Is Agon becoming the eBay of audio?

If everyone adhered to values such as integrity and honesty then we wouldn't be having this conversation would we? Values seem to be something that is devoid lately.......hmmmm!

I've been doing it for ~20yrs on Fleabay, and off-&-on  Audiogon for almost as long. About all we can do is stick to the guidelines & be as honest as you would want the other party to be. Communication is, of course, very important. Most on Audiogon seem truly interested in the hobby. Fleabay, not so much...

Being labeled as or becoming an Audiogon “ cop” is something the community of members trading here need not feel insulted by. In fact, those of us with 100% positive feedback ought to, with civility and good intention, point out to the sellers in question their mistakes/errors simply to better the overall tone and demeanor of the site.  

I have personally posed inquiries to a small number of classifieds where errors were glaringly obvious, in all cases maintaining a civil discourse. The only time I had a real problem with a purchase was with a seller who’s classifieds - and he still sells here - state shipping from a NY zip code when in fact the items he sells ship from Pennsylvania. (He has not changed any subsequent classifieds still.) His feedback is awful, which makes me wonder if there is a cutoff point at which a member is suspended or booted.

The feedback score is IMPORTANT as hell. I take mine very seriously. While none of my transactions are in the stratosphere, I have spent thousands of dollars with fellow members over the last five years. Parting with thousands of dollars within a community founded upon trust kind of bestows upon us all a responsibility to sustain the integrity of the site; if questioning a classified’s claims for the benefit of all members is being a “cop”, well...

 

There are a lot dishonest buyers out there as well. I've done over 2,300 transactions on Ebay and have met my fair share of them. 

While there are a certain amount of sellers who are only thinking about how much money they are making, on the other hand I think most Audiogon sellers are pretty honest. I’ve tecently got back into Audio after a 15 year hiatus, kids, college, etc., and have done 4 transactions this month alone. Everyone of the sellers has listed there items the correct way, 9 if it’s trully worth the rating and 8 or 7 if it’s got a few blemishes and so forth. Every item I’ve bought has been almost perfect in appearance and function and well worth the prices paid. As they say, buyer beware. Do your research and you will find good honest people selling there wares.