They do. Everyone knows audio doesn't sell these days unless it is giving away. And they choose not to give it away.
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"Most ads say best offer if someone wants something they will make on offer.Hello!!" Not true, they will just move on to one that is priced properly....Hello!! R |
Most ads say best offer if someone wants something they will make on offer.Hello!! Actually a Buyer will just move on to something more sanely priced. Hello!! R |
With in the past two months I have run 10 adds, 4 here and 6 on the free sites, sold 2 pieces here within 10 days for my asking price which was a bit on the hi side and refused several OK offers on the other 2 but don't mind keeping them. The 6 adds on the free sites I sold 2 the day they posted and 3 within 5 weeks and will renew the not sold adds and add the 2 items not sold here and see no reason to give them away. If you got good schitt they will sell. Just sayin. |
as with most things collectable, it usually comes down to finding that one buyer looking for what you are selling. It may have absolutely nothing at all to do with the price. Just a matter of timing and the right web site. If a potential buyer is looking for a particular item and sees it for sale on this site, then, several items take over, like 1) condition, 2) price, 3) location, 4) shipping issues, etc. not just price. Also, who is to say something is "overpriced"? I typically use Audiogon's blue book feature to determine the average sale price of an item, and I typically price my item (unless very collectable) a little below blue book average. This is why I don't tolerate low ballers. Also, I am reluctant to ship, really expensive items and use paypal. Because paypal protects the buyer not the seller and the seller can actually damage an item upon receipt (happened), tell paypal it wasn't working and paypal will refund the buyer the funds and the seller is now left holding a now non-working item. It is best to have the buyer come over, hear the item work, pay for it, then and there and take delivery. but, if that can't happen realistically, then there may be issues. The buyer (in this case) better have really good approval scores. anyway, many times it isn't the price, its timing. enjoy |
I've had the same speakers for sale at usaudiomart.com for around a year now. I didn't want to ship because I don't have the original cartons and just don't like shipping. To quickly facilitate a sale, I'm asking half of what they went for new so anyone could come over and pick them up. Stated so right in the ad. Got lots of offers out of state and only one for local pick up. It seemed to be going just fine until he asked how much I'd discount them for if he came over to pick them up. When I told him it was reduced $500 for that purpose, as stated in the ad, and to get back to me with his decision, I never heard back. Some people just want something for nothing. That, and the number of "looks" keeps on climbing. All the best, Nonoise |
If you don’t want to ship you’ve drastically limited your market. If you don’t have original shipping boxes, you’ve likely devalued your sale by 10% even if you do a good job with packing. Your item is unlikely to be worth more than 50% of the commonly available retail price (which is not the same as list price by the way) unless it’s virtually new or in high demand. That’s my experience. |
I sold 15 items here this year alone. 3 of the items were over 2K and I had no problem selling any of the items. Most sold within 3 days and only one item went in 12 days. I have had no problems selling, but did have a problem with a buyer who accused me of selling a broken Magnum Dynalab tuner. He had terrible reception and jumped to conclusions. |
On the other hand, the other day I was talking to a Japanese record seller on discogs. The record was advertised as NM, so I just asked him to confirm the condition. He play graded it and said no, it has some noise in couple of places, though it does look NM. Then he corrected his add and lowered the price. Nice. We'll see, I bought it, should be very strong VG+ - acceptable. |
To be able to successfully negotiate, besides knowledge and intellect, you need to acknowledge and understand the other side, another person. Not easy or simple. Determining fair price is often interesting. In the past, couple of times I refused sellers' offers but not because I thought they were unfair, it just was too much for me at that moment. And I told them so, including that I thought their offers were indeed fair. |
