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

I have mid-range stuff- QED, Revolver, Time Frames and Nakamichi, late 80s mid- 90s or earlier. and would have loved a Bryston and a couple of the better Elipsons (money issues)
People have snapped up these old units (try to find a Dragon killer). Most important is component complementarity, speaker placement and the room itself. Best rooms are high-ceilinged rooms with real plaster. European equipment was made to sound good in the kind of rooms they had. N.Am. dealt with gyprock
I have a friend who went through several cycles of expensive equipment because the units did not work well together, but has finally got some reasonable sound in spite of the poor room, in part by strategically placing bookcases and sound absorbers etc. to create a symmetrical room, as well as changing some components.

Money, money, money; only the rich have it. and as someone said above
we grew up to expect the kind of stereo sound in theatre halls or chamber music venues, like chapels, and early systems tended towards that. Since MP3, a serious dumbing down, although true full digital lossless recordings are very good.

Records also sound different when you change a piece of equipment and you can "rediscover" all your records; also, old farts like myself like the stage of instrument placement as well as good colour, presence and ambience. My QED provides "civilised" sound that I can listen to for hours. The Nakamichi is too boomy; you can contact me if interested in this type of equipment.

All in all, whereas I used to see stuff I could afford and even bought some speakers here, prices are in another galaxy on most of the stuff. I wouldn't even know where to start.

When the time approaches, I will not "go gentle into that good night".  I will enjoy my over-engineered, tube-burning two-channel system with unrestrained satisfaction. I will avail myself of excellent, used gear whenever the desire take me, and I will do so without distraction of current "trends".  "Rage, rage against the dying of the light" and drive those deeply discounted vintage mono-blocks into the good night.

While all of the responses have a real foundation, I believe a key reality is missing from them.  Just as the used car market and dollar store sales/stock goes up in tough times/recession, with a corresponding drop in New car sales and designer store sales, such as bed bath and beyond....the same is true across markets.  We are in relatively good times compared to the recession.  During the recession, used products took on greater value as people held onto whatever money they had, avoiding new hi cost purchases.  Now that times are better in comparison, used sales are less robust, as people are more inclined to buy what they want new, with a strong dab of price shopping and caution.  Ofcourse, the caveat here, is that audio is not a necessity, especially where family concerns come into play.  The best time to sell your older gear and buy new replacement, may well be on the cusp of, or tail end of recession, for these reasons.

  I am a person who has loved music for many years. My present system gives me great listening pleasure. I own a BAT-VK500,Krell CDplayer, KEF speakers,Basis Ovation turntable,McIntosh tuner,Nightigale cartridge,DaCapo cartridge, Cardas cable,DCCA cable,Purist Audio cable,HiFi tuning fuses , and a Krell  KRC-HR preamp, a very huge CD and  vinyl collection.
   At this stage of my life,I have every intention to enjoy, what I have,and not look to change,just because something is new. In the higher end systems,the bang for the buck is very small.