What's happened to the used high end market recently?? Sales are tough....:0(

  

 Reality sucks. Like when you don’t get what you think is a fair price. Here or on eBay. Then the question turns to sell it or keep it for a second system? Of course it depends. 

How can we determine a fair price? Is the auction method a better way?

I blame Apple. It's Gresham's Law in action: bad currency will drive out the good. Apple made the fateful decision not to make full-resolution files available from the iTunes store. This decision, as with most corporate decisions, was driven by greed--you can pack far more downloads (at $.99 each!) of crappy-sounding down-rezzed files into the available bandwidth. In my day, all "software" (LP's and tapes) was inherently full-resolution. Reproduction quality was limited only by your equipment. Now over a generation has grown up with no idea of what hi-fil sound is like. So why would they lust for it as I did when a teen in the '60's?

johnread57

How can we determine a fair price?

A fair price is what a willing buyer will pay to a willing seller.

I've noticed very high prices for quality used gear on Ebay.   My Nakamichi 7A cassette deck I purchased for $700 in 1990 is now $1,500 to $5,900 averaging $2,500 (more than new), my Marantz 7T pre-amp I purchased for $150 in 1995 is now $1,200 to $3,000 with several in the mid-$2,000s, my Mac MC30s which I was given in 2000 are now $1000-$2000, my SME IV which I paid $1100 in 1989 is now $4,700 NEW (and being used on the latest SME turntable).   

So, some high end older audio gear has vastly appreciated in the current market.  I think speakers have dropped the most unless they are Tannoys or Altecs from the 50's and 60's.  My Legacy Focus speakers sold today for $12,000 are not the same as my 25 year old pair which now resell for only $2200-$2500 (a bargain).   

If I replace my speakers, I'm looking at $50-60K for Einsteins, Luminwhites or Von Schweikert VR55Ks.  That's high end dollars.