Previous Ownership...does it matter to you?

If you want higher SQ for the $ then  buy used. Assuming there is a limit to your budget of course otherwise you can spend away!

Most of the time once you have zeroed in on your desired item

you can find one used, with a transferable warranty, 2-3 months old, 25-30% off 

MSRP. Requires some patience so if you have to have it yesterday you are 

a "new" buyer. 

Some people sell items before they have even been burned in. 

In which case the seller never heard his item at its optimum.

-Check the Shark, eBay, Craigslist in certain markets. Sometimes The Music Room.

-Ask the seller to see his purchase receipt.

-Call the factory with the serial# and see when it was made.

-Ship by Fed Ex Ground. Open an account to save a little. 

-Insure the purchase for at least 1/2 the value. 

-Only buy if the original boxing is available.

If you follow these rules you can usually resell

an item within the 1st year for what you paid,

If the previous owner was a saltine aficionado there could be a crumb issue.

I have purchased a number of used pieces and the only thing I care about is condition and age. I will only buy something that looks new, yes I am thinking about resale should I choose to sell someday . I baby my gear, I am the guy you want to buy used from. But I rarely sell , I am more apt to trade toward new .

I have had a a major upgrade of most components in the past year. All new , speakers have a ten year warranty , DAC has a five year warranty , amp and preamp have a lifetime warranty. I’m 55 , this is probably my last major upgrade so warranty is an important factor .

“Previous Ownership...does it matter to you?”

Warranty wise? Absolutely!

Otherwise, sort of. A solid back story is nice. 

This is something that drives me nuts! I like to try different gear. I have purchased numerous pieces of equipment to try them out simply because I have heard excellent things about them and I may keep them 6 months or so. A Coda CSIB Integrated is just one example. I only buy gear that is in excellent shape (I don't care how many owners it has had) and I sell it in the same condition if not better. So somehow my ownership of the item has tainted it in some manner? I don't give a hoot if ten people have owned it. What matters to me is the condition. How is a piece any better if only one person has owned it or worse if three people have if it's in excellent condition? It's used gear and you are saving a ton of money (usually) over new.

I have a Plinius integrated for sale right now that is a current model that is less than half the original price and people act like since someone owned it prior to me It is somehow tainted and to be avoided. It's an excellent amp! It's in like new condition......it's less than half price! I don't get this obsession with "Are you the original owner?" or "how old is it?" Who cares! If I had held equipment I have tried to the same standard, I wouldn't have tried so many different pieces of gear. Geez, get over it folks. You're buying something used in "X" condition at a price much lower than new. What more do you want? As you can tell this obsession with ownership drives me crazy!