It's time for a new button on Audiogon

unless the price is already lower than most buyers would ever expect someone to offer in the 1st place, it is "ok" to request that the seller consider knocking off 5-10% especially if you are READY to close the deal and not just on a fishing expedition. A phone call could confirm this and no one needs to feel slighted.
Some items are very cheap (less than $100 for ex.) so this could be insulting to the seller. but anything over $1000 and $50-$100 might not be insignificant
for some folks- it all depends on the item.

I actually thought the OP was concerned about selling even to someone who used the Buy It Now button. For instance, new users may not understand that it commits them to the sale. I had a case where someone used BIN and then never got in touch at all. I was out the ad cost and exposure. Also, I would imagine someone may have a problem selling to anyone with bad feedback, because they can foresee all sorts of problems. (See the long thread about Green Mountain Audio.) The Make A Full Price Offer button prevents these types of problems; nevertheless, I think ignoring low-ballers is the way to go, and so am happy enough with the current Audiogon button options.

Viridan,

I sort of agree with you, well, mostly! I was selling a $30,000 preamp, had a guy who seemed seriously interested, exchanged some 20 emails answering questions about condition, set up, etc. Mind you this was (and still is) a current model for a blue chip manufacturer.....

After wasting hours of my time, the guy offers me $5,000?!?!?!?!

Really???

Obviously this piece was FAR out of his reach, and he wasted my time. Yes, I was annoyed at him, but it sold for almost exactly what I was asking a few days later..... This is unfortunately one of the annoyances of selling on line, and as Audiogon has changed to the 'new and improved' format, it seems more an issue......

This site USED to be die hard audio people, now it is closer to eBay so we have to accept that it isn't what it used to be and deal with some schmucks along the way........

I only hope it doesn't get any worse, but for now it is still one of the best sites for trading high end audio and AV gear........

I suspect that will change over the next few years too.........

@Br3098, you do make some valid points, but you are also overlooking some other options.

When you say:

The goal is to sell the gear, is it not?

You are correct in most cases. However, some are simply testing the market, and may or may not sell depending on the offers that roll in. I have done this, I have listed gear and found out that it is worth more in value to me than it is on the market, so I have kept the piece. That is why I still have my highly modded CDP after 7+ years, it is worth more to me than I can get for it on the market. I would be lucky to get $2000 for it, but it would cost me well over $5000 to improve upon it, so why sell? The market told me to keep it and enjoy it!

Also, while the goal is to sell gear, only a desperate seller will sell at any cost. I agree that the buyer's mentality is to "get a discount" or "win the deal", which is why I play the game and inflate my original asking price to account for this negotiation. As a seasoned seller, I have a good idea of what the value of what I am selling is. If I can't get something close to my asking price, I realize that it is June, a terrible time for sellers in this market, and I will keep the ad posted, but wait for October or November to actually sell the item, when the market traditionally picks up again.

Patience is the key virtue for any buyer OR seller. Those that HAVE to buy or sell NOW are at the mercy of the current market. That is true in any field, not just in audio.

Jmcgrogan- I guess that makes it a buyers market. I have to say some of the observations about the psychology of trading/selling are right on target. I am always put off buy a person who rates the quality of their item at a 10 and wants 85% of the initial mrsp. The truth be told that while I respect the seller who doesn't create ambiguity and say price is firm, it can also signal a difficult to deal with seller in the back of my mind. I would hope all selling and buying be friendly but this isn't a hippie wonderland.
I am anxious as I want to sell some thing post divorce and downsizing. I am not a manufacturer or a rep for one so if some small flaw is found I don't want to deal with complainers. I generally keep prices low. I have never used the Agon auctions but might try it soon.