HAVE ALL SALES STOPPED ON AUDIOGON ???

I have yet to see anyone really dropping prices. In fact, I think there is plenty of wishful thinking by many sellers on here as well as US Audio mart.

It is absolutely a dream buyers market.

Those with a fair amount of disposable income and no job security worries should be in for a treat.

Food and toilet paper??

I have enough reserves of blubber to last me a month... Lol.
And if you do not eat, well ergo you do not need much toilet paper......

The craziness of the circumstances suggest it will be a good time for buyers with jobs and/or cash to make a better than normal deal. 


As for the dream... it seems that the dream may be about food and toilet paper..not audio equipment?

Not sure but it's a good dream.......

Maybe with the mall's as ghost towns and theaters/plays shut down and social distancing becoming the norm, maybe people will be staying home and listening to more music and just maybe thinking of upgrading/buying a new piece of gear. Am I dreaming? 

I believe you are correct snapsc.

I recently sold a lot of items on eBay but ONLY because I started them all off at 99 cents and no reserve.

Kidology still can work at times.
Some fetched less , some went higher so overall pretty happy.

Of course it's a risk that way but at least I got some coin in the bank.

May not be correct but I suspect that with many people being laid off and the country focused on the virus... luxury, hobby, and/or big ticket purchases will also be delayed for a while. 

I sold two items recently within days of posting. Both were acceptable offers.
Now I have a big ticket item up for sale and very low response. Only extremely low-ball offers and tire kickers. Have counter offered my lowest price (very fair IMO) and been ignored. 

As to the right pricing strategy, it has worked in the past for me to Raise my price. Otherwise, the product might be considered lousy.

Pretty much deadsville on any sales platform right now no matter HOW cheap you make it.

Good luck to anybody who desperately needs to sell something to raise cash.

The flipside is that if you do have some spare cash to burn it truly is a dream buyers market!

I would opine that the latest snafu via PayPal may very well be a death blow for future sales here.

Not a rosy picture.

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/what-just-happened-to-accepting-paypal-looks-like-they-are-tr...

When I buy used, I generally choose gear that I know is coveted by some portion of audiophiles, and I jump fast on a really great price when I find one. That way I can be reasonably confident of re-selling if necessary. And I always go in simply expecting to have paid some level of expense to acquire the gear.  I’m not concerned with getting every penny back when re-selling. I had ten years of use out of my MBL speakers so I have no problem selling them for somewhat less than I bought them. Basically, when I re-sell, I want it gone quick.When I find the lowest previous sale price I often put mine a bit lower so I can always alert "lowest price."

Certainly worked again for selling my MBL speakers. In less than 2 days I’ve had 36 offers for outright buying them, almost no tire-kicking or low-balling.


Someone is picking them up today - I sold for over asking price.

I haven't been all that active a buyer/seller on the A'gon for some time now.  My most recent acquisition was a trade up of my ARC Ref 5SE to the Ref 6.  I did the flip with an ARC dealer.  The Ref 6 was a broken-in dealer demo (610 hours).  The main advantage was convenience of being able to swing 2 units in one deal.  

Did I lose money by going through the dealer?  Probably, … but the convenience factor was hard to beat.  I've done the buy/sell thing on A'gon many times.  Making the buy and sell deals, followed up with the schlepps to a local FedEx or UPS store just got old for me, ... because I am getting old. ;)

Just saying.

BIF

I think some used gear is not priced well either. Just because something is no longer available new it shouldn't be listed for more than the original new price.

We aren't selling classic cars.

Good for you Prof.
Glad still some life out there.
Tbh I have not really had any wasters or tyre kickers of late.
Been slow but those who have bought have been great members with sensible questions and fair offers.

I haven't sold on audiogon for quite a while, but I've sold about 6 items in the last year with no problem (canuckaudiomart).
I listed my MBL 121 monitors last night and they were literally sold in five minutes.  And within a couple hours I had 10 more offers to buy immediately.   (But then, I tend to list things for cheaper than they are normally found.  I don't mind losing a few hundred bucks or whatever in order to make a fast sale).

Must have been a boring weekend sports wise....
Nada then 2 sales within 15 minutes of each other.
More funds for the addiction.......

