Why is used audio equipment so undesirable?

In 15 years of this hobby the only thing I have bought new was 2 CDPs

@mayoradamwest sums it up quite well. Total troll post. 

 Troll posts on used gear site that stays in business through used gear sales that no one wants to buy used gear. People reply. What a world we live in. 

Must be working with the wrong dealers.  Many of us are happy to take trades vs. new gear.  It does depend on the item as really obscure stuff is hard to sell or we take on consignment.  But if it is mainstream gear, even expensive mainstream gear, definitely.  

Is selling used audio gear to a dealer via trade-in when buying something new worthwhile? Goal is to get 20% off list when you buy something new, but then throw in a used piece to trade in and it confuses the process. The dealer has to make 30% for the used item if he’s lucky and he may evaluate it, which is always iffy.

And then selling a used piece to someone by way of a classified ad like audiogon is not ideal. I’ve seen fairly good stuff sitting on audiogon for a long Time. And then you discover it’s being sold by a dealer at a price that’s a lot higher than it should be. Who are they kidding?

Selling speakers and amplifiers that are extremely heavy makes sense to sell back to a dealer from a convenience standpoint. They deliver something new and they take the old away. Very similar to buying a mattress or a refrigerator.

I always feel it appropriate that my dealer can make a living… so he has to make money. The margins are not as high for dealers as it used to be. Getting 20% would violate most agreements to be distributors and cause the dealer to lose rights to sell… and they probably would not make a penny on the stuff. Margins are not 50%. The audio dealer owners I know drive Toyotas not Porsche.

A good dealer will earn every penny he gets from you… by steering you towards equipment that satisfies your audio taste.

My first car, at age 20, and my second car at age 22 was also used.  However, since every car was new.  I can't help but ask, why is this person selling this gear.  Is there something wrong with it, or was there something much better?  For that reason, I would purchase Hi-Fi gear new.  Besides, what if there is something wrong with it and you cannot get your money back.  I always feel someone who is selling something used there might be a reason why.  However, maybe audiophiles are different because I feel most of us take great care with our gear.  

emergingsoul:

Checked and you have zero marketplace feedback here @ A’Gon.

Just a thought, but why don’t you try listing all the mentioned spare gear here?

Then, you could could start a new thread about how it went.

DeKay

Because he just enjoys starting threads with unsupported assertions and then disappearing.

Do diligence. The only two things I bought used and kept was a pair of Sennheiser 595 ear speakers and a Yamaha T-70 tuner. Both arrived safe and sound and still work  A Yamaha C-4 preamp stopped working through the speakers w/i two weeks, though it did work with ear phones. A guy who repairs Yamaha equipment took it off my hands. I lost a nominal amount of money.  Buying used can save you a lot of money, but it can also cause you much grief. Know what you're buying. 

Due.

I've started buying used from dealers and trading in old equipment to get better price reductions. Selling MIT cables and a BAT tube amplifier brought me to that conclusion.   The ads for the gear had reasonable prices based on market research, but buyers negotiate much lower.  I don't know what I'm going to do when I eventually sell everything.  The equipment I enjoy isn't desired by a lot of people (I.e. MIT, Spectral, EglestonWorks).

Prices are rising for Vintage, maybe there is a hole in the middle, used/not old that you are dealing with. I sell my used equipment. Money helps me buy 'new to me' old stuff, or new stuff.

I work hard getting it in best condition, get documents photos descriptions, links to OEM info and reviews. That makes a difference. Make the effort, it will go.

Took my 2 McIntosh SS pieces to McIntosh, had them factory certified, new shipping boxes, did very well, easy safe shipping.

Current Fisher 500C, Excellent condition and sounding, many fisher oem tubes. I overhauled it's controls, dead silent, had VAS align the tuner, last step: brass caps need to be polished, then Steve at VAS may buy it, he wants 1st right of refusal! No wood enclosure, will be local pick-up only. That's limiting your audience, however I'm midway between NYC and Phila and can meet someone half-way, so we shall see. Could ship, but the alignment just done would be worthless.

