Lugnut, yes it is the dealers( the beloved middle men) who have to sell in order to make a profit and it is the buyer( people like myself),especially those like myself who compulsively "buy to try" who generally take a loss or at best break even, when they re-sell that item.I, for one,have lost money in selling used items on Audiogon( that means I've given other Audiogoners a great bargain),but I also have received great bargains from fellow Audiogoners who have also taken losses and that's part of what makes Audiogon so wonderful.For me, Audiogon has been both a blessing and a curse. Because of Audiogon, I've been able to try a lot of products which I normally would not have been able to afford or have access to( that's the blessing).But I've also spent a lot of money( my wife's not too happy about it( that's the curse). But I've also had the opportunity to build a decent system thanks to Audiogon and in the long run, I'm glad there is an Audiogon.My compulsive buying is my own problem( do you hear that Jes45? My glass is half-full, what's yours?)) and not Audiogon's.Thank you fellow Audiogoner's and thank you Audiogon.
Why was Audiogon started?
I had always thought that Audiogon was started to allow audiophiles to sell their pre-owned equipment as well as have discussions about everything audio in the discussion forums.However, over the last two years, it has appeared to me that Audiogon has become a Haven for "direct-selling" manufacturers and a refuge for high-end dealers. As an example, I recently bought a new item from a dealer and it didn't work out in my system. I tried to get a return authorization from the dealer, but because it was a special order( a lot of dealers don't stock items that they carry to keep inventory cost down)the dealer couldn't take it back, unless I upgraded to a more costly item. At this point, I was either stuck with the item or could take another option to re-sell it on Audiogon( where the dealer also advertises heavily).I put the item up for sale on Audiogon( much to the chagrine of the dealer as I advertised it for much less than I bought it from the dealer( It was now a used item)I finally sold the item after a couple of weeks and a few "price-reductions" . After marking the item as SOLD, I got a friendly e-mail from the previously mentioned dealer who asked me to kindly remove my ad now that I had "sold" the item. I e-mailed the dealer back and told him that I would remove the ad, but only after I had shipped the item and the buyer had received the item and acknowledged that all went well, hence making the sale final.I'm just concerned that the original intent of starting up Audiogon might be turning into a chaos of commercialism. Any comments in agreement or disagreement would be appreciated.
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- 27 posts total
- 27 posts total