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

@writer2 

Price is definitely part of it. I see vintage speakers listed at higher speakers than they were listed/selling for back in 2008-2010. One one end there's been a lot of inflation, on the other end a lot of people don't believe in paying more for the same thing or something that's even more depreciated 10 years later.

There is also a risk factor...  if I buy new from a store I may be able to negotiate a price and try it at home.  no risk



If I buy new from an internet dealer.. I can pay a few hundred dollars... or less and return it if I don’t like it.  minimal risk


If i buy a used item that lists for $1000 and pay $650 (35% discount) and don’t like it... I own it and have to resell it.... but the risk/loss is a lot less painful than a 35% discount on $5000 piece... so, to take the risk on a high price unit... the market wants a bigger discount.  

Some sites were over-protective of buyers. I understand that there are questionable selling practice by some.

But at the same time, I dealt with more and more buyers whose expectations were unrealistic. Expect everything perfect, a tiny thing you missed or not pictured perfectly, you would be coined a liar. Full refund and dispute and all. Always haggle about shipping cost (which is a lot nowadays). One time, an RCA input wire got loose --- the buyer didn’t wanna connect it back himself, he doesn’t want hire a local guy to put the wire back --- they demand the unit fully refunded at my expense, or ship to the original factory to put the wire back. Yea.

I started to encountered a few who falsifying operating condition just to file a claim to force refund. Paypal’s policies made it worst (a little better if you’re selling in eBay). Some would try saving return shipping by using flimsy boxes to cut weight, instead of using the original factory boxes. That usually end up damaging the working items (and make the situation even worst against the seller)!

The other not so obvious thing is ... my stuff is mostly tubes, and I seriously doubted people know how to operate them. Some are like big spenders who wanna get into this cool hip retro thing, and is completely clueless about its safe operation. If I am selling something modern, idiot proof like Ayon or Music Reference, great, but any vintage, or DIY stuff or un-even QA stuff (VAC, Counterpoint), I would get a return request 9 out of 10 times.

Would giving away my used stuff to avoid such hassle help? Not really. Some of my friends felt I was forcing my "trash" down their throat. They do not appreciate my good will at all. Even those "charities" become so nit-picking ... anything that look old, they would refuse pickup (seriously).

I am resorting to yard sale sometimes, simply trash them thru recycle some other times, unless the items are working great and worth serious cash to go thru the used market sale, and I don’t wanna ship anymore.

Not because of risk of shipping damage, but to avoid abusive, nit-picking buyers.

Audiophile hobby is linked to "music" in the higher sense of the word,then to some education of the ears....Now people like more gadgets,games, series, horrible music, and they have no need for concentration of the mind and the ears in one single direction... " "Beauty" "Truth" are words without no more meanings other than their old fashioned sounds...People dont want to stay still they want to play...My rant reveal my age I am afraid so...

I have been a dealer for Jolida  / Black Ice Audio gear for 15 years. Sales have been on the decline for 5 or 6 years. For the past 6 months or so sales have been almost 0. If I am not selling any gear then the other dealers are not selling either. Audio gear sales are down as sales are down for almost all durable goods. Money is tight. Also, today one can buy a very decent amp for $600 - Yamaha, Marantz, Denon, Onkyo. All built to last years. Get one of these and some good speakers and almost anyone would be satisfied. And one can buy a decent set of speakers new for 2k or less.