I have bought a few items online and have also sold a few. Some in the $10,000 range. I have always spend a fair amount of time of the the phone in all transactions. I have asked for and sent video clips to see/show every side and surface. Buying from the original owner is nice, but not always imprortant. If the gear we're buying should last 20+ years, I not too concerned if a couple people have enjoyed it first, so long as it's still in "like new" condition. When dealing through AudioMart, I can see the buy/sell history of the person I'm dealing with. It's always a red flag for me when I see a person has made 65 purchases and 80 sales. I want the number of transactions to reflect someone who is building thier system, not just flipping equipment for profit. Wrong? I don't know.
Previous Ownership...does it matter to you?
I'm curious as to how others feel about knowing the previous ownership history when purchasing used audio equipment. Not necessarily who specifically owned as that's usually not possible but how many owners.
It might give you a glimpse into whether the item has been shipped back and forth from coast to coast in the US, Canada, or another country and if there's something not as advertised with the item since it continues to change hands too frequently.
I recently exchanged messages with a seller of a previous set of very nice speakers I previously owned. I knew the complete history, the buyer listed himself as the third owner when in fact he was the fifth owner. When I shared the details, his response was "could care less about ownership and how many times it's changed hands....".
I was surprised by the response. The obvious reason to understand ownership it's one of the listing rules from both Audiogon and US Audiomart in regards to the rating scale. Both Audiogon and US Audiomart are specific that anything a 9 or above must be single owner. In the case I reference above, the seller lists as a 9 even knowing he's the fifth owner.
What is your approach to knowing ownership history? Does it matter or not to you?