Viscous circle. Kids say the darndest things. 😀

And therein lies the ever decreasing vicious circle.

The more as buyers we offer less and better down prices then our other side as the seller is only going to suffer more.

It's a tough world!

@uberwaltz. Me too ! I’ve sold three items since mid summer and really had to discount price to move them-like never before. 

It makes me think I’m too generous when I’m a buyer. 

Not always true EBM but usually an end result.
I hate when they then just disappear without the manners to at least say not interested.

Maybe I expect too much of my fellow man.....

Tire kicking and asking questions are the people that NEVER BUY!!!!

I had two phono stages sell within 6 others a few weeks ago. Then again, When I first listed one of those stages a few months ago, it sat for 30 days with crickets.

Only the chop breakers are left!!

I’m a poet and don’t know it.

Gonna raise me an army, some tough sons of bi-atches
I’ll recruit my army from the orphanages
I been to St. Herman’s church and I’ve said my religious vows
I’ve sucked the milk out of a thousand cows

Mahgister.
You did not partake of same meds as Geoff by any chance?
🍄

Congratulations to a great poet really the greatest of Audiogon...Thanks Geoffkait… :)

Yes, let’s say it was somebody. 🤪

Somebody slip something good in your meds this morning Geoff?
😁😁

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and caldron bubble.
Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the caldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder’s fork and blind-worm’s sting,
Lizard’s leg and howlet’s wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble. 😬

Anybody seeing any uptick in sales here or eBay or usaudiomart?
Unfortunately even with good pricing (imho) it still appears to be a very troubled market.
Only way I have sold many items is to let them go at very low pricing and even then still a fair amount of tyre kicking going on.

There are some items I have used that I can do this with if I feel I have had my monies worth out of.
However some other goods where I need to sell to fund new projects I just cannot do so it has to stay at what I consider a fair price.

To rate sales on the big three I would have to say in this order.

eBay if I sell at a no reserve auction but then you run the risk of not getting close to what you really want but at least it will go.

Audiogon if I price a desired item very keenly.

USAAudiomart bottom of the pile, usually only had silly questions from there but hey its free so there you go.

I have been doing this since e-bay started and since Audiogon started the first time, I guess my biggest problem is with peoples honesty , how they will tell you one thing and do something altogether different........Will

@grannyring 

When you have a great product at a great price like you most certainly do then sales will follow!

Unfortunately tire kickers are prevalent in every walk of life and online sales of what can be viewed as "luxury goods" is especially susceptible.

I know we consider hifi essential though but Joe Public can have a differing view.

Autospec.


Hang in there,buyers are out there, just some minor turbulence along the way.

I must say sales are very good for my cables and used gear now. Yes tons of questions leading to dead ends over 70% of the time, but I knew this would be the case. I try to inform and answer no matter the length and nature of the questions.  

I'll tell you why I don't like selling to new guys is the will have you spend hours answering questions, taking pictures and the drop out like a bad habit...........I had a guy just yesterday have me pair up four pairs of 75 pound amplifiers and take pictures of them (36 pictures) that took two and a have hours and he really didn't want anything.....What a waste of time..............Will

Bob

It does seem some of the eBay mentality towards new users is creeping in but it's crazy.

Example is that 3 of 4 sales made in last couple of months were made to new users with zero feedback. Now if I had turned my nose up because they were new it is possible I may still be sitting on those items now! All went perfectly.

Autospec.

Just selling in one's and twos and it is all my own personal gear from upgrade or change of plans etc.

I refuse to give the stuff away just to make a sale but always open to negotiate on price or a deal to a point.

Unlike one strange seller I dealt with recently who told me i needed to learn to read as if he was open to any offers he would not have limited his listing to a buy it now price only. That's a winning attitude if ever i met one! 

One issue I am a bit perplexed with is sellers not taking new users seriously.
I have seen a few posts from Agon members not wanting to sell to those with little or no feedback.
With Audiogon's policies, I can't see how a seller would be taking a risk in selling to such a person- And, we all have to start somewhere.
Bob

UBER:    I would have to ask if you are continual selling items or just one's and two's .......The market place seems to be approached differently by people who see the seller as a dealer...........And that seems to justify the treatment the seller receives.....I find the people doing the most questions, do by far the least buying......I would call them "Dreamers".....It seems that the more questions they ask ???  The more in touch with the item they feel .......I have even tried to let people buy on a two month pay out, just to help the sales process.......But it is very easy to lose patience with people when they have you do very time consuming picture taking and sending and you never even get a "Thanks"..........Will

Thoughts on the market so far?

