In 15 years of this hobby the only thing I have bought new was 2 CDPs
Why is used audio equipment so undesirable?
I’ve upgraded many things over the past couple years and quite frankly there is limited interest and not much to be gained by getting rid of unused equipment. My dealer doesn’t want it. And it’s all fairly new stuff within a few years. It’s easier just to box it and store it away and give it to someone if a situation ever arises. Selling it is ridiculous as I’m lucky to get 30 or 40% Plus all the hassle negotiating when selling, so I keep it.
It’s risky buying used audio equipment so there is no interest even for very nice units. So I’ve got nearly half dozen pieces taking up a lot of space all sitting in their original boxes and maybe next time I buy some new speakers I’ll prepare a list and get a few thousand dollars after paying nearly 4 to 5 time more when new.
Would I buy a used preamp or speakers for $15-$20,000? that might be very risky. So I guess I understand why used audio is not that desirable. After buying something used, you may wonder if it would have sounded different if I bought it new? And there in lies the quandry
Much easier buying a used car.
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- 72 posts total
@mayoradamwest sums it up quite well. Total troll post.
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Is selling used audio gear to a dealer via trade-in when buying something new worthwhile? Goal is to get 20% off list when you buy something new, but then throw in a used piece to trade in and it confuses the process. The dealer has to make 30% for the used item if he’s lucky and he may evaluate it, which is always iffy. And then selling a used piece to someone by way of a classified ad like audiogon is not ideal. I’ve seen fairly good stuff sitting on audiogon for a long Time. And then you discover it’s being sold by a dealer at a price that’s a lot higher than it should be. Who are they kidding? Selling speakers and amplifiers that are extremely heavy makes sense to sell back to a dealer from a convenience standpoint. They deliver something new and they take the old away. Very similar to buying a mattress or a refrigerator. |
I always feel it appropriate that my dealer can make a living… so he has to make money. The margins are not as high for dealers as it used to be. Getting 20% would violate most agreements to be distributors and cause the dealer to lose rights to sell… and they probably would not make a penny on the stuff. Margins are not 50%. The audio dealer owners I know drive Toyotas not Porsche.
A good dealer will earn every penny he gets from you… by steering you towards equipment that satisfies your audio taste. |
- 72 posts total