Anyone else receive low offers right away ?

The truth is that Audiogon sellers "relative to other online auction sites" give very high starting prices. If you really want to sell something and want to see how much it is worth, put it in for $1 and see how much it goes for. I don't know what the non-selling auction percentage is on audiogon but it has to be quite high. I think this also has to do with the fact that many high end audio stores essentially use it as their online outlet. Meaning they are not offering "deals" just listing their inventory. We're in a recession, it's a buyer's market. It's not outrageous for a 10 year old piece of equipment to go for 80% of list price. You may think it's worth a lot, but when the market is saturated the price naturally should go down. I think people simply overvalue the worth of their equipment (which is natural) but if they were not afraid of the true value to the public they would just list if for $1 and see where it would sell (and it will sell this way) vs having the majority of auctions on this site simply time out.

@Jmcgrogan2 and Jdoris

I was not trying to "seller bash", I apologize if it came off that way. Quite the contrary I think audiogon has a very respectable seller community. The point I was trying to make (and perhaps not clearly) was that used electronics in general devalue substantially over short periods of time. This goes for both consumer and audiophile electronics. How much is a used flat screen TV bought 10 years ago for $2000 worth today? Maybe $50. I know that high end gear holds value better, but I don't think an 80% depreciation of an electronics component over the course of 10 years is unreasonable. At the end of the day, it is the market that determines the value of items. The fact that the majority of items listed on Audiogon do not sell tells me that "overall" sellers are overpricing their goods. This is not inherently bad, but I think the data supports this conclusion. It's a careful balance of trying to make money vs trying to sell a product. I simply don't see many items starting at $1 (which would ultimately guarantee a sell at the community determined value) but rather many items on sale for minimal discounts that ultimately do not sell. Perhaps my interpretation is wrong but going through the listings most equipment listings do not have any bids on them despite being listed for extended amounts of time. Audiogon is (fortunately/unfortunately) more of an "outlet store" with moderate discounts than a true "auction house" where bidding starts very low and value is determined by the community. IMHO. I respect all other opinions however. :)

@Mapman

With all due respect, I don't think how much money you have should determine how much you pay for a particular piece of equipment. I think it's inherently in the best interest of the buyer to pay the least, and the seller to get the most. If you buy a car/food/house/etc, they don't ask for your income and price the item accordingly. I don't think you can get mad at somebody for not paying more than what everybody else pays, just because they have money. IMHO.

@Polk432

Once again, I humbly disagree. The dealer at the dealership doesn't care how much money you have, they only care how much money they can get out of you (short term or long term). Audio equipment is almost never purchased on loans or financing so it's a difficult comparison. If you walk into a dealership and say I am willing to pay $20k for that car, not one penny more and walk out leaving your phone number, the seller will not care whether your a millionaire or have exactly $20k to your name (presuming the buyer is not willing to go higher). If the sale is worth it for the seller, he'll sell to either person. If he won't make money off the deal, then he won't sell. My other examples of food, housing, and goods is also similar. I think all buyers (regardless of income) should be allowed to try and get something for the least amount possible. To say, "you can't bargain" because you have the money is somewhat unusual (especially when the seller specifically lists the item as to take lower offers). I think almost every reader of this forum has at least $1000 in the bank. Does that mean they can't (shouldn't) try to bargain down an item that is listed at $500 with a "make an offer" button? If you don't want to take offers below a certain amount, then just start the listing at that price without taking lower offers.

Once again, I respect all opinions that may be contrary to mine.