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 soaringbear

Prndlus, you said it. You use your intuition. 
if I get an odd feeling about the equipment or the seller, I stop looking.

I think this is the heart of the question. It’s about integrity and trust. we each have our ways of evaluating a potential seller/buyer. I just prefer intuition. And then I follow up with dialogue and request for more pictures. If someone were to balk, or have an attitude, I would move on.

you can’t make a good deal with someone who isn’t acting in good faith.