are we are own worst enemies?

Go to eBay and sell your stuff for more than you should be allowed to. If you want 65% for near mint, then ask 65% and be patient, a person who really wants it will appear eventually. 50% is for demo traders. At 50% people can trade stuff, try it out, and if not to their taste can resell for 50%.

You make a sound point (pun intended) -- I also happen to agree that it is not necessary to automatically price your used gear at 50% below retail. The audio "blue book" often lists audio gear at about half of MSRP, but like the "blue book" price for automobiles, the price should be a starting point based on some common standards. Like cars that have low mileage and are in top condition, nearly new, non-obsolescent audio gear (such as speakers, analog preamps, power amps, tonearms, etc.) should retain its value better over time. Equipment that is subject to frequent technical change (such as digital equipment, surround processors, etc.), or subject to wear (such as phono cartridges) will lose their value more quickly.

When I price my equipment for sale, I try to decide what I think is a fair value for both me and the buyer. I take into consideration factors such as age and condition of the item, the price I originally paid (I set the price based on what I paid, not the MSRP), whether the item has a transferrable warranty (such as Bryston equipment), etc.

Ultimately, the buyer and seller must both agree on the perceived fairness of the price, and that perceived "fair value" may be 50% of MSRP, and it may be more.

Jazz nut, You really need to evaluate what you own. If you have bought a new sony receiver for 1,000 then $500 would be tops unless somone really wanted that unit.Which is again based on supply and demand. There are some High end audio manufactures who seem to hold their value extremly well such as Levinson ,Krell audio Research & Jeff Rowland to name the top few. Now these Are very well known and are among the best when it comes to build quality and customer support. Yes the prices are high but the resale value is also high. Iam not saying buy a peice of gear because the resale value is high you must buy what you like but when it comes time to sell you must also realize what the majority of the people own and want. Its too bad people dont appreciate other high end that isnt as well known. There are many under rated companys out there. So dont get upset when you dont get what you want just hold out and the buyer will come.
BTW: I have had a pair of Martin Logan Ascents on Audiogon for a little over 3 weeks and they are still there. They are in mint condition and Iam asking 3,500 I get I had a guy offer me 2,000 for them they list for 4,400 they are only 4 months old. So the morale to my story is we all go through it from time to time. I had sold my Levinson 335 for 5,500 which was a little high but it was two months old but it sold. Stick to your guns. Good Luck

50-60% of MSRP seems to cover by far the majority of items for sale.

Supply and demand! First, it has been my experience that many high end dealers will discount 10-15% off list on most products. Certain manufactures, even though they make great equipment, produce in large volumes, have very loose distribution, really don't care who sells their product, don't protect their dealers (allowing sales from "web stores" with no physical building). These product lines usually have much higher markups allowing dealers to get a larger return for their risks associated with this increased competion. It also means that prices can be "footballed" making the MSRP a joke! It is interesting to note the number of retailers listed in the new equipment reports in Stereophile...are there 5-15 retailers or 50-100 retailers? Some used equipment prices tend to get depressed by new technology...right now, digital products seem to be getting hammered, due to new formats, sampling rates, and upsampling. People are somewhat hesitant to buy right now. Sometimes a manufacturer will have a price DECREASE on a product...there goes the price on the used market! When a product is improved, (for example Nordost Red Dawn Rev. 2) then guess what happens to the price price of the original product on the used market? Some used equipment just doesn't seem to show up that often (Accuphase and Atma-sphere come to mind) which will firm the price (low supply). The really GOOD NEWS is people can build a much better used system then they would be able to afford if buying new!