Buying Used Speakers

If buying used speakers, I’ve made long drives to verify all drivers operate and inspect before loading and transporting myself. If site unseen, there’s risk but stick with places like TMR and you’re pretty safe. 
 

Remember, there’s risk for the seller too. I sold a set of tubes and the buyer wanted money back claiming one of the tubes was bad.  I offered full refund for return of all tubes. After several weeks he returned them and I found all tested and worked perfectly. Coincidentally he was selling a tube amp and I suspect he needed my good tubes for demo.  There’s risk on both sides. 

Light speakers, no problem. Heavy speakers, personal pickup only is my recommendation. My latest weigh well over 200 lbs each. I live near Austin, bought them used in Fort Worth. Saved me 13 k. Ad was posted both on audiogon and USAM. Seller had a handful of good reviews. Have been buying multiple used pieces of audio online for years without any issues. Selling can actually cause more headaches. Just dive in if saving money matters to you.

@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.

@cubbiesman Great loudspeakers have become stupidly expensive, but they are terrible investments. High end audiophiles are forever getting the next best speaker. Let them take the hit buying new. The only real problem is reliability. Except for ESLs, loudspeakers age and dynamic drivers will eventually fail. Thus, you do not want to buy a speaker that is over 10 years old. The newer the better. You can count on 25 years with good speakers, double that for ESLs. Good speakers are 95% of a great system and you want the best you can afford. Buying used from reputable sellers is a great way to get a better system on a limited budget. 

My last 3 sets of speakers came from a dealer either as trade ins or demo's.  $ Savings is significant and you have the security of a well established vendor to stand behind the sale.  In the case of the demos, you even get warranty.  I know this method doesn't work for everyone, but it has worked great for me.