Stupid Asking Prices- Why Don't Sellers Read Audiogon The Blue Book First?
I’m amazed at the prices most people ask for used equipment. I frequently see 15 year old tube gear with 2000 or so hours on the valves offered for sale at insane-nobody-is-that-stupid prices. Frequently the seller lists the original retail price of the item in the ad then asks 1/2 of that- imagining that it must surely be worth at least 1/2 of retail right?
I’m perplexed as to why a seller does not consider the reliable Audiogon Blue Book as a guide, and consider the condition of the gear as a factor in resale value.
I have also seen sellers refuse an at market offer and say "for that price I’ll just put it in my storage place" while it further depreciates.
Is it that most guys with high end gear are rich enough to ignore the value of moving money because their sense of value is offended?
Asking for a friend......😎
+1 @jjss49 The idea that it's greed or stupidity, etc., is laughable. How can we possibly read the motivations of a seller? Maybe it's a starting bid, right? I'd never pay for the Blue Book when HiFi shark can show me a very long history of item sales -- not what they *should* be priced at, but what historically they have sold for. Only when the item fails to sell, then we can call it "overpriced." |
If you are looking for something specific for a decent amount of time, you’ll know what real market value is. I’ll look for a specific piece and sometimes I’ll wait 2-3 yrs.. I know in this hobby, if you’re patient and emotionally detached, you’ll eventually get what you want. It seems when I wait, I always get an even better deal -and it makes it that much sweeter. |
Please hop in a time machine and teach a younger me this lesson 🤣 |
I find it amazing, and sad, that just because a seller’s listing price doesn’t conform to some preconceived expectation then their ethics and sense of fairness is considered suspect. An ethical issue would be misrepresenting the condition or some other form of fraud. How does the word fair even enter into the discussion of an asking price? Fair is living in a country where every one of us are free to both ask and/or offer whatever price we want. This word fair is thrown around way too much these days when somebody doesn’t get what they want. Too many seem to confuse fairness with equal opportunity. Fairness does not mean that everybody gets what they want. |
