Life circumstances can come into play as well. Divorce, health issues, job loss..... It seems for me that past few years - loss of dad, daughter starting college, mom on the decline..... some of my own health issues... have all whittled down my time and or interest in audio the past few years. So, it makes sense that any of the above scenarios can lead to unused gear being sold. I'd like to think most agoners are honest but I too worry about the sharks, and schmucks.
A lot of unrealized systems out there...
I can't help but notice how many items that come up for sale here on Audiogon, or elsewhere, are unopened and never used, intended for a system that never came to fruition..... I mean, if I spent $10k on speakers, I would be listening to them within 2 minutes of being delivered... New equipment excites more than just about anything... I cannot wait to listen, like a little kid on Christmas morning... Are there really that many folks putting together home theaters, or bedroom setups that buy all this gear and then just give up? Consider me a skeptic, or at least, watching with one brow raised... It just seems there are A LOT of these unrealized systems out there on the second hand market...