HAVE ALL SALES STOPPED ON AUDIOGON ???

this is a Buyers market without buyers

Hi- End Audio market is not working, and things will shrink more and more
There are no new audiophiles.
Old audiophiles have enough gears that cost a lot, and nobody want to buy from them
So, who will want or needs to buy more gears
There is no need for those funny prices gears.

The issue of high prices kills the market
Hight prices means low quantities-
Low numbers of new gears mean high prices- that is a general economic fact

If you had paid a lot for your gear-you are going to loss a lot when you  sale it and for what? to buy a new one with high price to loss a lot again when you will sale it ......
So- the high prices= low new sales numbers killed the market

These two posts above combined easily make an explanation for half of the used market, or market altogether, troubles. Add other distractions (computers, phones, etc.) and who is left to buy an amplifier that costs, used, as much as a quarter of an average USA family income? Ok, that may be exaggeration, but prices of new, and consequentially used, equipment are repelling to anybody but die-hards.

The part to emphasize from the posts above is that there may be lots of people (maybe really hundreds of thousands) out there who have decent systems, but have no interest in carrying around new speakers and amplifiers bi-monthly, and probably losing money while doing it. They settle with what they have, sometimes even quite expensive, and live with it for 15 years. They go through 4-5 amplifiers in life and do not feel they have missed much. The crowd that changes things often, chasing some special sound, must be very small. If for no other reason, then because college tuition is going up, it seems like, daily.

Ohala,

Excellent observation, however are you buying the equipment for reselling or are you buying it to enjoy it.

Good Listening

Peter

I am not speculator. I would like to have equipment as a store of value as much as possible so I can have flexibility to try different models. While its not a sellers market, it is also not much of buyer’s market, in my opinion. Prices are not consistent and buying certain makes and models like catching a falling knife, to steal a market analyst phrase.

While not the root cause the used market rapidly declined after Audiogon switched its business model. In the days where ads cost a few dollars many models were continuously being traded and prices were better known.

I dont know if AG's change of business model has anything to do with, possibly some.  I know that I disappeared for a while after they changed the site but returned after negotiating a better contract with them.  

USAM is a much better deal as a seller but the site does not get near as much traction as this one - wonder why - its quite equal to the good old Audiogon we all seem to miss.  

To comment to my above post I have changed the main Image in the CD Transport / DAC listing and Im running a banner on it - from previous observations the lovely Monique is quite good at getting peoples attention.

A while ago I ran two banners for two almost identical items, one had Monique as the picture the other a very cool looking turntable, the results were as follows. Monique got 335 ad clicks on 20626 views, my GrooveMaster Vintage Direct got only 70 ad clicks on 18195 views. 

The Painting is by Merryl Jaye, she also paints musicians which some folks use as decorations in their listening rooms - I have 4 of them.  More information here  http://www.merryljaye.com
 
Good Listening

Peter
  

It seems that many are dismayed, for lack of better description, that equipment loses value so fast. That is understandable to some extent. Tens of percent in a very short time may be hard to swallow. However, for most, this is a hobby. Unless you are in this to make money, investing for a great return. Hobbies are just like this. Waste of time and money. Hobbies give you satisfaction in some other way and you pay for it by buying stamps, amplifiers, paintings, or simply by spending your time doing macrame. If we think of this as a hobby, we should accept that we lose money and that is all. If we cannot sustain it without getting frustrated with our purchases losing value, we have picked wrong hobby.


That all has not much to do with the title of this thread, but with some sentiment voiced in it.