What is going on

Only made money on guitars I'd bought at a nice discount and sold years later...hifi gear generally was bought used in the first place. I keep what I like for a long time. Hence, a lack of whining.

Asking and getting are two hugely different things.

At first glance, thought this was a thread about Marvin Gaye,
but that would be "What's Going On".

If it's worth too much to you; you get to keep it.

Agree, great line!!...+1 for Rodman99999...?...does that make him Rodman100000?

As far as the original question, just see it as a typical marketplace. Buyer always wants the bottom dollar, and seller always wants the top dollar, however price is generally determined by supply and demand, and this is always changing. From a seller's point of view, if the product is highly desirable, rarely comes up for sale, and sells quickly when it is available, why not start at a higher price? You can always accept a lower price. If I put something up for sale, then it sold in 5 minutes at asking price, and also received many other emails wanting to buy, I'm thinking, I left money sitting on the table. Then if you want to sell something, and there are others already available, starting high is useless, and Rodman's comment applies. For the buyers that are always whining about prices, the old saying comes to mind, "If you can't run with the big dogs, stay on the porch, and don't bark when they come by."

I believe that a lot of the high asking prices are from newbies that have an inflated perceived value of their items. It's almost comical to see similar items in similar condition being sold simultaneously from different sellers with wildly differing asking prices.

The status quo is demo gear >33% off retail and used gear >50% off. There are always exceptions when regarding supply/demand.