Problems with proposed transactions?

I've never bought or sold anything that was misrepresented; I've always received the item as described and if anything the condition was better than advertised. 'Philes are fussy and tend to baby their toys, it's rare you'll see stuff banged up. Transactional frustrations on the buying end are priamrily shipping related: insist on NO UPS and the seller sends it by UPS anyway, poorly packaged stuff due to the seller being too lazy or cheap to package it up properly. Selling frustrations are primarily low ball offers, it's amazing the slime out there. I can live with the inane questions but the ridiculous offers (and the tone in which they are presented) are offensive.

I think the percentage is low, but it's high enough that if you do a lot of transactions, you'll run into it. I don't think there are very many people who are out to purposely (grossly) mis-lead anybody, but there seem to be a fair number of people who are, shall we say, optimistic about how their gear grades out.

For the most part, I find people (esp. on Audiogon) go out of their way to be explicit about what they're selling and what condition it's in. I've been very satisfied in most of my transactions. I've had minor disappointments in more than one transaction - gear that is a little more scuffed up than advertised, etc. I've only had one purchase where something that was advertised as "perfect condition" had a malfunctioning feature - I worked with the manufacturer and got the piece needed from them (for free) and a friend repaired it, at which point it was "perfect condition". I've never encountered the type of seller horror story you occassionally read about.

I find the percentage of the time I encounter this type of behavior to be small enough to not push me away from this type of transaction, but anybody doing this type of purchasing has to factor the possibility into their expectations because you can lose a lot of sleep if "minor" mis-leadings are going to really get under your skin. -Kirk

I have bought and sold over the past year and the only issues were " having the postal,UPS,FEDEX monkies deliver the goods as shipped". I have to warn all that you had better over box and over pack to have a chance that all will arrive as sent. I will agree that most true 'philes are very honest and are interested in passing on their equipment for others to enjoy. If the deal does not sound right at the get go, move along...

I have bought and sold here. My experience has been very good on both sides. As a buyer you need to be specific and knowledgble and ask the right questions. As a seller I try and go the extra mile to correctly represent and package my goods. I have found that "What goes around comes around" is true and that the "Golden Rule" is a good thing.

I have completed quite a few transactions over the past year and have had very few problems with the merchandise recieved, the merchandise sent, or the payment either way. I have a system that I follow that works for me. I think that most of us have a similar system because I have had no one balk at this when I trade.

If I am purchasing an item I do not make an offer unless I have the funds immediately available. If I propose a trade for an item I am conservative about its condition. If my offer is accepted I am prepared to send a money order Next Day air to the seller under the condition that the item will be shipped out within 24 hours of payment received. I have found that it is not realistic to expect someone to send out the day that the money comes in, but I make sure to do this on my end. If there is any issue, I have received components without power cords as an example, I immediately contact the seller and expect them to quickly fix whatever issue needs to be corrected. I have yet to be dissatisfied when I have followed this procedure when purchasing. That does not mean that I keep the component, it only means that the transaction went according to plan.

If I am selling a component I price it at the low end of the spectrum and I do not leave much room for negotiation. I respond to all offers and personally do not get offended by low ballers. Some of them have purchased at my asking price after trying to steal the component. I answer all questions that are accompanied by an offer for the equipment. I almost always, any transaction over $500 dollars and most others, speak to the person on the phone before commiting to the transaction. I actually do that if I am buying or selling. This gives both participants a comfort level.

Many will not agree with this, but I almost always go to a packaging store and have them double box any component over $500 and send out UPS from there. It is more expensive, but I have yet to receieve a negative feedback on these transactions. I do not ship out until I receive payment. I do not accept COD. I insure what I ship out and I demand that other insure what they ship to me.

If I do not feel comfortable with the other party I do not do business with the other party. It is a free market and we can choose who we purchase from and sell to. As others have noted in previous threads, the audiophile community seems to be a one comprised of decent people who are obsessive about their components. This helps to create a great market for buyers and sellers.