Trading ??? For equipment.

I've definitely done some trades over the years the one I remember best was trading my Alon Lotus SE speakers for a pair of JMlab Micro-Utopias after moving to a smaller apartment. I ran those speakers for 10 years it was an excellent trade.

You need a marketer. How do you think the others do it?

I have also made a nice live edge rack for my system. All together cost on two that I've made average around $500 for materials. I know time is money but what are you adding that make you think they are worth 10k? There are established mfgs. building some pretty high-quality pieces with some advertised acoustic benefits. What materials and swag are you providing to come up with your price? I too am a craftsman in my own way, I paint houses for a living. I know what it takes and if you are good, it would seem you would be too busy selling these high-end pieces to provide them for free to buddies and family.  

I do my own tig welding for the legs with stainless steel as well as other metals, along with a milling machine and a whole host of crazy methods, like epoxy infused large pieces, doing it like the carbon fiber builders using laboratory vacuum pumps. My hand built drawers with dovetail joinery are built using wood from Oregon and dried in Las Vegas. All the hardware is custom to each piece, and my inlays and bow ties are hand cut. Everything I do is art, but with the skill of a journeyman. I’ve past the need for earning money in my life, which is why I rarely sell, though I could, according to everyone who has seen my work… including my fellow peers in the woodworkers group I belong to. I’m not begging for help or trying to convince anyone of anything, I’m just suggesting another way for people to meet and share ideas that would benefit both.