Has anyone noticed a slow down in sales?

NO NO NO !!!! YOU GUYS ARE ALL WRONG!!!! someone told me that the IRS is watching purchases. and anything over $600.00 they will be sending you a form, so that they can get their cut. so, no 5k purchases for that power cable!!!

Several years ago (long before Covid) I had some speakers that sat on USAudiomart for almost two years before they sold for less than what I wanted. It's always been that way. Sometimes things sell quickly, sometimes they don't. 

Too many dime store detectives here.

All the best,
Nonoise

I definitely noticed a slowdown. I've had a headphone amp (interesting, quality design & well priced) F.S. in various places since August. Just two sorta/kinda inquires about it, neither serious.

The world is kind of in a mess now, more than usual. This is just one tiny part of that mess...

It's very slow on ebay......

I may be the only optimist logging in here, but I find after Black Friday and Christmas is a great time to buy because there is a bunch more on the market, after people get their new toys :-)

Value, to me, is clarified if at least two people are selling similar items for competitive prices. I prefer to think I got an okay deal, than see I got a bad deal two months later when an similar item comes up for sale two months later, if you know what I mean.

Used car prices seem to be going down, too.

@coltraine

there are so many things that affect how people sell audio, and it's in so many ways unique to one hobby, I would not draw conclusions

I’ve seen good buys on USAudioMart sit for months. Not a good sign. 

for me, these prices are wildly out of my budget (anything over 4-500 bucks for a component)
so when used prices come down, I welcome it

It's the slowest time of the year for Retail....following the hottest time of the year for retail...and it has nothing to do with funding Ukraine's army to save democracy.

Yes there is a slowdown across almost every sector (except free money for Ukraine and what it buys- politicians and military hardware).

I have noticed something interesting:  In October there were a number of good deals available (under 10K for a set of Ref 250SEs which I'm in the market for).  I waited for sellers who needed money to sell in the 8s.  (Dealers pay less than that for spec. purchases  BTW)  All of a sudden around Christmas there were 11 listings on HiFi Shark all looking for 15-18K !   I surmised that it was opportunistic sellers hoping to catch a Santa Clause rally.  

Now it's late January and lo and behold Ref 250s are back under 10K. Whoda thunk it? 

I expect more price reductions in older AR equipment for 3 reasons: 1) the new 150 Monoblocks are coming out and guys with no budget are lined up waving cash at ARC dealers.  Many will trade in older high end pieces which will be sold off at a good number once the dealer gets sick of dead inventory. Before then expect stupid asking prices by dealers looking for the greater fool. 2) There is a global recession. It touches all but the very wealthy- the Billionaire class does not price shop for used audio gear. and; 3) Winter is the time we tend to listen to our systems the most. Once Mr. Sunshine warms up the land people spend more time outside and not in their listening rooms. 

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.

The problem with blue book, at least when I had it years ago, is it seemed to average the prices over all time. Unfortunately, the vast majority of components drop steadily in market value as their release date ages. And given the nature of our market, there often isn't nearly enough sales data for a single model in a relevant "last 3 months" window. So blue book prices were usually well above actual "market" prices. Maybe I'm misremembering that, or it's changed. Anyways, there is little use for it today when you can check hifishark for recent SOLD listings. That should be your starting point. 

It’s the only tangible product I know wg

here guys keep their price the same no matter how long it sits there. Blue book? Throw it out. The prices were highly oinflated for a couple years. Price your item for what it is worth today Nd it will probably sell today.

It's not just the audio business, I work in the firearms industry and it has slowed down considerably.

Not including the military or law enforcement, there are 1.21 guns for every man, woman and child in the USA. If it were any other product, one might assume a saturated market.

It's this economy that has gone in the crapper. People are hesitant to make major purchases, knowing next week eggs may be $10 a dozen. 

Did anyone NOT see inflation and supply chain woes triggering a supply/demand imbalance in 2020? It takes a while to work through the system, however, these things seem to correct in due course. I’m still waiting for some gear I ordered in the fall of 2021. Smart manufacturers and sellers price strategically…and there are many zombie listings on the ‘gon. In fact, there is an Audio Research ref5se preamp I made an offer on in 2019. I dont believe the seller still has the pre but it keeps auto-renewing.

Competition settles these moments…if we price something and it doesnt sell, we can always lower the price or choose not to sell it. 

I just bought a pair of 3 meter XLR cables, but I must admit, not from an AGon listing.