Sold nice Carver Amp, Carver Tuner, Onkyo CD changer ... More stuff on the shelf, I found my SME 3009 II, needs some care, then sell.

IOW, you can do alright, but it takes effort.

As a result of reading through each of the comments I have come to some revelations and they are as follows:

Rather than run the risk of having used gear for sale always stretch to the highest quality you can afford to avoid the costly upgrade cycle. And maybe you'll keep the component until death do you part.

Avoid buying used gear to avoid the constant thinking where u wonder if it would have sounded better if u bought it new.

If I trade in used gear I will likely stretch my budget to buy something even better. 

Maybe I keep the gear and eventually have enough to set up a third listening room that I will never use but it will look nice.

Finally, Selling or trading in used gear Will serve too only reinforce that u lost a lot of money on gear that you didn't have for very long.  Better to store it away to forget about it or give it to a family member who otherwise would never spend crazy money on audio gear, and Hoping they don't talk to you about audio gear whenever you get together and avoid the insanity of wanting better gear and spending a ton of money.

So it looks like you learned nothing, and you still can't spell. 

As a result of reading through each of the comments I have come to some revelations and they are as follows:

I put the above through Google translate (English > Troll), and this was the result:

"If you didn't understand that I was trolling you with my initial post, perhaps this will clarify the matter."

You've read every post and came to those conclusions?

You need to turn in your Ace Ventura junior detective badge...

@emergingsoul The only thing I gather you ever believed and continue to believe, is that new gear is inherently better than used gear. Nothing will ever change your mind

OP, “some revelations and they are as follows:”

Those are valid for me as well.

There are some folks that love pursuing and swapping… reselling and constantly changing. There is nothing wrong with this… it is the journey they like not the destination.

For me, it is the destination. After the first few years of learning and finally assembling my first satisfying system I generally had about seven years of really great musical enjoyment and no system changes. Then I would have enough additional income to make an incremental step up. The destination always my objective. Sounds like that may be true for you as well.

I mostly buy used, never had a problem. Don't be afraid. Plenty of great bargains especially from those types chasing the "latest and greatest"

I bought an Opera tube SACD player MINT with box and manual etc from a very well off individual. The unit was like new with low hours ( and looks cool and sounds great) for $450 w/shipping.!! $2,200 new. 

As Mr Steve McCormack told me," Newer doesn't mean better" He recently upgraded my vintage McCormack DNA1 -R/1 into a "new" SMc Audio GT22 Plus. So I have a brand new -25yr old amp that probably sounds as good as a Constellation Centaur II Stereo amp for 1/3rd of the price.

Buy used from rich people and you won't have any problems.

Seems to me that there exists a thriving used market.

I have ever only purchased three audio components new:  a DAC, one pair of speakers that were not available used, and a home theater pre/pro.  Everything else is used.  

With regards to reliability, it differs by type:  digital stuff, electrical analog, and mechanical.  Assuming that is has been well treated, pretty much anything less than 30 years old is not likely to fail, I think.  Good quality digital equipment - things like processors and DACs, are probably going to become outdated long before they fail.  Older electrical equipment, which I have owned a lot of, needs a good recap.  All things electrical go out of spec eventually.  Even then, it's more likely to be amps than preamps or tuners because of heat.  Mechanical items, e.g., speakers, transports (cassette, CD, DVD, phono) are more likely to fail sooner, but still get years of service.

If you're concerned about buying used equipment that is less than 5 years old, it's probably not high quality.  Nothing well made and well taken of should fail that soon.

You can't force people to learn.

I have purchased many nice pieces of equipment on the used market. Most audiophiles take great care of there units. I have been able to have Hifi Equipment i would have never been able to buy new. Purchasing through Audiogon or Usaudiomart I have found great products and good people to work with. I would never buy on craiglist or facebook or some platform like that. Just my thoughts .