How will the COVID-19 pandemic affect sites like Audiogon?


One would think that with social distancing and shelter in place policies, there has never been a better time for upgrading and enjoying your audio system.   But is now the time to buy and sell?  The mass unemployment and economic distress accompanying the pandemic seems certain to undermine what is essentially a luxury market encompassing both gearheads and music lovers?  What effects on buying and selling audio gear — both short and long term — can we foresee?
merlin
Nobody in Audiogon are speaking about politics....We speak about music and sound usually....

Most people face anxiety, lack of truth, inactions, survival mode, total lack of direction and leadership at the country’s head....You can call that politics if you are  stupid or some politician I will not name... I call it despair...But at least we can speak to each other.... Thanks to the moderators...
Mahgister.
I would agree with you most times but of late due obviously to the concerns people have over the covid-19 there HAS been a lot of politics mentioned, discussed etc.
That cannot be ignored so it is happening whether we like it or not.
Audigon will come out stronger after this. As people will realize the power of online discussion and trade. 
If the lockdown takes longer than expected people who are short on cash will sell and audiogon is a good venue. On the other hand those who have surplus cash will be tempted to scoop the bargains when they see them. The key here is that the delivery channels like UPS, FedEx and other independent couriers should be allowed to conduct business freely to allow trade to continue unimpeded. 
Jetter,  How refreshing to hear that you are an independent with no prejudices either way as you take up space on an audio forum to denounce liberals.
Whatever happened to Audiogon during The Great Recession (2008) will happen now. The virus will be history in a few months and the government is throwing trillions at the economy so the jobs will quickly come back. And if people have jobs they spend money, so Audiogon will be OK, but like 2009, people will be hesitant to spend money for a while until the unemployment rate goes down. The thing to worry about is inflation and ten years down the road, because of the debt.

As a long-time market participant, and a student of market history, the herd instinct of human behavior regarding business cycles is pretty consistent and easy to predict. And so are the effects of government intervention. I expect the market to dive again because not enough people have reached "The world is ending" level of despair you see in every recession, although some on this thread have. It will probably happen when the virus peaks around mid-April. Once we reach that level of despair things will turn around.

As long as there are enough people who believe in high-priced audio, Audiogon, being the critical mass site for used high-priced audio, isn't going anywhere.