Agree; if you're selling used gear for anything over 50% list then don't be shocked if it doesn't move. 10/10 open box, or 9/10 "5 hours use" isn't particularly impressive, either. Many items have to go beyond that 50% discount, depending on circumstances (speakers are always a hard sell due to shipping/hassle, and cartridges due to delicacy/trust). And there will always be obvious low-ballers looking for a score or a quick flip; ignore them too. |
I get this and have a question. I am THINKING about selling a set of speakers that was refurbished by the factory to new and just have remained in their sealed boxes since I have another pair I listen to. Back then, these sold for a bit over $1500/pair. Newer models run over $30,000. Should I ask 1/2 original retail? The refurb and shipping cost more than that, but if I ask MORE than 750.00 will anyone be interested? Cheers! |
i generally agree with minorl--most of the buyers here (as opposed to say, ebay or craigslist) are audiophiles and not flippers or bargain hunters, and it usually does come down to finding that one buyer who's looking for what you're selling. that said, the market is what it is--those sellers who insist that their item is worth more than what identical items are listed for are going to be unhappy. |
For those of you that live in or near Maryland, we are having our clubs first ever audio swap meet. All are welcome. John GatskiOctober 10 at 9:16 PM DC Hi-Fi Group/Capital Audiofest Audio Rummage Sale Silver Spring, MD DC Hi-Fi Group/Capital Audiofest Audio Rummage Sale+Vinyl When: Sunday, Oct. 14, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Where: Historic Garrett Park Town Hall 10814 Kenilworth Ave. Garrett Park, MD Table 1 •Oppo PM-2 planar magnetic headphones, $250, originally $799 •Bryston HPA1 Headphone Amp/Line Stage, $600, originally $1,600 •MartinLogan Montis Electrostatic Speakers, $4,250, originally $10,000 •Legacy Studio 20/20 Ribbon speakers, $650, originally $2,000 •Macintosh MC275, Mid-60s original,$3,250 •Sony ES HAP-1 Hi-Res Player with 500 GB HDD/40 watt int. amp, $400, originally $1,000 •Pioneer Elite SC-79 Receiver With Dolby Atmos, $450, originally $2,500 •Sony PCM-2700 professional DAT recorder/player and a bunch of new tapes. $350; •Mojave MA-300 professional tube vocal microphone, designed by Dave Royer, $750 •Line 6 DT112 Guitar Amplifier. Bogner EL84 amp section with Line 6’s 24-bit modeling modes. The best modeling tube guitar amp combo, $350. Records, Original Sgt. Pepper, White Album (minus the poster), Abbey Road. Many others. Table 2 •Hundreds of LPs: many play graded Mint, Near Mint, and Excellent+, some still sealed; boxes of LPs priced at $1, $3 and $5; •BDI 6 shelf audio rack, $500 Table 3 •Adcom GPT 400 Tuner/pre amp; •Records, mostly 33.1/3 rpm $1.00 each •Focal JM Lab Subwoofer Chorus SW 700; •Samsung BluRay/3D pplayer BD C 6800 Table 4 •NHT Classic 4 speakers •pair NHT B12-d subwoofers •two NHT M6 speakers (Stereophile A rated)•three pairs (hopefully) •Crown D150A Series II amp •Bryston 2B-lp amp •Interconnects •Speaker cables •Bruel & Kjaer 2209 Sound Level Meter •Tektronix J18 Lumacolor II Photometer/Radiometer/Colorimeter with J1810 Chromaiticity Head •Tektronix TDS3032B Oscilloscope •Tektronix TDS3052 Oscilloscope •Tons of DVDs, CDs & records Table 5 •JVC Super Digifine XP-A1010 Digital Acoustics Processor •Philips GA212 turntable •Hafler DH 220 amplfier •Peachtree Audio Nova 300 integrated amplifier •LP’s (classical, rock, jazz, holiday music) •Sony CDP515 5 disc CD player •Connoisseur BD-1 turntable •AR Powered Partners •Spin Clean Record Washing System •Technics SL220 turntable •Sony 508ESD CD player •Sony 730ES FM tuner •Stax ER34 Earspeakers (headphones) •JICO Shure VN-35HE Hyperelliptical stylus for a Shure V15 Type III Table 6/7 •Emotiva TA100 Integrated Amp/Reciever with Blu-Tooth module Regularly $449 Demo $339. •Emotiva A-700 7 Channel Power Amp Regularly $599 Demo $449.00 •Emotiva XPA Gen 3 7 Channel Power Amp Regularly $1999. Demo $1399. •KEF R100 in Gloss Black Reg $1200 per pair Demos $699. per pair. •KEF R700 in Gloss White Regularly $3600 per pair Demos $2099. per pair. •KEF Egg Desktop Speakers in Blue Regularly $499.00 per pair. Demos $275.00 •KEF Egg Desktop Speakers in White Regularly $499.00 per pair. New $299.00 •KEF R200C Center Channel Speaker in Gloss Black Regularly $999. Demo $599 •KEF M500 headphones Regularly $249. Demos $159. •Project Maia DS Integrated Amp (Silver) Regularly $999 Demo $699. •Project Debut Carbon DC Frida Regularly $649 Demo $499. •Project Primary turntable in White Regularly $249 Demo $199. •Project Elemental Turntable in Grey Regularly $229.00 Demo $199. •Sony DVP-CX850 200 Disc DVD Changer New $899 Demo 