Everything slows down this time of year. In my former life years ago I was a carpet installer. January into Feb. was by far the slowest time of year. Nothing new.
I think the pricing on used gear is off base for the most part. The local Craigslist has a fair amount of decent gear that just sits there - mostly McIntosh stuff priced way high, at least for me. Just saw a listing for a pair of Vandersteen 2 asking $800. I looked it up and they originally sold for $890.00. I know Vandersteen is desirable but WTH.