Random question/ thoughts about stuff for sale here


Guys and Gals - 

Maybe it's just me, but oftentimes, when I see equipment for sale here on Audiogon that I'm not personally familiar with, I have a tendency to develop an immediate bias that the equipment is deficient in some way (inherent to the product, not the actual item for sale).  

I know that audiophiles (by nature) are always swapping gear and trying new things in pursuit of perfection, but when I see something for sale, I subconsciously and irrationally conclude that the gear didn't live up to that hope and I mark it off my list as something I would ever consider buying.  This is true whether it's a phono preamp, cables, speakers or anything for that matter.

I know it's an unfounded bias, but one that I'm not able to move on from.

Is this just me or do others feel similarly?

Thanks

Greg

gregkohanmim
It's great so many people have shared their thoughts and contributed to this thread.

To go a bit further to clarify my initial post - 

There have been times where I know exactly what I want already and then apply a level of patience until something comes up for sale - Case in point, my current main speakers were ones that purchased from a local seller on here about 6-7 years ago.

For me, it's never a matter of a seller or condition of the equipment or even price that evokes the bias, it's the product itself.

In practical terms, I see a lot of prior generation Opportunities BDP's for sale lately and they get a hall pass since I know that Opposition has just come out with the new 203 and announced the 205.  But for so many other products that I see come up for sale frequently I apply a level of "intuitive logic' that leads to the bias.

For example, I spend a lot of time in the forums (largely lurking) and I seldom see the products that people rave about in the forums come up for sale and vice versa.  I know that this is just bias but I still can't seem to get past it - I'm sure there are lots of great products out there that I could be missing out on simply because seeing them for sale here (and seldom written about favorably in the forums, if at all) as a red flag-  right or wrong.

Make sense?

Greg

It's you!   I buy what sounds best to ME!  

Actually it's financially advantageous in the minority so prices are lower.   Lower demand = lower price!
Goofy
lots of reasons to sell including many dealers do not take trades !!!
cassette deck ?sure
dragon or 1000 may apply
those are junk for sure...
ha


to the OP , the seller may find that the component for sale doesn't work well in his system for any variety of reasons.  That doesn't mean that it won;t work in your system, In fact it might be the magic you are looking for.  The vast , vast majority of long time agoners are very honest.  They will not sell you broken crap like I have gotten on Ebay.

@ Stfoth the term we use Wife Acceptance Factor or WAF.

It's you Greg.

So by your thinking, anything you see for sale you lose interest in because someone else is getting rid of it? Alrighty then!

Interesting, I never thought of it that way. I guess I've been buying used stuff for so long I don't even think of it like that.
I look at it as I can now afford to buy something that I could not afford to buy previously.

The 'raves' you are reading about on the forums are probably from boutique manufacturers. Very small quantities. That is the laws of resale. You will find many more used popular items for sale than you will find less prominent items.
Someone sells 5,000 preamps, you will find more of them on the used market than someone who sells 50 preamps. Simple as that.

Part of this hobby is that some folks love to find that 'diamond in the rough'. Something that punches way outside of it's weight class. I've been there myself. In a sense we are all still just panning for gold.

Sure, there is stuff like that out there, but all fads eventually fizzle, and resale on those boutique pieces is killer. You basically have to 'give them' away once everyone moves on to the next fad.

It's just a marketplace, don't over think it.