200.00 •Yamaha RX A-3070 Dolby Atmos Receiver Regularly $1999. Demo $1399. •Yamaha WX-030 MusicCast Speaker (White) Regularly $249. Demo $179.00 •Bang & Olufsen BL17 wireless speakers with BL Transmitter, and Stands, Regularly $6999. Demo Price $3499 •Bang & Olufsen Beosound 1 Regular Price $1499 Demo $799. •Bang & Olufsen Beosound 2 Regular Price $1995 Demo $999. •Emotiva MC700 Pre/Pro with Blu-Tooth module Regularly $629 Demo $499. •Martin Logan Ascent Speakers have water stains on the back of one unit work perfectly. Table 8 •3 or 4 hundred CD’s, assorted Jazz – Fusion most for $2 - 3 •Pair of Polk Audio LSiM703 Bookshelf Loudspeaker Cherry $500 or best offer •Sonos Connect with Wyred 4 Sound Mods 96kHz $400. •Audioquest Sub X Sub-woofer cable $25 •Barely used Gold Lion KT77 tubes $100 •Shuguang Treasure Cv181-z Vacuum Tube Matched Pair Replace Cv181 Cv181-t 6sn7 $75 •used Matched Quad Psvane El34ph Philips Holland Replica Vacuum Tube EL34 $125. •Mirror Image Pre Amp w/ separate Power Supply $400 •Linear Tube Audio MicroZOTL Headphone/Preamp/ 1 watt Power Amp $450 •LTA LPS+ (Linear Power Supply) $350 Table 9 •Two Nordost Heimdal 1 meter RCA interconnects •One Nuprime STA-9 Stereo Amplifier •One pair Nordost Red Dawn 1 meter speaker cables with banana terminations •Two Antique Sound KT 88 tubes •One Genelux “Golden Lion” KT 88 tube •One pair 6 foot Benchmark XLR interconnect •Two VPI turntable mats •Two pair GLS Audio speaker jumper cables (spades) •Two pair Cardas copper alloy speaker terminations •Two pair generic speaker terminations •One iFi 20 inch RCA internecct cable •Bell 2325 tube integrated amplifier with phono equalizations (recapped in 2013) •Fisher Model 101-R Stereo FM and AM tuner (working) •One Deluxe Edition Richard Wagner DGG Von Karajan Ring Cycle ( DGG 2720 051, 19 LPs VG+) •One “Spider” turntable clamp •One Souther record clamp •One Tannoy “Gold” speaker cabinet with Electro Voice XT-12 inch coaxial speaker •Four Mapleshade 1 1/2 inch brass alloy footers And much, much more Table 10 •Pilot 232 amplifier •Pair of Fisher 30a mono amps •Numerous Boxes of records •Adcom 555 •Pair of Quad esl57 speakers Table 11 •McGary Audio SA-1 30-watt tube amplifier, Carver C19 Vacuum tube preamp, Technics SL-B100 turntable w/Pickering TL-3 cartridge, several NOS GE 6CA7 fat boy Vacuum Tubes, Amperex gold pin NOS 8416 tubes, Sylvania gold pin NOS 5751 tubes, Telefunken 12ax7 and 12at7 tubes, Mullard 6dj8 tube, Amperex 6dj8 tubes. Table 12 Description-Sell Price-Ebay Price-MSRP •Emotiva UPA-2 Amp $140.00 $265.00 $299.00 •PS Audio GCPH Phono Preamp $500.00 $625.00 $999.00 •Onix Rocket RS250 Bookshelf Spearker w/Ring Radiator Tweeter $140.00 $700.00 •Sound Dynamics RTS-3 Bookshelf Speakers $60.00 $280.00 •Sound Dynamics Dipole Surround Speakers $40.00 •Monoprice MP-65TW 6.5in 2-Way Bookshelf Speakers $15.00 $29.00 •Polk RT35i Bookshelf Speakers $60.00 $399.00 •HDMI Cables each $2.00 •Toshiba XA2 HD-DVD Player with 50+ HD-DVDs $50.00 $68.00 •Roku 2 XD Streaming Player $15.00 •Roku 2 XS Streaming Player $15.00 •Roku 4200X Streaming Player $10.00 •KRK Rocket 5 G2 Powered Studio Monitors $80.00 $170.00 •Logitech Squeezebox Touch $140.00 $250.00 $599.00 •Emotiva Integrated Amp $60.00 •Logitech Squeezebox Duet $80.00 $160.00 •B&O PLAY by Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H2 Headphone $20.00 $189.00 •NuForce HP-800 Studio Headphone $40.00 $49.00 $149.00 •Outlaw Audio 200 Monoblock Power Amplifier $120.00 $299.00 •ASUS RT-N56U Dual Band Gigabit WiFi Router $45.00 $75.00 •Logitech 1080p C920 HD PRO WEBCAM $25.00 $50.00 $79.99 •Linksys WRT160N-RT Wireless N WiFi Router $10.00 •Linksys WRT320N-RT Wireless N Gigabit WiFi Router $15.00 •Panasonic DMC-G5KK 16 MP Mirrorless Micro 4/3 Camera Body $120.00 $199.00 $499.00 •M-Audio Profire 610 Firewire 6 in/ 10 out Audio Interface $50.00 $100.00 •Oppo BDP-93 w/Nuforce Audiophile Analog Add-in board $400.00 $549.00 •Benchmark DAC1 Dac Headphone Preamp $400.00 $500.00 •HRT Music Streamer III $60.00 $149.00 •HRT Music Streamer II $30.00 $179.00 •ART DI/O Tube AD/DA Converter 96k/24b $40.00 $249.00 •Focusrite Saffire Pro 14 Audio Interface Firewire $60.00 $110.00 •Native Instruments Audio Kontrol 1 USB 2.0 Audio Interface [Mac/PC] $40.00 $80.00 •M-Audio MobilePre USB Audio Interface $10.00 •Martin Logan Vantage Electrostatic Powered Woofer Speakers $2,750.00 $5,000.00 More gear and LPs to be added to this list on Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2018DC Hi-Fi Group/Capital Audiofest Audio Rummage Sale |
