchase of something else, and those of us who have done so know very well how fast our stuff has depreciated.  I have no issues with paying a fair price for anything, but I find such bloated prices questionable.  

Equally annoying is having a customer pay the additional % for using PayPal here.  If I walked into a store and at checkout was told I was going to pay an additional fee for using PayPal or a credit card. I’d walk out. Period. I’ve sold a fair amount of stuff here without ever asking a buyer to cover my PayPal fee. 

All in all, eBay is a poor place to buy and sell the sort of gear commonly found here. By and large buyers and sellers here have a vested interest in the “hobby” to start with. One of my methods to determine whether an eBay seller is a fellow hobbiest is to look at the other items they may be offering. If it’s shoes. ceramics, or what have you, I run!