Experiences buying used cartridges

@vegasears untill you will find a used vintage cartridge that outperform your new $5000 cartridge for 1/10 of the price. Or do you believe NEW is always better performer? Sadly new products from the legendary cartridge designers like Takeda San is no longer available and it's impossible to find NOS. Ignoring vintage (used) cartridges you miss a lot, not to mention the fact that if you believe in burn-in theory your new cartridge is not performing well in the first 200 hours (what a waste of time).  

Most of my best cartridges are used, vintage HQ thirty or more years old. 
The best I have heard are from the 80´s, one is modern (MC). One costed me 150 dollars + postage. I will never buy new $2000 cart.

I bought 3 HQ MM carts from V. Simakov of grgaudio, very happy with all.

@harold-not-the-barrel

I bought 3 HQ MM carts from V. Simakov of grgaudio, very happy with all.

Bought two as well, no problem with communication, used to talk over the phone a few times, my cartridge is still OK after 4 years, but the one i bought for a friend turned to be deffected pretty soon (Sony XL55). My friend shipped it to SoundSmith and they said the stylus is worn out and the coil is dead and must be fully repaired, the cost of the service alone is about $450-500. As always (confirmed by many agon buyers) Victor’s statement was like "200-300 hrs of use" in the listing which is not true. A bit tricky seller when the listying is not on ebay.

@vegasears 

Buying a used phono cartridge for me would be like buying a used Tooth Brush!

Do you feel the same about used records? 

Buying a used phono cartridge for me would be like buying a used Tooth Brush!

Except that versus a good toothbrush: a good cartridge is 100s of times more expensive, 100s of times more durable (if properly used), can often be completely rebuilt to factory specs for 50-60% the cost of new (depending on manufacturer), and you don’t stick it in yer mouth (depending on your listening habits) -- so bacteria/hygiene isn’t a health issue there.

Buying used is a high risk/ high reward scenario, but buying from a trustworthy hobbyist minimizes the risk. Unlike buying a used toothbrush, it’s not altogether senseless. That said, there needs to be a significant discount in play -- it doesn’t make sense to buy an ubiquitous "50 - 300 hours MAX" used cart for only 35% off list.