Should listings include the age of the item?

Elizabeth,

I'm not sure that I understand your derisive tone with regard to your comment about "flippers". I buy, restore and sell classic turntables, I am often offered items in trade for turntables or other gear, or if I decide to sell a piece of gear when I acquire another piece of gear; do these activities qualify me as a "flipper"?

I have no problem with your comments, but this seems a strange place to post this particular rant. Audiogon is, primarily, a marketplace for the buying and selling of used gear. Hence we are all "flippers", or at least we empower and encourage flipping through our forum discussions.

Bill

I think we should call these people "flippists" and the items they sell is "flippage." And further, this is nothing to be flippant about lest I flip out or get flipped off. Also, I think Bill is risking becoming an "unpure hobbiest" or "quasi audiophile" and either condition could be difficult to diagnose and/or treat.

I prefer ads that list MSRP.

I think it is permissible to list *current* MSRP. In fact, I think it is most useful to the buyer, since what they would have to pay new -- today -- is a salient consideration in figuring what the used piece is worth to them. If the buyer is not a time traveler, MSRP at time of sale is of little interest, unless the buyer is worried about the seller making out too well, which seems to me irrelevant to the fairness of the price. (Would it matter to you if the seller got the piece as a gift, so the deal was "pure profit" for them? If so, why?)

As a buyer, I've tended shoot for 50-60% of current MSRP for a clean, desirable, piece of electronics, and find one can often do better than that for speakers (esp. those which are a PITA to ship). My sense is that the current market is pretty soft, and the buyer can often do better than my benchmark.

One wrinkle is that the supply chain for some products (eg, PS Audio, Gallo) wildly undercuts MSRP. Here, I guess the buyer should beware, and ascertain "street price" in calculating their offer.

John

Yeah, it would be nice to list the age. But if it's not listed, just ask. Easy, no?

Wolf,

Your answer is flippant. And I guess that Audiogon provides what could be termed a "flipitage" marketplace.