What's going on with the used audio gear market?


OK, maybe I am unrealistic but I've bought and sold audio gear for the past 25 years off and on for my personal use  as I change out or upgrade.  It seems that a reasonable expectation is around 50% of MSRP or somewhere close. That has been what I've always sold for and bought for. Now I see stuff priced at 80-90% of MSRP. I am talking about things that are not really statement products and can be a few years old and they want 80%.  I just don't get it, this stuff for the most part depreciates rather quickly due to the advancement of technology. Is this a hold over from the Covid Inflation effect on supply and demand? I guess that supply and demand will eventually sort it out. 

128x128fthompson251

Apparently mad things happening on the watch market- crazy prices Patek Philipe etc poss about to burst tho...

@curiousjim 

I’ve left three items  on the table in the last couple of months because the sellers were asking almost new prices for 2-3 year old DAC’s or Streamers and were unwilling to come down even a few percent.

Oh well, their loss.

Did those items ever sell? Did you go back to the ads to see what happened?

@dekay Is it "greed" to sell something at a price you want to sell it for? It might be foolish, if no one wants to buy it but if someone wants it at that price, why is this an example of a vice, greed?

I understand the desire among folks here to try to understand the causes of the increase in used gear prices, but the notion this represents some kind of moral failing on buyers and sellers is eluding me. It's one thing to charge high prices for insulin and another thing to charge (relatively) high prices for used gear. 

@hilde45   Exactly right, if someone will pay the price, it's not greed.    We're not talking about food or gas, but an extreme luxury product that has a narrow range of buyers.    Why not ask as much as someone is willing to pay?

The market sets the price, if you are an outlier then it will sit unsold.  Nothing magical, nefarious, just supply and demand.