For Sean & any other interested parties, below is contact info. taken from a recent email that I received from Mr. Norbert Schmied. He apparently has at least two enterprises going on now. Regading website preferences: I spend most of my time here & have met a number of other great members here, including Sean of course. I've generally had some pretty good luck trading here, although not perfect, & I believe that this is generally the best place to hang out. Arnie the site operator has become more attuned to the desires & preferences of the membership & is certainly responsive even on an individual basis. The forums are working pretty well (now that they've been retooled a bit). I really do enjoy my daily adventures on this site.
Now for Mr. Schmied::: Norbert Schmied Founder AudioUtopia.com http://www.audioutopia.com norbert@audioutopia.com
Norbert Schmied Audio Indulgence "Audio you can feel good about!" 16945 Roberts Rd. #18 Los Gatos, CA 95032 Phone: (408) 356-5090 Fax: (443) 787-0501 http://www.audioindulgence.com email: sales@audioindulgence.com |
To renew my faith in AudioGon I posted a Grado headphone amp for sale today, surely something that weighs 2lbs (amp and shipping material) won't dissuade anyone from buying from afar. Love the forums, even if I'm not buying or selling anything! |
Audiogon is the first thing I look at in the morning, then I read the paper. I think this site is by far the best in terms of the quality of equipment for sale and the quality of the discussions. For the most part, I have found A'goners to be extremely well-informed and willing to share their experiences and knowledge. I have bought and sold a lot of stuff on this site (essentially everything I've bought since I caught the audio bug about a year ago), and I have never had a bad experience (knock wood!). I wish there were more audiophile sites that were this good.
As far as I'm concerned, A'gon and NY Times online edition are the two best things on the web! |
I have posted identical listings on Audiogon, Audioweb, Audioshopper and Audioreview. Guess where i received the most inquiries and sales from ? Audiogon. I could add up all of the others put together and they don't come near the results that i've gotten here. That goes for both buying and selling.
I would also like to agree with some of the comments regarding how transactions and packing are handled. It seems as if "Audiogoner's" pay a little more attention to this too. This is not to say that every item has been as well packed as i thought, etc... but they did get here in one piece (typically ). On the other hand, components purchased from other sites were not as accurately described nor packed as well, some phenomenally bad and completely destroyed because of it. As such, i'm more likely to deal with someone from this website based on past experiences. Sean >
PS... What's the name of the website that Norbert started after he left AudioReview ? Have been there before but can't remember what it is. Something like AudioNirvana, etc... |
I list here because I like the page design, it's easy to include a photo in the ad and also because I am familiar with the drill. I may try AA next, though, both out of curiosity and because they have gone to the trouble of recently including classifieds in their format |
If it wasn't for Audiogon, I would be upgrading my equipment as much. I really enjoy this site but my wife hates this place. |
At least when selling-- well buying too, I haven't had much success on the "other" audio sites, so I've been pretty much been sticking with A'Gon which I think is by far the best. In fact it's become my "home away from home". But all sorts of strange stuff can be bought and sold on eBay. Cheers. Craig |
Funny enough, but I find people starting to become much more biased with respect to geography. The last two items I sold (this week) were listed here first. My listings here drew some inane questions and a couple of ridiculous offers. The other two websites I posted the ads to (where other 'philes likely live within easy driving distance) I sold the items at my asking price. I'm wondering if the shipping via UPS, USPS, or Fed Ex is driving people "local". Costly shipping charges make your good deal kinda average at best, not to mention busted stuff thanks to the gorillas that handle yer stuff while it's in transit. Hope my theory is off the mark, cuz I love buying and selling on the 'Gon. Jeff |
The "other 'A' site" is still useful, though not nearly to the extent it was back in its halcyon days. I've found that there's a great deal of information on the other "A" site, but the people delivering it are not always as qualified and professional as AudiogoNers. In my mind, there is clearly a real sense of community on Audiogon, to the point where I feel like I know some of you. Then again, the walls of my apartment are padded and I have to wear a helmet at all times, so you can't take my word for it. Audiogon rules. |
I read both daily. Have bought and sold there also.I've bought items I couldn't find elsewhere; I've sold an item nobody here was interested in--at all!! So, there, luck is where you find it. |