Be nice to nOobs

The fact that you are not receiving a response from an Audiogon member for any offer, much less a full-priced one, should not make you feel special. There are a lot of rude buyers and sellers here on the Gon just as there are everywhere. Not having feedback might deter some folks but if you are paying by tried and true methods like Paypal or money order, most sellers shouldn't have a problem with the lack of feedback. Welcome and keep trying.

Thank you for your kind responses. I wonder who could be making people act so rude . . . could it be . . SATAN?

Just kidding. I'll continue to plug away, but damn I wanted that amp ;p

David

If your after any "flavor of the month" item, you need to move fast...the "new today" section is where to hang out for these components.

Good hunting,

Dave

Welcome to real World David.
My experience is similar to yours. I am not a power seller/buyer and a number of my transactions is very limited due to the fact that I only get what I want, and what I need at the moment.
On the other hand, I understand someones reservations to a potential buyer with no or very small feedback but it is no excuse for ignorance.
I always try to reply no matter how busy I am. It cannot hurt.
Now someone with 300 or more feedbacks is in it for the money and I don't care what they might say.
Another observation - guys with 100 or more feel that they are already accomplished and don't remember that day when they started. I just hope they personal life is not a resemblance of this practice.
Beside these... sad examples, there are a really cool guys out there that I am sure you will eventually meet.

I would suggest you offer your phone # and have a conversation in your offer to purchase, a good conversation goes way further then a few positive feedbacks. Also do you homework and try not to ask very simple questions a google or Audiogon search can answer, basic questions and no feedback is a negative.

Welcome David, don't take it personally, the world is full of jack asses, and AudiogoN is no exception. You should have received a reply, there is no excuse for that, but I know it happens. Hang in there and be patient.
If I could go back and start over again, patience is the one thing that I've learned that I'd want to take back with me. You will miss out on some deals, but other great deals are just an hour, day, week or month away. I guess what I'm saying is don't get so excited and jump on an amp, and then next week you see a better deal and groan. With enough experience you will know a great deal when you see one, when to jump quickly and when to wait patiently.

I've done it both ways. Some things I own I bought the second I saw them, some, like my turntable, it took three months until the seller wore down and sold it at a price I was willing to pay. That being said, I've learned the market by missing out on some items that I wanted, I misjudged the market. It happens, but patience = $$$. If you can be patient, as a buyer or a seller, you will make out better than a desperate buyer/seller.

So what amp are you looking for? Pssst...over here....wanna buy some cables???

Cheers,
John

Don't know your style of communication. I always state my offer, USPS money order sent 1st class mail, expect ground UPS or FedEx and state my zip code so they can calculate shipping costs and accept/reject offer. It's clean, staight ahead and receives excellent response. Good luck.

David -
Welcome.
I'm relatively new to Audiogon myself.
Don't be put off by the lack of response. I've encountered this on a very few occasions. Mainly folks have been prompt and gracious in their replies. Even when following up with an emailed question about an old thread they'd posted. You can certainly learn a lot on this site. There are some amazing systems and people with a lot of experience relaying their insights.
Hope you find the gear you are looking for.

Good morning David. I'm also in agreement with the rudeness of not answering your emails at all. It's happened to me too. However, Viridian may had hit the answer on the head. It seems more and more if an item has a pending buyer (or actually is sold but not relisted that way), the sellers simply don't respond to any emails inquiring about availability.

Welcome David. I'm not sure if this may be what's going on but I think sellers are more responsive on a newly listed item. I've noticed that if an item has been listed a long time the sellers tend to be less responsive. I believe this is because they're no longer paying close attention to the ad as they would a newly listed one. It's also possible they have sold it and simply are administratively incompetent not identifying the item as sold (which is still rude).

In any event, now that the "Church Lady" has joined the forum, maybe folks manners will improve ;-)

.

Thanks for all the input (I won't say feedback!) and good ideas. From now on I'll specify my method of payment, and include my phone number.

