Hi Friends,
I have been buying used audio gears from the second hand market for quite a few years. The purchases are from my trusted vendor but most of the time I feel that I am not getting enough VFM. I feel that the used audio market is very exploiting and therefore we must list down some points which will be beneficial to any one buying used Amplifiers.
I will start from myself.
Anyone buying used item shall keep in mind that it is very difficult to get a perfect product. The very fact that the item has come to the used market itself implies that it must have developed some glitch.
However there always remain a possibility that the previous owner has decided to upgrade the system and you may get a good product.
So be cautious.
I hope other forum members will chip in with their valuable advice.
Regards
Prasad
I have bought and sold numerous pieces of equipment, although all my dealings have been with individuals, never with vendors. I have the opposite impression.
- Why do you feel the used audio market is exploiting? In what way did you get cheated? And in any case, that is quite a broad sweeping statement to make.
- In most cases I have seen (again, I am talking about people buying/selling on good audiophile forums), when there is a defect, the seller is usually upfront about the defect. They should also use the audiogon rating to rate their product.
In my humble opinion, the problem is not so much cheating going on - the problem usually is that the ground rules are not made clear and are not well established.
The seller should post detailed high resolution pictures of the equipment they are selling, along with the condition, age, provenance/history of ownership, Audiogon rating, cosmetic blemishes (with pictures), etc. The seller should also call out anything that is not working properly. The seller should also clearly state what they are selling and what they are not selling. For example, are they selling the power cord along with amp? Are they selling other accessories that came with the amp when they purchased it? Especially if the pictures show other accessories that may or may not be intended to be sold. Will the equipment come with the original packaging and manual. Will the warranty be transferred (usually not, but for some components like Bryston, this itself is a big deal as they support their products for 20 years). Finally, the seller should make it clear when and how the payment needs to be made, and how the shipping or delivery/pickup will be handled.
The buyer also needs to make the payment promptly and in full. This is usually done in advance of receiving the product. And once they purchase the equipment, they should test all functionality immediately and confirm to the seller that everything is in working order (or not). Then the deal is closed.
Yes, there is an element of good faith and a bit of trust involved. And personally speaking, I got into some of these issues as well. Once when I had not stated that I would sell the power cord with the amp. The other, as a buyer, when the fuse blew when I ran the amp. But in both cases, I tried to be upfront with the buyer and seller and agreed upon reasonable solutions. In the first case, I refunded the price of the power cord (was a basic one anyway), and the second, I just bought replacement fuses (but the seller was really helpful in guiding me to find the right replacement).
But I do strongly believe that in most cases, especially with dealings with forum members who have history on the forum (this forum or otherwise), there has never been an issue of the seller intentionally cheating the buyer etc. Most often, I have seen that it has been misunderstanding and/or the terms and conditions not being made clear. Just my two paise.
Perhaps, the moderators should make a sticky thread with guidance for sellers and buyers??