@roxy54 Silly to say the least. I’m just an average joe with no used speaker buying experience who is contemplating the pro/cons of such a purchase. I think anybody, whether experienced or not, needs to be a smart consumer when laying out $10K+ for the first time. A lot of the good posters have provided me valuable insights and tips in helping me assess said pros and cons. Not sure from where and how you’re drawing your conclusions but your remarks added zero value. Again, looking for good feedback vs. an amateur psych evaluation.
Buying Used Speakers
Want to get the group's thoughts on buying used speakers. The value proposition in many cases is compelling. However, there is a pretty good element of risk as well, even from reputable Audiogon sellers. What exactly does, "completely tested mean?" Or "performs flawlessly?" You don't in most cases get a warranty for starters and you're at the complete mercy of the adds and pics. Some of the sellers are broker dealers (with stellar reputations), so do they even know how they were treated? Prob not. Let's face it - the vast majority of condition ratings are based on the cosmetics IMHO.
Has anybody bought expensive speakers on AG or elsewhere? What questions did you ask the seller to help ensure they're as sonically good as cosmetically? Did you test them yourselves once you received them? Any good lessons learned would be much appreciated as well. I know for starters to get a complete description of how they're going to ship them. Thanks in advance!
Showing 2 responses by cubbiesman
@helomech That really resonates with me. The dealer I'm considering has a hifi store and deals almost 50/50 between new and used sales. His feedback is plenty and at 100%. Still, it's definitely wise to verify exactly what you're describing and better yet to travel to the store to verify in person if possible. Like you're saying, I wouldn't be able to afford what I want new but could in the used market. The other element is to verify his past sales. Are they high end items similar to what I'm considering? I can't tell you the number of times I went to verify a seller only to find the high rating was based on selling nickel/dime items. It's also good to see how cooperative they are in doing up front things like taking your calls, taking more photos, entertaining a visit to audition, etc. |