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High End is Dead?

Browsing used audio sites such as Audiogon and the Marts, high end gear ads are dominated by several dealers. Non-dealer ads are usually people trying to push 15+ year old off-brand junk at 60-70% of MSRP (when they were new). They don't sell anything. You could slash Wilsons, Magicos, etc, 50% off retail and no one will buy them.

No one buys if it costs more than 1k. It's not that they're not interested -- the ads get plenty of views. It's that the asking prices are just way over the ability of buyers to pay. Fact is, if you see a high end piece for sale it's probably by a dealer, often times trying to push it at 15% off retail because its a trade in, but also often they are taking a good chunk off the price 30, 40 sometimes 50% off. They can be famous brands with a million positive reviews. No buyers.

Are we just poor, and that's all there is to it? 
madavid0

Showing 2 responses by folkfreak

folkfreak's avatar
folkfreak
1,349 posts
 
... 70 buyers snap up a $30k tonearm
... Technics immediately sell out an $18k turntable
... Two new manufacturers bring back brand new reel to reel decks
... Magico wows the public with a bargain $9k speaker

seems to me the real issue might be too much money being spent at the top end of the range

personally I have no issues selling or buying for my system, and I’m not sure what respect we should give to the OP with all of one sale and three purchases to his record 🤔
folkfreak's avatar
folkfreak
1,349 posts
 
Most of ads on Audiogon is for old and/or off-brand gear for less than $1000. Wilsons and Magicos are a tiny minority of listings and they're all from dealers
Perhaps because a) the top end stuff is only a tiny minorityof the volume, especially when you take account of sales over time b) people hold onto top end gear and c) if they do sell it’s often via a dealer on consignment (let them deal with the hassle) or as a trade up (case in point the recent set of M Project being sold for a customer who has purchased M6)

As someone actively buying and selling in this market it seems quite healthy to me, sure maybe resale prices are not as good as they have been but that just means there are better options as a buyer, and anyone who gets into this business expecting not to lose 20-30% at least any time they buy and sell is fooling themselves

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