Are Fall Sales Leveling Out in the Used Market?

What no one has said is the elephant in the room IMHO: We're all getting older. I'm seeing more ads for systems that were left behind by a deceased spouse or downsizing due to a change in lifestyle and/or dormicile.

In my own case for instance, I live in WA however next month I have to travel to FL to help my sister with my now deceased parent's condo. A big part of that is picking up my pop's hi-fi gear... VPI, Sota, Levinson, Meridian, Pioneer, Jadis pre and amp and a pair of B&W Matrix 800's.

The turntables and electronics I will most likely upgrade my system with but WTF am I going to do with those huge B&Ws??

https://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/691bw800/index.html

They won't work in our current home, which we love, and which we're planning on being in for another 5-8 years. Putting them in climate controlled storage for those 5-8 years will run me $7200-$11K in fees!

I also collect Lionel trains and we're seeing the same thing in that hobby. Premium collections coming on the market because folks are selling their dads', grandad's or uncle's old trains...

But to get back to the OP's comments, I agree with your observation that there's more coming on the market these days. So keep that in mind when you buy those huge floorstanding speakers: What are you leaving your family to deal with??


Happy listening.

If you buy now to beat inflation you are on a fool's errand.

You buy when a real need arises. Or you burn money.

All the hobbies boomers enjoyed are dying off.

Anyone who is married (or single) and owns collectibles should have
written instructions on how to liquidate these items and about
what to expect to get for them. 

If I could predict the economic trends I would writing for Wall Street
not reading audio forums.

Hello,
Musicfan2349. Sell them to a local Hifi store. They might gouge you but it costs you nothing. Plus they have the means to deliver it to their store. Another option is have them trucked out by freight. Florida is notorious for having nothing going out. Some drivers go empty to Georgia to pick up a load. You might want to check with Hifi stores in Georgia. They could get it delivered for $1 a mile. And maybe you can trade for a kickass cart or cable. 

I agree with Chorus on the legacy issue associated with left-behind stereo gear when an audiophile departs for that big listening-room in the sky. You can see it every day - family members/heirs generally have little use for most possessions of any category (except true luxury items). I'm going to make an assumption that most of us own stereo systems/electronics that represent a total outlay of over $20,000. I plan to leave some of my gear to friends, although many of them are aging out also. I have sold some major pieces this past year while the vintage/used market soared, realizing that once I'm gone, even my nicer stuff will be fodder for bargain-basement deals. Leaving written instructions that give approximate valuations can help the executors of estates navigate through the complicated arena of selling off electronics that a large segment of the population has no idea of how to use properly.

Wow! Never seriously considered it but 700,000 dead Americans of which 300,000 are male and maybe 10% own "decent" stereos. Can we figure 1% are serious "audiophiles"? 2%? That's about 6,000 deceased audiophiles this year just from Covid.
The whole concept is fascinating and needs closer inspection.