What frustrates you the most about seller’s for sale ads?

Dealer ads have taken over Audiogon.  Most ordinary citizens sell on US Audiomart.  

i concur, this is largely true

@dronepunk , @geof3 - also agree. I find it kind of insulting when adverts say "buyer pays paypal fees". The seller knows exactly what these fees will be. Just adjust the price accordingly. Paypal protects both buyer and seller. Would you ever buy a new product from a store that told you that you had to pay credit card fees?

@jjss49 yeah, I’ve pretty much gone to USAM for both buying and selling these days. Still some on A-gon but mostly USAM.

@jaytor 
I think they do that cause the final sales price is usually not asking price so it covers them and takes that expense completely out of the equation. 

Please don’t say “you are covered with PayPal”
because it is not automatic!
it is a long story but I just lost $1300 to a scammer and ended up with NOTHING!
I hate PP!!

The single biggest complaint I have is sellers listing “used” gear as “mint “ condition. Happens over and over and not just here but anywhere where people buy & sell. Don’t know about you guys, but mint condition where I come from means as new. New, not used. Untouched except for examination, not used for 6 mos. As new, not with scratches and dings! I’ve seen sellers list items as mint or near mint and tell you what repairs are needed! Don’t piss down my leg and tell me it’s raining lol!

Dronepunk,
If you pay with a Credit Card using Paypal and there is a problem...contact your Credit Card company NOT Paypal.  Your CC company overrides anything Paypal can do.  On NUMEROUS occasions I have had problems and I have always won the case going thru CC. Sometimes you can even keep the item AND get your money back on top of it.

"Just in on trade..."

I’ve suffered from a lack of ethics in general. Issues/problems being left out. When you advise the seller on the data, they throw in a discount. I take this as confirmation that they knew it had the issue. 

I'm with the others who  said price. Many listing are asking way too much and you see the gear over over when browsing. 

"These don't come very often so don't miss this shot to own this rare pair of amps...." 
This particular ad has been going on for over 1 year! 

@rsf507 

and now we know why they are so rare, no one wants them!

@stereo5

haha i agree

but some gear are indeed rare -- small maker, few units sold, hand built etcetc, expensive to start - no assurance they are good buys used... completely item-specific

other gear are excellent, sold in large numbers, popular due to performance value and availability due to production scale on part of the maker... their being plentiful on the used market is a good sign, not a bad one... many newbies misjudge this aspect

Im sure most of us are guilty of many of these practices.  Marketing and salesmanship are just that whether at the retail level or secondary market. 

@tonykay 

There is one East Coast company (I won’t name) that sells often here but their prices are so high that I always know it’s them. I remind them occasionally that their prices are double the "average" price on the Audiogon Bluebook. They tell me they don’t care because business is good for them, but I see their items sit here for many months before they sell, if they sell. Very often, their products are flawed in some way, but they still ask ridiculous prices. If you’re a frequent shopper here, you know who I mean. R

Oh yeah I constantly laugh at their ads. Ridiculously overpriced and WHY do they think most of us are stupid to pay anywhere near the asking price LMAO.  Oh but I am sure there is that ONE person who will not know any better.  

Seen many amps that are very nice but seller will not ship for any reason. Are you THAT darn lazy?  They brag about how good it is and need to move but absolutely will not ship.  OK buddy hang on to it for months haha. 

The important thing is if the piece of gear is in good shape and working properly age does not matter at all to me the sound matters most.

the repetitively worn out buzz-word “minty”

Sellers that list item as a "9", but it's dusty as the desert.

Then there is the kind of would-be buyer who disingenuously posts “questions” taking issue with the stated condition of the equipment, and/or insinuating it is overpriced due to the  lack of original packaging or some other marginal detail. I doubt Audiogon much appreciates such self-appointed equipment police, who inhibit site commerce just so they can take potshots at others’ expense. Instead of dissing the merch — and the seller — move on to the next ad and leave it at that.

Things that frustrate me about for sale ads: 

1) stock photos on any item, especially an expensive item, with a note that reads: pictures to be added later or available on request. 

