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

I prefer buying gear from the original owner but it’s not a dealbreaker. I’ve seen 1 owner gear that looked atrocious and other pieces that were in perfect condition and had several owners. 🤷‍♂️

Yes, it matters, cause one owner could not even use the equipment at all and another could done lots of different things to their equipment including good or bad modifications like recap, rewiring, PS change etc. 

I avoid used equipment for the most part. Unless I'm looking for something vintage, like some of the many tuners I own. I buy new 99%....

I really don’t care how many people played with it, but if I catch you lying, I will not buy. No if ands or buts!