New vs Used when buying please share thoughts

OK, Geoff, I'll take the bait! If, as you say, you are new to the hi fi world, then buying used could be a long process involving a lot of trial and error and likely disappointment. My advice to my friends just starting out has always been to go to a good dealer or two that you can trust (I can recommend some in the NY tri-state and even Philadelphia areas, I'm sure others here can do the same in other towns), listen to a number of systems and buy a system that you've heard and sounds best to you. Remember that great equipment doesn't always sound its best without synergy with the rest of the system--hearing an entire system at a dealer's is a way to get around that problem. Your listening room will be a variable you can't control, but a good dealer can help you around that as well in making your choices. Then live with the system a while, find out what your tastes and biases are in the equipment and music you listen to. If ultimately you have something you'd like to change, then use the resources here, if your dealer can't help. Audiogon is a great place to get information and buy and sell equipment, but when you're starting out only you can tell yourself what sounds good to you, and not much used equipment here provides for an in-home audition before buying. My $.02.

I've used a combination of buying new & used, although most of my purchases have been used. I always make a phone call when I'm buying anything over a couple hundred & when someone wants to buy my gear, I include my phone # to encourage them to call me. The phone call gives you some insight into the person you're dealing with & although it's not about trying to psychoanalyze them, you'll get a gut feeling whether or not you should make the deal.

As others have poignantly brought up, packing is of major concern. No need to go over all the details mentioned but do make sure the seller will at least double box, unless the manufacturer is known for high quality original packing material. Offer to pay for the extra materials & the 3-day service does make a difference too.

As for payment, although I've never used escrow, that is one option. I also don't use paypal & although they have not personally burned me, I do know someone who has.

Timely responses to your inquires needs to be touched upon briefly. Lets say you found amp XYZ123 you really want & are the first to email the seller & say you want the amp, are committing to it & want to consummate the deal ASAP. You hear back from the seller 3 days later & they are wishy-washy about details, when they could ship, blah blah blah. Please quickly move on to the next seller, as this is indicative how the deal will go down, if it ever does. Most of the time when a "hot" item is listed, the emails start almost immediately & the seller is ususally ready to respond. That's not too say some excellent buys could be advertised for days w/o an inquiry, as it all depends on what you're looking for.

One more thing to add to buying used. Try & get the SN of the gear being sold & the better sellers will have them clearly visible in a photo, have it printed in the ad or will say email them for it. Stay away from those that refuse to give it. You can then check with the manufacturer to see if the SN corresponds with the description of the piece & also to get a feel about the kind of customer service you could expect if you needed service. There are some great threads in the archives about excellent customer service & also about not so great service. You can also check out the archives at Audio Asylum, as many 'philes frequent both sites.

Sorry this is getting long & although I only intended on writing a few lines... well, here's one last topic. Buying new. I bought my spkrs. new about 2 years ago from my local dealer. Unfortunately, they've developed a cosmetic problem & need to go back to the factory. My dealer came over to my house to look at them & this week the rep will come by & pick up the spkrs. to ship back. At the same time, the rep will leave me with another pair (brand unknown) so I can have some tunes. If you have a local dealer who will work with you, answer your questions & let you take gear home for demo's, they can be invaluable down the road. This is not to discourage you from buying used but only to suggest using the dealer & paying close to retail isn't always the least attractive way to go. Sometimes you have to buy from a dealer, as the factory doesn't sell direct & the item is either so good or new on the market that used ones never come up for sale. Also, there are some manufacturers that ONLY sell direct to the consumer, so all your concerns would be on a direct basis. There are some excellent dealers around but you have to figure out which ones you feel comfortable with. Again, there are past threads relating to this & many other topics.

Good luck with your search. Do let us know how your journey goes & what you wind up with, even if it's a year from now (or two).

No time for too much love, so I'll just say that my best experiences and deals were buying used from dealers.

Definitely - "USED".

I have purchased almost my entire system used here on Audiogon or on (dare I say it?!), Ebay.

I quite agree with Elizabeth regarding shipping. Be very careful which items you ship cheaply (i.e. ground shipping). I think most of us here on Audiogon have some horror story to tell about a piece shipped via ground that was lost, dinged, damaged, or just plain destroyed! Items such as turntables can be damaged fairly easily unless packaged well.

One thing I like to do is keep tabs on which sellers are local. I will usually make it quite clear to the seller that I am more than willing to pick up the unit and pay them in cash (or cashiers check if that makes them more comfortable.) You will find that most sellers, including myself, love to sell locally. It avoids all of the hassles of shipping, and the fear of getting burned.
I have purchased a good part of my system from local sellers for this reason. (Plus sometimes sellers will discount for local buers. Kind of tells you how much most of us dislike packaging up and shipping out our sold equipment, huh?!)

As far as which pieces of equipment should be purchased used?:
I suggest that almost all solid state equipment (preamps, amps, cd players, etc..) are fine.
Tube equipment can be shipped, but the tubes need to be protected.
Speakers can be shipped, however, be careful as they can be big and heavy and can cost big bucks, especially if they must go via a frieghter. (My Revel Studios cost several hundred dollars to ship.)
Regarding turntables and cartridges, agree with Mark7767. I suggest that unless you are very confident about the packaging, that turntables be bought new (or used locally).
Cartridges are the one item that probably should be bought new. Used cartridges seem to be the one item that can be damaged the easiest, and unless you are very knowledgable, a slightly damaged cartridge can be pawned off on you unsuspecting. Also, by buying a cartridge new, you can have the dealer install it for you, since installing a cartridge is not an easy thing to do if you are not experienced.

One last thing. If you buy anything in pairs (speakers, monoblock amps), beware of shipping them. I have seen several instances of shippers damaging or losing one, and then only paying half the insurance. Having one speaker or one monoblock amp does you no good. Make sure the shipper is aware that the insurance is for BOTH pieces to arrive safely or the entire insurance is to be paid.

Good Luck!

Saint2, welcome aboard!

Before buying anything on Audiogon I would suggest reading the forums extensively in order to get an idea of what you'd like to spend and which brands would appeal to you musically.

Also at the same time I would recommend visiting as many high end audio stores and listening to as much as you can in order to gain experience and form your own opinions about the equipment you've heard and how you like the music presented.

If you can listen to a friend's system that would probably be even better than visiting a store. At a friend's you can relax and spend more time trying different configurations. Also, since audio stores usually take more care to display the equipment than to set it up for maximum performance you might not get a good feel for the gear.

Unfortunately, the only reliable way to judge a component is in your own system. Auditioning equipment in a foreign acosutic environment to your home's can greatly reduce the reliability of the comparison.

That's one reason I've taken the expensive, but fun approach. I research, research, research, then buy it used on Audiogon.

I've learned far more about a piece of equipment from the give and take discussion on Audiogon than from reading any review in a magazine. I've rarely been disappointed and always enjoy hooking up a new piece of gear for the first time to see if everything I've read is true and to hear how it synergizes with the rest of my system.

I've had over 70 transactions on Audiogon and have had only one bad deal. I've bought and sold just about all types of components except large floorstanding speakers and big subwoofers. They can be a real challenge to package and ship safely.

If you're careful and do your research, I think you'll find that buying used is both satisfying and cost effective. Plus you'll make a lot of new friends.

Good luck!