Since John was kind enough to ask, I was originally trying to buy Bel Canto Ref. 1000's. When that failed, I tried for a Plinius 9200, a Bryston 4B ST, and a Bel Canto integrated amp, all to no avail. I have Gallo Ref. 3.1 speakers running on a NAD 370 integrated which actually sounds pretty damn good (high current capability?), but I'm interested in checking out other amps to see how much more sonic goodness I can squeeze out of the Gallos. (If you have any input/ recommendations on good electronics for these speakers, my e-mail is attaway_d@hotmail.com)

Best Regards,
David

Hi David, as others mentioned, no response is just plain rude, and that has not been my experience here. Sometimes you will see the seller finally get around to marking the item "sold" shortly after you e-mail them, which might indicate he had already sold it before you responded. You should still get a response, but everyone does not operate that way. Just hang in there, and be very sure you are clear in your offer. In other words, if it is an item you really want, from a well-regarded seller, make it clear you are making a firm offer, and not just kicking tires.

To Mrjstark, I must take exception to your profiling everyone with feedback scores over 300 as "in it for the money," and those with scores over 100 as being insensitive to newer members, or that they "don't remember the day they started." That is just plain not true here and paints a distorted picture for David. One of the best things about this site is the wealth of information offered to the newer members by those with more experience, and even by some folks in the industry. Also, many with higher feedback scores are not in business, but have simply been at this a while, and enjoy trying new equipment. My current feedback score is over 300, and I have lost money overall. However, I am willing to sell for similar prices to those at which I purchase, and sometimes for less, just for the opportunity to upgrade and to try new stuff. In the meantime, I get to enjoy using the equipment I purchased.

It is a general observation, not a rule to go by.
There are great, helpful, knowledgeable audiophiles out there.
Don't get me wrong, I am not pointing fingers at anyone.
But through closer look at the treads, posts and activities, you don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to put peaces together and figure out who is who.
I don't see anything wrong in making a few $$$ here and there, I just wish that cards were on the table.
I agree with you that I might have exaggerated a little in my previous post. However my general experience and opinion is unchanged.

I agree with Viridian. I've never had any problems with sellers with high feedback. I've only had two 'problems', both related to a large discrepancy in the items description. Both sellers had less than 25 transactions on AudiogoN.

Maybe it just all depends on your POV.

John

I have to step in and defend at least myself, maybe others. If you are trying to state some kind of rule, there are always exceptions. There are risks with ANY transaction. Just look at the welborne debacle.

I've got stellar feedback on Ebay, but only 2 transactions here on Audiogon. I personally don't want ANY problems, just happiness on both ends. Honesty is the only way to assure this, and when somebody complains I just take it back even though they are just a pain in the ass tire kicker. You can't expect to please everybody.

You are right Storyboy, these are exceptions and not the rule. I think those of us with much feedback felt like we had to defend ourselves from Mrjstark's allegations.

This is all way off track and unnecessary though.

Happy Holidays,
John

when I've sold I've always responded to every inquiry unless I felt I was getting a lot of tire kicking type questions.
LarryK

David, again welcome. Try buying something on auction. This is how I did my first A'Gon transaction.

Thank you, Yoby. I had thought that buying directly would be simpler and more straightforward, but given my experiences with that, I think I will look into the auctions as well.

Regards,

David

David,

I'm surprised - I've bought and sold many things on AGon and always had great communication with all. But playing devil's advocate, as a seller, sometimes you get 5-10 emails a day, and it takes time to respond to all of them if you are working or have other issues (then again, I believe you should not list an item if you are not willing to talk to people). I always do - at least a quick note to let them know someone else has already given an intent to buy, or something like that. The email from the buyer also is important - some potential buyers just send something like 'will you take X less than what it was listed for' or 'I am interested' and nothing else - as a seller it is nice to get a well written inquiry, much like you'd expect if you were talking in person. As a buyer, on only one occasion a seller gave me a terribly written response, and because of it I did not go any further with the transaction.
I think your experience is unusual - in my experience this forum is very professional and better suited to good transactions than most retailers (with the exception of good 'high-end salons'). We represent a very small precentage of the population, most of whom find the hobby odd. This forum and its users seem to 'stick together' in my experience.

Hi Jimmy,

Thanks to some good information I received on this thread, I've taken to hitting the New Today items regularly, and I've gotten much better response on the one item I've inquired about. I think that some of the items I was asking about before were already sold, and the owner hadn't gotten around to listing them as such on A-gon.

This thread has helped me a lot, and reinforced the notion that it's better to be humble enough to acknowledge one's ignorance and ask for help than to stand on one's pride.

Warm regards to all,
David