money getting tight?

Hey Rbirke

Starts with a RE then follows with a CESS and ends with ION

:)

Fall is supposedly the very slowest time for selling on Agon.

I don't believe no story 'bout no recessions. But sure wish I had me a job tho.

As for your 'steal' prices. I bought and sold a pair of 11' Satori shotguns over a year ago. Your price on the Satori's is not exactly what I would call a 'steal'.

-IMO

Hello "Rbirke",

Auctions are very difficult to master. I've been doing this for several years, mostly on AudiogoN, and I can offer a couple of tips to help you sell your gear without losing your shirt...

It's not uncommon for "no reserve" auctions that have a starting bid of at or more than 50% of retail for (even mint) used gear, not to get any bids. Bidders are usually afraid to commit to a first bid of that nature.

The first thing to do after you have posted it, is to get your auction noticed. The more views you get, the more likely you are going to sell your item for a reasonable price. You can do this by posting your auction in BOLD print -its a little extra money well spent.

Next, find a newsgroup that you can post to (i.e. rec.audio.marketplace) that will draw people to your auction site. Also, if you have any AudiogoN members that you have done business with, shoot them an e-mail (if you don't think they will mind) telling them that you have certain items up for auction.

Now that you have some additional traffic going to your auction(s), timing is important. We have found that the best time to start an auction is either on Monday morning or Friday morning, and schedule it to close on Monday night or Friday night. These times draw the most traffic for auctions.

Okay, the safest way to auction is to start your auction at $1.00, with a reserve at your minimum selling price and have the buyer pay the shipping. This will at least give you a list of members that show interest in your item(s). So if your reserve is not met at the close, you can contact them and perhaps negotiate a sale. With a high starting bid, if no one bids, then you don't know who would be interested (unless THEY e-mail you).

The best way (WARNING: also the most risky, however) is the "$1.00 No Reserve" auction. In this auction, you will want to make sure that you advertise in the title somewhere that it IS a $1 No Reserve auction. It may also benefit the auction to include the retail price in the title as well. This type of auction draws BY FAR the most attention to your auction, and yeilds by far the most bids.

You may or may not get your minimum selling price in this type of auction, but it is virtually guaranteed to sell. Granted, the more detail you can share about your item (include review links or references if at all possible), and the better the photos you can provide, will influence the bidding positively. Also, the more well-known an item is the higher the bids will go.

Don't quote me on this (because it's not an exact science), but if you implement all, or at least most of the above suggestions in a $1.00 No Reseve auction, I could see your Bryston and your Rouge getting anywhere from 50-70% of retail. Only a select (no punn intended) few cables can frequently get more than 50% of retail in the used market.

I hope this helps. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any additional questions.

Best regards,

-Donald

W ENTERPRISES NORTHWEST - Portland, OR USA
"High End Audio That Is Music To Your Ears"
| www.wenterprisesnw.com | wenw@qwest.net |

It appears that your idea of 'steal' prices, and the potential buyer's idea of 'steal' prices, are not the same. The prices I saw are not what I would call a steal, in fact, they seem a little high to me. Not that I'm interested in any of those items. To me, a steal is getting a 9/10 preamp or amp for over 50% off MSRP, or cables for over 60% off. A smart shopper can get brand new from a dealer with warranty for 30% off, or even more sometimes. So 30-40% off of used is not a steal, in my book anyway.

I personally am seeing prices lower than I would have otherwise expected. Seems like a buyers market to some extent. However, popular products (e.g. Thiel 1.6) still sell in a heartbeat.

There must be some money still out there.....look at the ridiculous prices being asked for tubes and lp's and cd's....virtually EVERY deal on this site for tubes, lp's and cd's can be beat on EBAY........anyway, don't feel too bad, I listed a pair of CAT Sequoia speakers which retail for $97,000 for $40,000 and never got one nibble....I didn't even get an offer. I offered them to a dealer in NYC for $20,000 cash and a pair of B&W 801 Anniversaries he has and he blew me off. Good luck!

If you lower your asking price enough, people will respond. It's simple law of economics.

Posting photographs of the gear and referencing reviews can help. Also agree with lower asking prices. Should be around 50% off for 8-9/10 gear.

Keep in mind that people who buy from speciality sites like this one are by and large a lot more knowledgable than folks who shop on eBay. I listed a pair of 9/10 Mahlers on another audio-only site at 50% of MSRP and got no serious offers. I listed them in the classified section of my local paper and sold them in 48 hours for 75% of MSRP. The buyer was tickled to get such a deal.

I love the 'gon but don't think of it and other speciality sites as the only venues for selling your gear.

will

don't limit yuourself to audiogon.
ebay is much better media but probably more expencive. it does make a sence though. above suggestions about a high quality pictures along with bold and galery preview features are very very helpful. i mostly sell cds on ebay but was never unsuccessfull selling different products including audio equipment.

Thanks to all...I guess I thought that the most relaiable way to price things right was to see what the lowest price on A'gon was for similar gear and then go as low or lower than the lowest. Hasn't seemed to help, so all your comments are very welcome. As far as percentages go, the amps I'm selling have an opening bid at 47% of list, the pre at 60% and the cables at about the same. I thought those were reasonable, but I can see that I had my head in the clouds, at least according to some of you responders, and the the definite lack of interest in the auctions. Thanks again. Rich