Safe audiogon transactions; lowering the bar.

I've done few transactions on a-gon but have bought tons of stuff on ebay. Certainly the culture there is that the seller is entitled to call all the shots. Some sellers burden you with screen after screen of their personal rules and regulations. Don't do business with these people. Without exception, I have found them rigid, demanding, and extremely hard to work with. One seller went out of his way to bomb me with negative feedback because I didn't immediately answer his emails when I was, in fact, in the very act of burying my mother!

Tell the seller that you will deal one and only one way: COD. Period. Negotiate on a deposit to cover shipping if that is a high-cost issue. NEVER send the money in advance. If the seller wants to make the sale, he'll let FedEx collect the payment. If not, bye-bye, there'll be another one for sale soon.

All of the above comments re: protection are appropriate, but IMO, there is no substitute for a long track record of impeccable feedback. Also verfied status here, and long record of forum posting means they use this site as an avocation as well as for commercial purposes, and would be unlikely to foul it up for one or even a few transactions. I have made about 30 purchases here over the last 3 years and have always had a satisfactory experience. However, I would also recommend calling and talking just to get the right vibe.

Swampwalker nailed it.

About COD-I never use it & if the other party insisted on it that would be a red flag to me. The transaction should be a compromise & communication is the key. Phone calls are good. One of the tools you should use with these net audio deals is your gut feeling. I've made some deals based on it & walked away from others. So far so good.

One more thing. The transfer of money. Registered mail is the most secure way to send something through the mail. I use various electronic money transfers just because it's easy. Again, so far so good.

OK, one more thing. I picked up an SF2 amp at the main UPS center. I asked the clerk if she minded if I checked it out on the spot because if there was damage I wanted it documented. She said they couldn't process damages there but I explained to her what it was, how much it cost, etc. & all I wanted was documentation IF there was a problem. Once I talked to her for awhile she understood what I was after & was accommodating. I know sometimes it's hard to make a trip to the center but it beats the horror stories I've read of amps being rolled out of the truck & other stuff left out in the rain. You can request they hold the item for you at the center. You get to check the package out on the spot & the item is saved a trip in the back of the truck.

I just want to say this thread has a real currency for me as an admittedly highly suspicious newcomer with a number of marginal buys on eBay.

I just walked away from an ideal audiogon purchase (as it was described, anyway) because something made me nervous. I didn't bid but spoke on the phone with the seller about potential ftf audition arrangements, which he seemed to have later suggested skipping. Since the item in question is now marked as sold, I will watch the seller's feedback for new entries, and possibly post exact details later about what made me shy away.

The predominant theme around here seems to be, "there are many pitfalls, but I've never been totally burned myself." This frankly astonishes me, and I personally wrestle with questions of whether trust or caution/suspicion is the best karmic way to filter the good from the bad - it is clearly at root an act of faith to buy used equipment over the net, despite the shared safeguards covered in this thread....