granted there are lowballers trying to get lucky. If they succeed one out of 300 times, they will forever keep trying to recreate that high.
Sellers are at the mercy of how much of a market there is for their particular product. For example, if you browse multiple selling sites, there are Revel Salon's selling for $5800, $11,000 and $14,000. As of today, all 3 have been listed for months. All 3 sellers have different motivations for selling and different reasons for pricing. Usually the sellers who are in love with the system they bought think everyone else should be equally in love with it and pay accordingly. While buyers live in a world where most of what is sold as used is no longer the model being sold and has been updated - therefor making it obsolete and worth less.
My quality 20 year old speakers sound no worse than any new high end speaker in the same price range. I sympathize with those saying they would rather keep it than dump it for almost nothing. after all, quality doesn't (shouldn't?) go out of style.
But here are realities I wrestle with: try buying an expensive speaker only to have a newer version released 6 months later. If you try to exchange it at the dealer you will get 25% to 40% less than what you paid. WHY?
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There are many jerks out there however this being said there are still many good buyers. |
As a seller, when you use the "make offer" button on Audiogon, you've pretty much opened yourself up to just about any offer imaginable, low ball or otherwise. While I agree lowball offers are infuriating, If you expect to get 70 to 80 percent of retail, you're just not being realistic in expectations. This is especially true about used cable purchases. IMO. |
@whiskeypirate, moto_man--- I had some communication as well with a Cyprus seller a year ago or so re/Icon tube preamp . He was going to send it to Britain for voltage conversion if I recall. I didn't go for it , felt it a bit odd to be entering into such a long distance transaction.
I have been buying and selling on here since 03. I have had mostly good results . A poster earlier pointed out that being the market for A'gon has been greatly expanded which has brought in many , many others that normally would not be on this site and are not particularly grounded in the respectful style of negotiation that many here have cultivated whether selling or buying.
I have not been selling or buying for quite awhile and gearing up to move some equipment out. Although, that may not be so easy with my tuners due to the rarity and the work that has been done by qualified techs ,,esp techs that have quite solid reputations in the FM tuner world. That world of course being likely the smallest niche of music listeners. I have moved out of the bay area and have now resorted to listening to my favorite stations via the internet. I did sell a Burgess custom 2A3 SET amp a few months back and was delighted with the smooth transaction as well as the seller paid my asking with no hiccup what so ever.
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To flesh out the tuner part-- Will be very difficult to get close to what I would like for whichever tuner or turners that I sell although I have seen some high bidding on Ebay over the years. Go figure.. It all just depends what one is selling and if there happens to be someone on a mission to get what is being sold.
At any rate, hearing others on here regarding the nightmares that can unfold has one trying to come up with a way to ensure that a buyer can not just return on a whim.
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Hi fellows,
Good afternoon!
Cherish the golden selling time before the next financial crisis arrives! Hi-end gears are of course overpriced. The second hand market price reflects what it really worth. Very few Hi-end gear can be categorized as artwork. Most of them are just consumer electronics. Imagine a seller lists a 7 years old iphone 4 in mint condition for 200 usd (66% off retail price)
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Kdude166:
My friend, if you are only gonna stay on the "buy" side of transactions, you will have a houseful of gear over time. Yeah, I say the same thing about drinking after having a couple too many the night before, then I come back to reality. I will drink too much again and I will buy and (consequently) sell audio gear again. I am powerless against both urges.
Tis a buyer's market, no question, in the aftermarket these days. I picked up an Ayre QB-9 DAC for $500 a couple of months ago... the best audio bargain I have ever gotten. I have taken a loss on virtually every piece of audio gear I have sold, and most of it was bought used to begin with. On some gear it was a loss of a couple hundred bucks and on some speakers as much as a grand. Frankly, it was all good fun. What I don't understand are the brutal beatings guys take on a uber high end gear -- particularly goofy expensive cables. I have never played in that realm of audio gear, but selling a pair of $10K speakers cables for $4500 would an experience I would not want to experience.
My view is that this is a brilliant time to acquire gear at great price via AG and the other audio forums. Some counterparties can be a PITA to deal with (i.e., ultra low-ballers), but I have made a ton of audio friends over the years buying and selling gear so net-net, it is a great way to connect with music lovers. Kicking issues like this about with folks like Kenny and others on this forum is always informative. |
@skiroe, people still listen to FM? Why? With Spotify, Pandora, Tidal, randomized playlists, etc., why would anyone want to buy an FM tuner and listen to FM?
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@moto_man
You could say the same thing about vinyl but it has stayed the course.
There will always be a niche market for certain sources.
Sure most people think cassettes are junk but I have quite a few really well mastered ones that are still a delight to play. |
@moto-man.....................
I still listen to FM radio, daily. I have an excellent McIntosh FM tuner in my office system and I listen to it 8 hours a day. I also have another McIntosh FM tuner in my main rig which I listen to on the weekends, you guessed it I listen to FM.
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I had an extra Oppo 205 brand new and decided to sell it here. eBay sellers had them going 3999 to 5999. God forbid I listed it at 2100. I received harassing messages non stop. Even after I dropped the price a little. Many were down right threats! Who has the time to type a full paragraph complaining to someone? I just got so tired of them... |
@moto_man - let me count off some reasons why --It all started back in the 60's for me.. fm joins the musical "revolution " and many discover music via FM . theres something about using an electronic device that functions in analog and is known for either its ability to function at the zenith of the technology or is mediocre in performance just like any other device. Some would say that analog FM sounds better than the digital variety.. The major hang up for me is while there are FM stations remaining.. (non commercial) my choice of stations are rare indeed and for me its likely that only major metropolitan areas will have music formats and the style or type of DJ that I want to hear on air between those songs. For starters No commercials with someone trying to sell something or talking about the monday , monday, monster truck rally.. .. A DJ that is involved with the station because they just want to connect via a musical sensibility. As mentioned,, this is difficult to find. Often college stations will fit the bill,, at least part of the time,, depending on ones musical taste. At any rate-- I will be trying at some point after I put up my unobtanium APS 13 yagi antenna and see if there is anything worthwhile in Chico or Sacramento.. Not promising but one never knows.. Its fun looking and even better to find something worthwhile. |
Buying and selling.... odds are the first caveman who sold his cave planned to kill the cave buyer with his club , and keep his cave to sell it again, but the cave buyer brought a bigger club and the deal went down! Cave and rocks were exchanged. The cave seller was pretty pissed and say he wont ever sell his cave again. Now reverse the order of the two cavemen , same game just different outcome. I personally have bought and sold alot around 200 items, and i got burned 3x and came out fine for the rest, bitchin about it dont change the game, the seller dont always win, the buyer sometimes gets burned, ever buy a lemon only to resell it , i have, better to suck it up and take it than bitch and moan about ebay and audiogon and paypal , and credit cards .
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yohimey" odds are the first caveman who sold his cave planned to kill the cave buyer with his club ,"
No that is complete fiction ancient civilizations had no concept of land ownership that is a western European concept that then was adopted by the US and perverted in to one of the most disfunctional economies possible because of your corrupt government and big business and the simple fact that you have this idea at all about cheating in such a deal reflects that you are part of this corrupt unsustainable failing econcomic system. |