Unless the item is massively overpriced for the market, the ability to sell comes down to two factors: 1. Timing - that instant where there is somebody looking to buy exactly what you have. 2. Whatever the market will bear. Pricing and perceived value is really weird and I have seen an average $1500 item being sold successfuly anywhere from $1200 to $1800 within an 8 month timeframe. This doesn't always happen, but pricing can go all over the place. --- I had a set of very expensive amplifiers ($7k) sell within one week. However, I had a set of much lower price amps sit for 3 months before selling. It all depends on timing. |
@shoe , They are Clearwave Duet 6 monitors and I live in the L.A. area. Here is a link: https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649417070-clearwave-duet-6-monitors/ All the best, Nonoise |
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I will throw in that I recently sold some big monoblocks that I didn’t want to ship locally, trouble free sale. The buying offer came to me from an ad I ran on Craigslist. I had three conversations with three potential Agon buyers but none came through with a deal. So don’t ignore Craigslist. It can help you sell your high end gear. That said, it’s far from perfect and I have always enjoyed meeting Audiogon members whom I’ve bought and sold gear with in the past. |
I am moving and downsizing. Found a Shure V-15 type v cartridge new in box in my stuff. Threw it up on eBay along with a Shure test record at $169. Sold for $420. Put up a Grace F-9L with no stylus for $99. First bid came in 4 hours. Waiting to see what happens. Guy on eBay bought a crossover from me. We got to talking. He bought 90% of my JBL speakers including a pair of L300 I did not look forward to moving. And most of my loose drivers and 42% of my vinyl. Made 3 trips. I expect one more trip. :-) |
99% of the for sale add's are over priced. 75% are way way over priced...so much that you cant even or don't even what to start a negotiation. The others you try to start an honest fair negotiation with either never respond or get all pissed off. I just recently sold an entire 7.2 home theater system...not the highest grade stuff but really good...Klipsch Ref7 speakers, dual subs, 7 large speakers, Da-Lite screen, 8 theater seats, video processor, middle atlantic racks, Oppo, Marantz processor and more. Sold it all in 3 weeks max. Priced it right to sell. Its gone out of my life, not in storage and I've moved on. It was very easy no drama sales. I am currently looking to build a "Listening Room" in my new home. For fun I am buying all used gear if I can find what I like at a fair price. So far...ZILCH...I'd rather pay a few more dollars and get new. People think there stuff is worth it's weight in gold and some sentimental family heirloom! Its used electronics guys...geesh! |
whatjd sounds like you can't afford the gear that you are lusting after because you can't afford it. When I was recently in the process of purchasing a new house the ones I really wanted were way above my budget so I wrote them all a letter and told them to lower their price so I could afford them. They just didn't "get it" |
soundsrealaudio570 posts
You are so right, the CJ ART, Audio Research, Classe, Magnepan, Martin Logan, Magnum Dynalab, and other gear that I own are an obvious sign that I cannot afford gear. |
Re nonoise: I love your speakers, and are fairly priced. But still out of my range (literally), especially living in Alaska. I believe that shipping from and to here is more than just small part of the issues of buying and selling that I deal with. And with soliciting offers, there are some who will offer a small percentage of the asking price and some who are truly trying to negotiate. I embrace negotiating, but few are willing. But, I will continue to do the thing I love and enjoy: buy/trade/listen/sell. Cheers |
There's a truly profound & deep as the ocean issue at play here. The incontrovertible source of the reflexivity embodied in the often stated sentiment, "I'm not giving it away" needs to be understood. The resistance of many sellers to doing so is ferocious. It has to do with control issues fueled by unexamined & undealt with emotions that they are often too unwilling to remotely deal with - choosing rationalized denial instead. The economics here make this more then clear much of the time. Money represents 3 things only - time, effort & energy. The first in particular is an irretrievably, irreplaceable commodity. One that so many are prepared "to give away" (in addition to the other two) to pursue what is often the illusion of gaining the prosperity money is a component of. There are partial exceptions of course - such a when you need to finance something specific with X