I'm a little perplexed/surprised by TMR and who sells to them.....

TMR is a business that provides a service of selling for you, so I’d expect it’s more expensive than selling yourself.  This service is not free, and many use their services.  

My only issue with TMR is their rating practices.  They tend to overrate the condition of their gear.  For instance, they will routinely list gear for sale on Audiogon rated as 9/10 and then describe said gear as very good but go on to show marks on the face of amps or front baffles of speakers.  So their 9/10 is my 7/10.  As such, I look very, very carefully at their pictures and take their overall “condition” with a giant grain of salt.  Basically, I don’t consider buying anything from them unless it is “exceptional” and even then I have received one item before that had a mark (albeit small) on the top plate despite being described as exceptional.  YMMV

As one who owned a high end audio video dealership and was generally loathe to take in used gear, even if it was purchased from me weeks before, used is used. Period, one month, one claimed hour of listening to ensure it was “ working flawlessly”, it’s all the same. Used is 2nd hand and usually that voids warrany. Even if not, same thing. It’s worth the same, generally 50% off list. Anyone who thinks differently is an arrogant fool. No one cares if you’re a verified” anything. In fact the more gear you go through publicly trade on the web, the more not less suspect your mindset is! Now to your issue, do you expect a dealer to make a profit giving you 50% off? TMR is a DEALER, not some dude in his man cave. It’s a money loser at 70% off list.! New a dealer flat out loses money passed 25% off a legit customer—a guy who walks into a shop in NYC not the a-hole who uses the dealer’s showroom and then calls around looking for the lowest bidder. You deserve 0 support if you’re that guy. Do you think lights, real estate, utilities, building a showroom, salaries, commissions, inventory ( it’s taxed twice a year which is why retailers in particular try to get as close to zero inventory when taking it arrives). So after all that, frankly anything much below 90% of list is problematic. When you go to a car dealer, do you expect to get the same selking versus trading to them? Who would you feel more comfortable buying used from me or TMR? Pennywise pound foolish. So, if you are taking an attitude, maybe you should ask your question out of ignorance rather than saying their raping me and i should get more for taking the short road. No retailer makes “big” bucks. Revenue is a stupid metric. Businesses exist on on profits. And Used is not TMR’s main business, but i have no doubt it brings physical customers in their door. And they are a blip percentage of the secondhand market.

TMR for the most part is pretty awesome.  If you are selling big speakers and don't want to deal with the shipping hassle, they are a godsend.  They pay shipping to them, they schedule the freight shipment (if needed), they pay you F&F when the item sells, they deal with any customer returns (you still get paid even if the customer returns it).  Last time I they even shipped me a pallet and straps for a speaker shipment at no charge.  I sold a fairly esoteric amp through them a few months ago and it sold for much higher than I was expecting.  Their 35% cut of the consignment is a fair price to pay in many cases.

I have not bought from or sold to TMR, but I suspect it is growing in popularity as a buyer because of the aging demographic trend of audiophile hobbyists. When I first got involved in this hobby twenty years ago, lugging large, unwieldy boxes that often weighed more than 80 pounds to FedEx or from my building’s mailroom was easily doable. I practically thought of it as a de rigueur aspect of the hobby that was necessary to find bargains and sell them at a minimal loss if they didn’t float my boat.

Twenty years later, my ability and willingness to do what I used to do, e.g. driving to the next state to pick up a 90lb VAC Phi 200 from a seller or carrying a similarly heavy Plinius amp to FedEx a few days after buying it used, are gone. Thankfully, I’m very happy with my current setup, so I have been fairly inactive in the hobby for the last decade. But I can understand the appeal, especially among older audiophiles, of selling to TMR, which takes most of the legwork out of selling used audio equipment.