It's not just the audio business, I work in the firearms industry and it has slowed down considerably. It's this economy that has gone in the crapper. People are hesitant to make major purchases, knowing next week eggs may be $10 a dozen. 

Yes, I have 3 pieces on eBay, 2 vintage macs. Lots of lookers but nothing yet, but they are 7 day auctions….so we have a few days left. 

Since I started in this hobby 20 years ago, I can’t think of many times when there WASN’T people belly-aching about the economy (with the other consistency being how peoples’ predictions are usually wrong!) or how the seller’s market is supposedly dwindling. The reality is that audiogon is losing business to alternative sites, one in particular. And they did this to themselves with the large increase in fees. You need to look around if your gear is sitting stagnant, and also ask yourself honestly if your price is reasonable. Some of you guys are asking for used gear what many people get for near or less NEW with discounts.

Prices being charged are too high.  I've definitely noticed a pricing structure being used and they don't make sense.  I've made offers at reasonable prices and they go unanswered.  Recession coming in 2024 - may actually start in Q4 of this year.  People are going to have alot of $$$ tied up in inventory so discounting isnt too far down the road.

I usually wait until Feb or March to sell stuff.   Hopefully someone's tax return is burning a hole in their pocket.   It's tough selling toys in a bad economy,  but some stuff sells regardless if you price it right and are patient 

I noticed things slowing down around Sept/Oct of 2022- seemed like the same listings just sat there- especially big ticket. These times are great if people are selling gear to raise funds- opportunities to be had. New gear at the dealer- not so much.

....lucky, we've got the momentum to carry us into end of 1st and into 2nd, and stuff in the pipes.....

Got reserves, for a change.

Stupid lucky?  Our timing is working, good crew and rep.... ;)

Can't get cocky, just git down...

(Under The Pressure, The War on Drugs; concert version or vid....)

Well if my money isn't going to be worth anything may as well put into something that will be worth something to me. I'm good at growing potatoes.

Probably. 

Anyone buying right now needs to be immune to value loss.

The stock market has noticed……

@moonwatcher 

I think this hobby requires a lot of time and money which most people in the 20s, 30s and 40s don't have, they rather travel, raise kids, buy stocks, real estate, etc.

But just like writing, listening to music as more appealing than ever, thanks to streaming and affordable headphones and systems

Yeah bro

I usually buy whenever I feel like it, I’ve also slowed down.  Don’t like the uncertainty

Right after Christmas, during a recession? When big tech are terminating 10s of 1000s of employees…. And you’re wondering about slow sales? Really??

Did anyone see the Focal Sopra 3 ad yesterday for under 5 grand listed here?  Didn’t look yet, wonder if it has been taken down?  Rated an 8 too.  I hope no one fell for it, I notified CS about it.  

With real world inflation running about 12%, if it was calculated the way it was during Jimmy Carter's time, many people are putting unnecessary purchases on hold.  I know I am. On the flip side, some would think that, "Hey, I'd better buy this or that before a price increase".  As others note, many are dealing with the post-Christmas season headache of bills coming due, paying what seems like 35% more for groceries, watching gasoline increase again, and pointing a baleful eye towards tax season, wondering if it will be good or bad for them.  Late Spring into Summer, when people have a better handle on finances, is more of a buying time. so hang on. 

I wonder how much @carey1110 's observation that all us older guys are pretty much set and figure no reason to buy much more and just be happy listening to music?  The 30 and younger crowd only seem to back into listening to music accidentally when they build a home theater system. Even then, the stuff they listen to doesn't exactly lend itself to even wanting to hear it on a good system. 

Are the days of people actively listening to music and enjoying it numbered like shortwave radio, which has pretty much died?  I hope the future isn't that bleak but prove me wrong. 

Can't be because of all the fraud and scams on here?

Can it?

I recently sold some items and the response on them was definitely slower than prior sales. Deals are out there, and I did acquire some  new equipment.

Yes I think High End audio sales are down across the board, dealers too. Most of us older guys have slowed down on switching gear like we used too, therefore we aren’t buying . After while we’ve heard  so much and settled into what we know and like. Younger generation is not that interested in music so the Audio demand has fallen as well. I  agree that this time of year is not the best time to sell. I expect it will pick back up somewhat in the near future. 

I think in general January is usually a bit slower as folks deal with bills from holiday spending and such.

I think that you meant doggin' Edward.

Everybody's dog-in it.