Is it safe to buy from Audiogon sellers?

A crap shoot...Early last year I purchased a Rega Mira 3 on Gon and what a shock when I received it. It came up to Seattle from Long Beach
and the seller took a carton flat and slid the Rega into one end then duct taped the ends. Nothing else. Just a flat piece of cardboard. I also ordered from TMR/The Music Room a Sony SACD player and when received...Wow! The best packaging I have ever experienced in 20 years. The player did not have the original carton and the TMR carton was very thick and they wrapped the unit in a plastic sealed surround and injected liquid foam completely around the unit like a well sealed coffin. Thats as good as it gets.

First, I would say that your number one protection from being ripped off is being smart for yourself. Yes eBay has certain protections. But they are not always reasonable and your aren’t always “protected”. Here or on eBay or other major audiophile platforms it is best to keep all the communication on the platform. Also always use PayPal for some credit card info protection and what ever protection PayPal provides. Then I recommend using an American Express card and have a frequent and good relationship with Amex. As opposed to other cards, when you dispute a charge they credit back your purchase price to your account until the matter is finalized. But yes, pay attention to feedback and the communication between yourself and the other party. Look at pictures and ask questions. If things don’t seem right then walk away. As the saying goes “It is better to want what you don’t have, then to have what you don’t want.”

I've bought and sold on Audiogon, but not ebay or elsewhere. I've offered fair prices when selling and received good quality gear at fair prices when buying. I bought from dealer/resellers twice, and I was treated fairly once. I like Audiogon, and I don't expect good used gear to be cheap.

I recently purchased a rather expensive pair of speakers out of Europe (5 figures expensive).  The seller was a business, has been selling on Audiogon since 2014, and had over 800 positive reviews, with zero neutral and zero negative.  I paid with a credit card.  The tracking has them in Memphis, Customs cleared, heading to me via freight carrier, with delivery date pending.  The only thing left to chance at this point is they are as advertised, NIB.  I guess I’ll find out soon enough...  🤷‍♂️

I'm one for one buying here, positive.As noted already, buy smart, check feedback, have a little correspondence first, and if seems way to good to be true look elsewhere.