Anybody having good or bad business?

Have done pretty well over last couple months on sales at what I term fair to me prices both here and on the Bay.

However some sellers still need to work on their negotiating tactics a little as I found out today. But that's life.

@stereo5 ,
That sound like the same guy who was selling a pair of Vandy's a few years ago. They, too, took years to sell. ( and, a custom paint job, too).
B

Thought I would give an update based on sales price of gear of late.

it appears vinyl is pretty healthy, sold three tt and four carts fairly quickly for fair money.
cables and the ilk also fairly easy sales again at fair prices.
good speakers always sell it seems.

amps if a well renowned brand and In good order also moving ok

the kicker to the selling trend is more modern tech like DACs and streaming devices. Does not matter how highly regarded they were, the tech is so fast moving these are definitely a hard sell at decent fair money . Even priced way below market is still a slow sell.

thats my take on it from this year so far.

overall not terrible imho

I see a lot of the same items listed, relisted, relisted again, etc.  I remember seeing this one ad for a pair of school bus yellow Wilson speakers.  I have seen the ad for 2 years and the picture is of them in the guys garage next to his Porsche.  The ad always says Porsche not included.  Honestly, how many of us want school bus yellow speakers in our  living room?  Perhaps that is why they haven't sold.  Also, the price was rather high and he kept mentioning the custom paint job on the speakers.

My most recent experience on here suggests that some members just do not truly want to sell their item at all.

Without naming I found an integrated amp very interested in here at a fair price, cross checking on eBay showed same amp/seller but $200 LESS than he had on here.
I sent a message asking if he could do a better price right here as an eBay sale would cost him near $300 in fees alone and as he was already $200 less there they could afford to cut a break on price here AND still net more for their item.

Their reply was terse and simply said they thought my negotiating tactics were very strange!

Say what? I was trying to get the guy some more money, and save myself a few dollars I admit, but how odd!

Some people just cannot be reached it seems!

Hope that works Jerry.

Although tbh I have come across sellers on here who just do not seem to care about selling at all.

I have had instances where messages not replied to and even ignored with the public nudge, then it is just time to say bye!

Good luck!

Uberwaltz, 
Added a public friendly 'nudge' to say he has a message. Hopefully he wants to sell to someone even if they have no feedback (he has 1 - everyone has to start somewhere!). I know that if I was selling an item worth that much, I'd be all over my messages!

I sold a Benchmark DAC3, Benchmark AHB2 amp, and Audience 1+1 V3 speaker for 60%-90% of what I paid. This was in the last 60 days. I guess if you have in demand items and the overall cost is not prohibitive your items will move for a good price.

I guess there could be an email issue although I have not had any problems, have been getting emails regular.

Jerry, if he has a email problem then you could just try just replying direct to their ad with a public reply so that they and everybody should see it, be polite but state your facts.

Good luck

Uberwaltz/autospec, thank you I thought be I was committing some kind of Audiogon faux pas by asking. He has my zip etc, I just don't want to get hit post purchase with a $350 shipping charge! 

I have found that it's not the sellers fault about not answering all the time.....I have had the Audiogon system so screwed up that it will not let you answer.......I was down to my last two days of a sale and couldn't answer any Audiogon e-mails.......I'm sure I lost the sale over that.....So keep trying......Will

jerrysfinger

The only dumb questions are the ones not asked imho.

If the seller cannot or will not give you a very close real shipping cost provided you have given him your address or at least zip to get in the ballpark then there may be some reasons.
Could be busy or maybe does not want to deal with a new member?

However in my opinion you should probably just move on as yes sales are darn hard to come by and sounds like they do not deserve your business.

There is NO excuse for just ignoring anybody no matter what their train of thought maybe, I have sold items to a number of new members with zero feedback and had no issues at all.

Good luck.