2. misc-audio
  3. 182636-20292

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?

128x128jcoehler

Showing 1 response by ejr1953

ejr1953
895 posts
 

Years ago I worked in some high-end audio shops and seeing how many hours the demo equipment was powered up and being used, I've stayed away from purchasing any of that sort of equipment.

I also tend to stay away from pre-owned speakers, even from individuals, as it's difficult to audition them and determine if they've been abused.  Having said that, I've been successful in purchasing pre-owned electronics, when the models are in current production and are available for purchase as new, as it seems that it's more difficult to abuse electronics compared to abusing speakers.

I only have a power amp that I purchased used, from a seller who provided me the original purchase receipt, about four months after he made the original purchase from an authorized dealer.

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