2) Not being able to answer rudimentary questions: age, hours on tubes and past repairs. 

3) Lack of response to questions and offers. 

4) Not including photos of serial # or unwillingness to provide the serial number. 

5) Asking top dollar and then making me work to get answers to any of the above questions. 

6) Rating gear much higher than its actual condition. 

EVERYTHING

scalar9 said:
"Then there is the kind of would-be buyer who disingenuously posts questions” taking issue with the stated condition of the equipment, and/or insinuating it is overpriced due to the  lack of original packaging or some other marginal detail. I doubt Audiogon much appreciates such self-appointed equipment police, who inhibit site commerce just so they can take potshots at others’ expense. Instead of dissing the merch — and the seller — move on to the next ad and leave it at that."

I personally don't comment on the price of for sale goods; value of an item is to be decided by the buyer. However, I DO take issue with  ads that do not honestly state the condition of the equipment and give it an appropriate numerical grade. When I see it, I point it out to the seller, and will continue to do so. If sellers won't "police" themselves, then other members like myself will have to police them.
And by the way, I have never had a complaint from the moderators for doing so.

Speaker ads with one or more driver dust caps or tweeters poked in by a toddler..."does not effect sound".

"Rare". Rarity does not equal quality, and it means the piece will be difficult to find parts or repair for.

Sales pitches presented as an opportunity for the buyer, when the seller is the one looking to unload this stuff.

...”almost Everything”...almost Everything is Wrong...which sometimes leads to good comedy on this site. 
But there are truly some very good Audiophiles selling at very reasonable levels, and that alone keeps me returning to search for the “right” gear. Can I hear an “Amen”

Mine is a basic one:

It bugs me when sellers don’t say why they’re selling an item. I always want to know and sometimes lose out on an item whilst waiting for a reply.

Are you “upgrading”? That’s useful to know because maybe the item isn’t as top of the line as I think. Does an amp not work with your speakers? Maybe I have the same ones. Etc, etc.

They don’t have to write their life story, but it’s nice to know the motive behind the sale.

larshepping said:
"It bugs me when sellers don’t say why they’re selling an item. I always want to know and sometimes lose out on an item whilst waiting for a reply."

That never bothers me. It used to when I was new to the game, but now I realize that just because the seller wasn't happy with it doesn't mean that I won't be. Now I'm only concerned with the condition and the price.

Another thing that bugs the hell out of me is when I see an ad that claims it’s only a few months old, but they don’t have the original box. This is so common with speakers. Why in the hell would get rid of the original boxes or crates for a 30-60k speaker. If you can afford them and don’t have the room put them in storage for $50 a month for at least a year.

Dealer in an Audiogon ad has done it again. Listed a piece of gear as having a 20k retail when it's actually 16k. He must think if it looks like it has a higher retail he can sell it for more. I'd hope most people looking for any piece of current gear will know the true retail price. Yes this does annoy me. 

A few things I really hate: When item for sale is the original version of a product, which is now on Mk IV, and the seller lists the original price as that of a new Mk IV as opposed to the original one from 20 years ago, which he’s trying to sell.

Another thing I hate is when a seller says something like, "Six month old...blah, blah" when he actually means "I’ve owned the amp for six month" but the original owner bought it in 1982.

I find it sort of funny that so many sellers appear to get offended if they're offered something less when they list the price as "firm".  IME as a buyer, the price is normally only firm for a certin period of time.  After that it's amazing how many sellers are willing to move on their price.

Whenever I'm interested in buy something, I always ask the seller this question:  What are you willing to let this go for shipped to the 98367 zip code?  I do this because I know each seller has a certain dollar amount they're willing to let the item go for and 99% of the time, it's not the asking price.  

Sometime I'll get a snoddy comment in return.  I choose to not purchase from those sellers.  But most times, sellers are pretty cool about that question and they'll respond with the lowest they're willing to accept at "that" moment in time.  

Yeah ad I was referring to says "Just taken in on trade....." when in fact he posted same identical piece of gear back in September 2020. No change in ad content or pics.