What happened to the "club atmosphere" of Audiogon?


Hi Goners!

After 12 years as a member hear i have developed some questions based on my observations of Audiogon in the last four to five years...

When i joined it was a fledgling group of "music lovers" who now brand themselves, quite often it seems, as "audiophiles"! [ whatever that REALLY is...:-)
The boards were helpful, very helpful and almost never negative but like a brother [be it older or younger] discussing the finer points of a product,company, design etc...

It was known that you could score wonderful, WELL MAINTAINED audio and video products sold at a fair price and with confidence that the person who sold you that item would stand behind it!!

It was the CULTURE of Audiogon that made it so very special to me, in fact it has been on my radar every day since i joined!

I have been a seller, buyer, trader, cartridge seller and have noticed disturbing trends:
Seems if anything is mark "USED", even 5 minuted old, it should, at best, garner only 50%
Lowball offering has become rampant here,trying to then add insult to injury by asking the seller to pay shipping!
Nasty,curt e-mails without any simple courtesy and professionalism...Now i am painting with a broad brush BUT all of these negatives , and more i will not go into from this vein, have reduced this site to a "virtual close out Wharehouse" of close out merchandise or find your ads not even getting a question about your ad!!

I for one enjoy the banter with long time posters, some of who have earned my respect with they're
 witty yet insightful comments...

Has anyone else felt Audiogon's best days have come and gone if we follow the present template?
Thanks and keep the responses civil and helpful please!

azjake

Showing 1 response by sbank

Think of Audiogon Forum as a pub. Not quite everybody knows your name, but there's a handful of faces that you are comfortable seeing and you are happy to drop in on their conversations.

When I see Jmcgrogan2, I know some helpful knowledge is being shared. If EBM pops in, I am sure to find a laugh from his brevity and candor. If I need a technical education to go with a strong coffee, almarg and atmasphere will be sure to make sure I understand the details.

Yeah, there's often that d-bag in the corner, shouting at some girl who lost interest after his second witticism. But that's the price of entering a public house. You never know who will stop in, and some will add more to the flavor of the place than others.
Perhaps the OP is correct and I should make sure my wallet is in my front pocket, but that's a concern everywhere these days. I'd still rather hang here than most of the other joints. The music's better here. Cheers,
Spencer