Be nice to nOobs


I'm fairly new to good audio, and very new to Audiogon. What a great site! I looked at all the goodies, and thought, "This is a great way to try different stuff, sell it if I don't like it, and really listen to a wide range of gear until I decide what I like."

My problem is this: I've made several offers at full price, but in most cases never even received a reply. Is this normal, or is it maybe because I don't have a track record at A-gon? I've sent follow-up e-mails asking if the stuff is still available . . . and again gotten no answer.

I welcome any advice on what I'm doing wrong or could do better. I'm a noOb, but I'm a serious buyer, and getting tired of feeling "like chopped livah".

Regards,
David
debitto
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
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