amount of dollars that cannot be easily supplemented by other resources. This is too rarely the case however. All studies show the human mind is wired to be substantially more sensitive to loss then gain. Actions are precipitated by loss 3 to 4 times as easily as gain. Its a stubbornness built into us that is no longer as rational as when it meant living or dying regarding our food supply when we hunted to eat. Loss of food stored was always more keenly felt then the urge to go out & hunt (unless we were ravenous). Our most powerful intellectual attribute, our imagination just intensifies it near infinitely in modern times - fueled by old, deep emotional programming caused by bad experiences . It makes us weaker as we desperately pretend it does the reverse. All of us - its simply a matter of degree. Whats required is true strength - not arrived at easily. Otherwise referred to as maturity. The maturity to realize that when your unconscious tells you that it is time for something you own (or in general) to go out of your life - you let it. In the most efficient way possible - including not squandering irreplaceable time (& the other 2) - so you can get on with the next phase of your life. The meaning of life is always most fundamentally: To Learn. It can really be a B at times & for many, especially here. Squandering time, effort & energy can thus easily become negatively addictive while rationalizing it with a vengeance. Notice how many will just double down petulantly when this pointed out to them. Their masculinity (usually a man) feels threatened & is instinctively responded to. No man is unaffected but the genuinely strong & mature ones have learned to let go. |
Whether or not the OP can afford certain advertised pieces of equipment has less relevance than whether he feels the advertised price is justified. Anybody can put any price on anything, and buyers can react in any way they want. Who cares? In my case, I usually give away my old equipment to budding audiophiles, especially those that I know have limited means. For example, I had some 30 years old speakers that I installed "new from the factory" drivers in. They looked and sounded brand new. The manufacturer had just issued an anniversary edition for $1500.00. So I figured I could get - maybe - $750.00 for them. I had the original boxes, but they were shot, so deduct $75.00. We're at $675.00 now. Shipping would be around $75.00 (two boxes), so we're at $600.00. I would have to find and modify two boxes, so let's say two hours of my time (I make $45.00/hr) and $10.00 supplies, so we deduct another $100.00. Deduct another 10% for the 1/10 deals that go wrong, and I am at around $450.00 (about what I paid for the new drivers). At that price, knowing that I would have trouble convincing any new buyer that I had actually installed new original factory drivers, I decided I would get more satisfaction giving them away to a thirty year friend who loves music but wasn't in a position to spend any money on audio equipment. He was thrilled, and I get the satisfaction of helping out a dear friend and knowing that those excellent, lovingly cared for speakers found a good home! |
I have never had any trouble buying things on sites like Audiogon, but selling is a different matter. I am 100% honest and fair, but I have been swindled on a number of occasions. When I take the risk of selling into account, plus the actual cost of packing, driving to UPS, and shipping, the value of online selling depreciates. I live in a small city (100,000 +/-), so having people pick up the equipment or Craig’s list doesn’t cut it for audiophile equipment (different if you live in a large metro center). I find it easier to sell equipment on consignment. I get less money that way, but all I have to do is bring in the equipment. When I consider the value of my time, it is a better deal! |
I've sold about a dozen classic tube gear items on Audiogon at my asking prices. Classic tube gear keeps escalating in price like my sales of a McIntosh MX110, Fisher 200, MacIntosh MC30s, Fisher 400/500 receivers, etc. They are now in greater demand than when I sold them over 15 years ago. I've purchased items for about 50% of retail price as well. I've had really fine experiences with Audiogon but couldn't buy speakers or cartridges for the same reasons stated previously (won't ship and condition issues, respectively). I did just purchase speaker cables at a fire sale price because they are from a highly respected but unknown manufacturer and he was selling long runs (20' and 25') of 2 pairs and a single run of 25' and I only needed a 25' pair. Tough to sell unknown brands. |