I'm lucky to live in the Philly/NYC megalopolis so good choice appear often. I bought all my gear used except for two SVS SB1000 subs. My first system Adcom preamp/ tuner GFP555, GCD575 cd player and the big GFA 555 amp for $600, from a guy who worked in an audio store. My speakers were a pair of pristine Snell C2 purchased for $1000 from a guy downsizing. This was my first real audio system. I was just out of college when I bought the gear and lived 20 min. from the Adcom office around new Brunswick NJ. So I stopped by cold with my gear and for a dozen donuts they went over everything replacing parts as need as I waited by the back door, lol. That gear lasted decades. I sold it only when I bought a Technics SUG 700 for $1400 which was just 3 months old from a guy who decided to go separates and Canton 9k reference speaker with stands for $1200 also almost new, both currently in use today.
The down side when you buy like this you don't purchase the sound you like, you buy quality and you adapt to the sound you bought. The Snells were fantastic but to big for my wife's liking so after a decade or sooo 😉.I relented and sold this system only to have my wife say the stand mounted speaker were the same footprint, dah.
