Buying used or sight unseen speakers a bad idea?

My favorite story about buying used speakers on Audiogon dates back to April of 2007. Stillone and I spoke several times and eventually he said that he would ship me used Dahlquist DQ10 speakers with the understanding that if I liked them, I could send him the money. I did like them and did send him the money. However, to this day, I can't believe he went through all of the trouble without any guarantee that I would either pay nor send his speakers back to him. The audio world has all kinds and Stillone is at the top of the heap!

If you're familiar with the sound of a certain speaker then there's the normal risk issues-shipping, and condition. In this case going by other buyers recommendations is reasonable due-diligence. If you're not familiar with a speaker I think you really have to audition them. If the seller won't allow an audition I think you have to pass. Just a note on shipping. If you can pick up yourself - do it. If you can't - go with a freight company. UPS/FedEx, and the others, are high risk for large items.

Kira, Pictures mean very little when the seller is taking pictures of only the good side.

As far as listening I think you can only audition a speaker properly in your system and in your room. To me that is half the fun. Speakers can sound many different ways depending on the system and the room. I get enjoyment out of trying to get the most out of speakers. If you have several amplifiers and a closet full of cables you can get almost any speaker to sound good.

Buying new is a far bigger risk than buying used. If the new piece does not live up to expectation you take a 30% hit. If you buy the used piece at the right price you are out shipping cost at most. Case in point - I have gone through 4 pairs of high end speakers over the last decade and written off a grand total of $500. Most I used for a few years and resold for what I had into them. I only got screwed once in a decade buying and selling on A'gon (on a cheap cable). Folks here are extremely reliable - look for sellers with feedback. Another piece of advice. Stay away from the very esoteric stuff, no matter how good a deal you get - very hard to resell if you don't like it. Better pay 40-50% of MSRP for say a pair of cardas cables than 25%-30% of MSRP for a garage operation brand. The cardas will resell in a heartbeat, the garage brand you may get stuck with.

Now, buying on Ebay is a different story.....