Is it too much to ask....

For me having specs in the ad is not important as I tend to know what I’m looking for and have done my homework in advance….but I am an audio hobbyist, therefore, I have a broader knowledge then a casual A’gon passerby.

I’m more interested in what cannot be found on manufactures websites, like the condition of the amplifier, any modifications/repair history, does the owner have original packing for safe shipping, is the warrantee transferable, does the owner have experience in shipping large heavy items, etc. Does he provide high resolution pictures? For me, these are important facts.

I understand Viridian's point about the type of buyer he prefers to deal with and that's his right as a seller. However, sellers should know that perceptions cut both ways. When I see an ad without much of a description, it smacks of deception or laziness (true or not I'm entitled to my opinion). If a person is lazy when posting an ad for something they want (a sale), how lazy were they when maintaining the equipment? I agree with Donjr about the dust and have recently commented on it in another thread (more laziness - see above).

If I'm in the market for something, yes I have done the research and know what I'm buying. But when I see something like "if you're looking at this ad ..." without anything else listed, it tells ME something about the seller. I refuse to do business with this type of seller and that is my right. I also won't buy from someone who doesn't post pictures or only stock pictures and if the item is more than ~ $100 I will need to talk with you first. Like Jedinite, I don't want to see the whole marketing brochure in the ad but a cut and paste of the spec section from the manufacturer's web site really doesn't take that much effort.

Too many buyers expect to be spoon fed audio knowledge and a minimalist ad can screen out those not willing to do a little research on power, distortion, matching, etc. Remember there are three kinds of lies. Lies, damn lies, and specifications. Watts per channel info. is for the most part useless information. You need to know how the amp behaves at 8-4-2 Ohms if a SS amp and a difficult load, and how much power is available at 20 hz up to 20khz. I have seen some 125 wpc tube amps only eek out 25 wpc into a 50hz load, and this was rolling severely at both ends. But at the benign 1 khz they can make rated power. Put a little stress in the mix and the amp nearly went belly up. When you see the amp for sale it will list 120wpc which is accurate as long as your music doesnt deviate far from 1khz. In my book, bass counts and if it can't make rated power into the frequency extremes it is unusable power. If those specs matter the decision is yours. Jallen

Uuummmm....why would people "look at 40 or 50 amps", used I presume, in a day, if they don't know anything about the amps they are looking at? I guess a newbie might do that, so maybe it's more important for lower priced equipment to list the wpc.

I do agree, when selling entry level stuff, esp. on CL, it can be esp. useful to try to explain EVERYTHING about it. But people looking for more expensive audio gear, or keyboards, already know what they're looking for.

I mean, why would someone be looking to spend $1-2-3k+ on a used Cary, or C-J, ARC, whatever, amp if they don't know a lot about it already? Research is key, when buying anything, before starting the search, I'd think. Don't know what it is, look it up, it's easy these days.....

No, its not too much to ask at all for a seller to regurgitate the key vendor specs that people base buying decisions on, like power rating, in the case of an amp to make life easier for the buyer. Its the smart thing to do IMHO.

You know what happens when one assumes....

I do not know a lot about a lot of things I see up for sale here initially other than what the seller tells me. If he tells me nothing of interest, I am more likely to take less notice accordingly.