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Anybody having trouble getting near-your-asking-price for used gear ? (Plz. no hype)

I buy and sell gear "on a whim" and have done so for 40 years. Mostly high-end tube stuff that I get an itch to move from my rig to make room for other high-end stuff that I have been dreaming of.  It's fun and gives me a fresh faces to fall in and out of love with.

Lately I am having a really hard time getting any serious offers above 1/4 to 1/3 of retail- actually zero offers over that. And winter is the time of year gear sells. Once the sun comes out things get really quiet.  Not terribly long ago I could ask 50% of retail and get serious offers pretty close to the ask.  

I am especially having trouble selling ARC gear. It's prices are steadily collapsing. On HiFi Shark that stuff sits for close to a year (or more) before it moves.  For example SP 15s are under 2K now. They were selling (not asking) at 3K a year ago. It took me almost a year to sell a new-in--box I/50 for $3000 (!)   Ref 75s are moving under $3000 and TMR will only offer 2K for one of them. The older stuff is selling in the hundreds not the thousands. Top-Of the-line stuff like Reference 10 preamps are moving under 12K (asking is around 17K) 

I recently sold a Bryston BR-20 brand new in the box and it took me 7 months to get 48% of MSRP.  This is NEW stuff- not somebody's junk. 

My guy at Magnepan told me their stuff is really moving slowly as well. He blamed it on the political environment. ARC is pretending all is well but I have a little birdie inside there that tells me their stuff is stagnant as and dealers are actually cancelling orders. 

Now, assuming you are being honest and not "fluffing the market" with bullbleep because you have something for sale and hoping for the greater fool,  are you seeing/experiencing the same thing I am experiencing? 

NO RETAILERS PLESASE- you guys tend to "exaggerate" to put it kindly- plus most of us here at AG know who you are and your 1000s of posts are a big clue. 

Signed/ Depressed about my favorite side gig. 

yesiam_a_pirate
inna
7,834 posts
 

Profit margin for new speakers is usually much higher than electronics.

$25k for two year old $50k speakers sounds reasonable to me. If they are great speakers.

carlso63
17 posts
 

 

@devinplombier  - 

I agree - just listed a Sansui G-8700db and a pair of Klipsch Cornwalls at reasonable prices for my location (SLC, Utah) not ridiculous prices based on inflated eBay listings that haven't sold in a year+....

and both items sold for full asking price within 5 days...  :- ) 

rooze's avatar
rooze
645 posts
 

I'm seeing the same thing as the OP. I used to be able to buy something used, play with it for a year, then sell it for about 10% less than I paid for it. So I'd be out the shipping cost and a couple hundred dollars, which was a reasonable price to pay for having a nice component for a year.

Now I'm dropping used stuff 25% from what I paid for it a year or so ago and it still isn't moving. 
Shipping costs are a big factor. Uncertain economic times another. A glut in the used marketplaces another. And TMR...

devinplombier
457 posts
 

50% off of new gear within a couple years speaks to how overpriced this stuff is. $50,000 set of speakers going for $25,000 is ridiculous after two years.

Realistically, your $50k retail speakers are worth $25k the minute the delivery guys pack up and leave. By the time you’re in the mood to sell them, you’re looking at maybe $12k.

Not many used floorstanders transact anywhere near 50% of their retail value. Maybe Revel Salon 2s and a few others.

deep_333
1,743 posts
 

Stuff with a msrp of 10k or under, more buyers...even 60 to 70 % of msrp can probably be considered a good deal for the used goods shopper. (frankly, there’s not enough of a margin built-in on many items)

Stuff with a msrp of 50k or above (enormous margins built in), less buyers, buyers market, low ball all you want....

Audiophiles who fell for scam pricing (to begin with) are in for a rude awakening on the resale market. In the latter case, you better be sure you wanna hang on to something for a long time....or better be prepared to take the L when you wanna be in that ’elusive’ club.

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