Audiogon Ethics


I have been an Audiogon member for a couple of years and am very fond of the idea that we are building a community of audiophiles based on trust and honesty. I recently saw a sales ad for a piece by a member who I sold an identical piece to a few months ago (I can't say it is my original piece but it would strike me as odd that someone would own two identical units). If the seller is indeed advertising the unit I initially sold him, he is misrepresenting the condition of the unit (e.g., implying that he purchased it new and that its age is less than it actually is). My question to everybody on this list is what, if anything, to do about this?

I am concerned about the implications of dishonesty for our community of audiophiles in general. I believe this question merits discussion among members. I look forward to your responses. Thanks.

Volker
drv

Showing 1 response by drewfidelity

The foundation of our community is built on trust. We are lucky in that our hobby is limited in so far as the high end audio community is limited. Having had the opportunity to participate I have found, as most of us have, that my 9/10 is another participants 10/10 and that, for the most part, the descriptions of products that I have purchased or traded for are within a reasonable variance of their stated descriptions.

As far as outright lying is concerned, this should be first verified, then the participant should be given an opportunity to retract his or her statements or reconfigure price on the product to bring it in line with the actual condition of the component. If no solution is found, then it should be reported in negative feedback in the individual's my feedback section. I have sold equipment to people who immediately list it for a higher price than I sold it at. This does not bother me because I was satisfied with my deal, or I would not have completed the transaction. That is different from outright lying, assuming that their is no outright lying in the new sellers advertisement.