Buying Used Speakers

I have repeatedly purchased used speakers in my life. The biggest was the first: a pair of Vandersteen’s then-TOTL, the Model 4. I bought them from a west coast seller via an intermediary firm that handled the money (kind of a broker, ensuring the deal was satisfactory to both parties and arranging return/refund if not). They were shipped to my house in upstate NY on a semi-trailer. It was quite a scene getting them off that trailer and down the 250 ft driveway. It was a perfect transaction ... I loved those speaker to pieces.

35+ years later I’ve purchased 4 or 5 big 2-ways for the home office. All transactions were flawless, including the most recent--a pair of Harbeth 30.1s purchased from the UK. I've never been burned.

So you could say I’m wide open to purchasing used speakers. But this is a case where there really is no substitute for Paypal’s Goods & Services payment mechanism. In the case of the Harbeths, had the deal gone wrong, I would’ve had 3 parties to back up my claim: Paypal, eBay, and the credit card company. I would never buy something costing $3K or more without multiple layers of protection.

And naturally, when I sell speakers, I accept G&S payments. There's no other way to safely do this.

Timing on this topic and the comments are very helpful.  I am in the market for a new set of speakers and definitely going the route of buying used.  Its a plus to hear some of the suggestions that I have thought of, but there are quite a few new iideas brought up that I have not considered.  I live in the S.E. and have no problem with driving my SUV on a journey that takes a day or so plus an overnight!  Make it a destination and enjoy some of the local food and drink.  I can reach GA, S.C., N.C., AL, & TN given these parameters.  I look for a seller that has solid feedback in the past few years and returns email inquiries in a timely fashion.  I don't overdo my questions and if the pictures are semi-professional along with a good narrative I move to the next step.  Will definitely inspect the speakers when I arrive on site and will only buy a set with the original packaging.  

I had an excellent experience with buying used. They were sent freight the seller including the freight in purchase price which were demos at half price. Arrived in beautiful condition. And sounded great. Went totally on reviews. I had no choice but luck was on my side in this situation. Go used but do your research on reviews and sellers. Find out if they were serviced. They have been if they say something like factory checked as you noted. I've seen some great buys lately with excellent speakers.