Stupid Asking Prices- Why Don't Sellers Read Audiogon The Blue Book First?

people can ask what they want, the market will clear for an item if it is priced right, or, even if it isn’t

people without an accurate sense of what is a fair price for something they want to sell try to sell stuff all the time, for all sorts of things... cars houses boats bikes jewelry

key is - there are often equally uninformed people on the buy side too (or someone who is simply not price sensitive and wants the item) ... so for used audio gear, like all the other things, it just takes one buyer willing to pay

There are "dreamers" on every sales platform. I don’t think it’s too bad on audiogon, overall. And the bluebook itself wasn’t a great guide - though it’s been years since I had access. The bulk of data lagged behind recent trends (usually trending down), so the book’s "value" was usually too high to actually move gear. So I found no value in BB access. Maybe that’s improved, but hifishark seems like a better tool anyways, and it's free.

They're just waiting for that one big fish who has to have what they got.

I haven't seen a copy of the Blue Book for years.  When I did it was my impression that wholesale (buyer) prices were low-ball to assist dealers in determining trade-ins.  In my experience at the time average selling prices on the major classifieds were higher than Blue Book listings.

The original Orion Blue Book is still available online.

Orion Blue Book