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Anybody having trouble getting near-your-asking-price for used gear ? (Plz. no hype)

I buy and sell gear "on a whim" and have done so for 40 years. Mostly high-end tube stuff that I get an itch to move from my rig to make room for other high-end stuff that I have been dreaming of.  It's fun and gives me a fresh faces to fall in and out of love with.

Lately I am having a really hard time getting any serious offers above 1/4 to 1/3 of retail- actually zero offers over that. And winter is the time of year gear sells. Once the sun comes out things get really quiet.  Not terribly long ago I could ask 50% of retail and get serious offers pretty close to the ask.  

I am especially having trouble selling ARC gear. It's prices are steadily collapsing. On HiFi Shark that stuff sits for close to a year (or more) before it moves.  For example SP 15s are under 2K now. They were selling (not asking) at 3K a year ago. It took me almost a year to sell a new-in--box I/50 for $3000 (!)   Ref 75s are moving under $3000 and TMR will only offer 2K for one of them. The older stuff is selling in the hundreds not the thousands. Top-Of the-line stuff like Reference 10 preamps are moving under 12K (asking is around 17K) 

I recently sold a Bryston BR-20 brand new in the box and it took me 7 months to get 48% of MSRP.  This is NEW stuff- not somebody's junk. 

My guy at Magnepan told me their stuff is really moving slowly as well. He blamed it on the political environment. ARC is pretending all is well but I have a little birdie inside there that tells me their stuff is stagnant as and dealers are actually cancelling orders. 

Now, assuming you are being honest and not "fluffing the market" with bullbleep because you have something for sale and hoping for the greater fool,  are you seeing/experiencing the same thing I am experiencing? 

NO RETAILERS PLESASE- you guys tend to "exaggerate" to put it kindly- plus most of us here at AG know who you are and your 1000s of posts are a big clue. 

Signed/ Depressed about my favorite side gig. 

128x128Ag insider logo xs@2xyesiam_a_pirate
tony1954's avatar
tony1954
1,151 posts
 

Since retirement, and even prior to retirement, I have been buying and selling my way to audio heaven. The fact that I am talking to you now, is proof that I haven't made it there yet.

That being said, there are a few things I keep in mind when buying and selling gear.

Given a choice, always buy gear that is desirable to others and has a proven performance history.

Know the value of what you have and price it accordingly. I try to be around the medium price because getting even moderately greedy only means it won't sell quickly, or at all. 

Clean the gear meticulously, take good pictures from every angle and call attention to any imperfections.

Don't modify gear that you don't plan to keep forever. I think modifications of any kind scare people enough to look elsewhere. Point in case. I was looking for an Aurender N100 streamer and it took quite awhile to find one. Despite their scarcity at the time, there was one unit that remained available for months. I can only assume that this was due to the owner putting in aftermarket fuses.

That's my three cents.

 

devinplombier
388 posts
 

there was one unit that remained available for months. I can only assume that this was due to the owner putting in aftermarket fuses.

Takeaway #1: Keep mods reversible.

 

inna
7,674 posts
 

Some private sellers are just as greedy as some dealers and manufacturers, only not on the same scale, but it doesn't mean less. Audiophiles included.

inna
7,674 posts
 

Oh, and buyers too.

johnread57's avatar
johnread57
238 posts
 

OCD Mike is selling good gear so the market is still there. A sample of one only.

I have lots of gear I want to sell. Cables, for example. I’ll be lucky to get 10-20% of the purchase price.
Selling to the USA - the largest market - from Australia is a genuine challenge. My USA gear is 120V but it’s the best gear I’ve got. For example, I have two Marantz MM8077 upgraded (EMI RFI shield), to sell in Australia I need to supply the works, power cables, adapter plugs, transformer and the amps. Price is less than half, 30% of them retail and the other kit is included. It’s a blood bath. But it’s what it takes to sell this gear into this market. Too bad. I’ll be glad to see someone using the gear.

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