Audiogon Ethics

I agree w/those who say you can't be sure the guy doesn't have two, or even more, of the same units. I have met at least two guys on this site who constantly buy and sell stuff and make a little money in the switch. I'm sure they have owned the same piece twice or have had two of the same pieces at one time, some people really enjoy the experimenting w/new stuff and the bargaining and small profit-making they may be able to pull off. I myself have bought and sold quite a few pieces, large and small, over the last year, but have not made ANY money in the transfer, oh well. I haven't lost too much, and every piece was something I wanted to try.

The foundation of our community is built on trust. We are lucky in that our hobby is limited in so far as the high end audio community is limited. Having had the opportunity to participate I have found, as most of us have, that my 9/10 is another participants 10/10 and that, for the most part, the descriptions of products that I have purchased or traded for are within a reasonable variance of their stated descriptions.

As far as outright lying is concerned, this should be first verified, then the participant should be given an opportunity to retract his or her statements or reconfigure price on the product to bring it in line with the actual condition of the component. If no solution is found, then it should be reported in negative feedback in the individual's my feedback section. I have sold equipment to people who immediately list it for a higher price than I sold it at. This does not bother me because I was satisfied with my deal, or I would not have completed the transaction. That is different from outright lying, assuming that their is no outright lying in the new sellers advertisement.

What is the guy's username? I'll ask him.

Last year, I got well and thoroughly ripped by several A-gon members when I made a post that pointed out a misleading ad by a dealer. I nevertheless agree strongly with you that we, as fellow audiophiles, need to maintain a level of fairness and integrity in our dealings with one another.

My suggestion is to first contact the person in point and share your concerns. Tell the person that you feel ethically obligated to others who use A-gon to make the truth known. Give the person a fair chance to respond to your E-mail, because it is possible that the person may have another unit for sale, and not the one you sold to this individual.

If the person makes no attempt to be forthcoming and honest about this matter, then I believe you are quite correct to inform your fellow Audiogon readers.

It is all about ethics and threshold of ones moral convictions. I recently bought a unit from a member at a price considerably less than its value. I had all intentions of keeping it based on reviews. It turned out to have terrible synergy with my current pieces and now getting ready to sell at its current value and will end out making a profit on it. I felt guilty and contacted the seller to ask if he would be offended by my placing the unit for more than I bought it for. The point is I needed his approval to clear my concience because of the integrity I have for myself as well as others. I would contact that individual and warn other members accordingly if I am indeed CERTAIN that it was my unit.