Pre-owned $50K speakers for the price of $30K is likely not a good deal with the vast majority of brands. Consider that it’s not uncommon to get a >/=25% discount on brand-new pairs in that price range. Only chumps pay full retail on $50K speakers.
I want to buy new speakers for 50,000 and see it used for 30,000, what should I do?
two issues here, would it be smarter to buy the used speakers not knowing where they’ve been or how hard they’ve been played or maybe there’s something wrong with them. And the other issue is what happens to the value of my speakers immediately after the box comes to my house. And I guess the third issue is, amI insane for buying $50,000 speakers.
It seems like I’ll be losing $20,000 immediately and of course probably a little more since if I ever sell they will need to be reduced further so used price can be 30,000 if a dealer is involved which they probably will be.
This raises a serious concern that very nice speakers are just too expensive.
Fortunately (and luckily) I’m not married so that makes this process a lot easier
Showing 6 responses by helomech
Wilson, Rockport, Raidho, Sonus Faber, ATC, Focal, KEF, Magico….too many to list. Unless you’re buying a factory-direct brand, 10% is not a good deal I am sorry to say. Keep in mind that MSRP is typically between 80 and 100% more than dealer cost. They have plenty of wiggle room. But don’t take my word for it, try calling around to a couple dealers and negotiating the price on some of the aforementioned brands.
|
Actually the MSRP on those Acoras is currently $48K depending on finish, close enough. They just happened to be the first example that came to mind since it was relatively recent. I’m not going to potentially throw the dealer under the bus by exposing him, even though he’s resorting to the same sort of deal making I’ve encountered throughout my time in this hobby. I won’t risk him losing the line since it might create animosity with Acora dealers an adjacent regions. Again, don’t take my word for it, call around to some of them and ask what kind of deal they might be willing to make you on that Magico/Wilson/YG etc. Just because you didn’t get as good a deal doesn’t mean there are not good deals to be had. And yeah, early on in my time I was just as ignorant and bought more than one pair of speakers for full retail. Some dealers will only give good price breaks to repeat customers. But many if not most are willing to do so if you merely ask. Again, call around and ask. If they refuse to budge over 10-20% it’s because they likely think you’re flush and/or already smitten with the product.
|
One of the single-store dealers in my region does quite well despite regularly offering 20-30% discounts on nearly every product he sells. The exceptions are the handful of lifestyle products he offers, like Sonos. He said there are simply too low of margins on those products to offer anything better than 10% off. Meanwhile, he’ll offer to sell you a McIntosh stack for >30% off, just so long as you agree to not go tattling on him to Mac. Even though the guy’s customer service is mediocre at best, he seems to do pretty well. I surmise that’s because what he gives up in profit margin he makes up for in sales volume. The guy won’t even load the gear in your vehicle for you because he suffered a stroke a few years ago. But is that a big issue when you’re getting the warrantied product you want for 35% off?
It’s surprising how many here are seemingly unaware of the deals that can be had on brand-new hifi. I figured the primary demographic of this forum would be accustomed to being offered such discounts. It has been my experience that in most cases, with most dealers, one needn’t even ask, the salesperson/owner is eager to offer a sizable discount.
|