Nature of the current used speaker market


What do you think of the current market for used speakers above the $6,000 price point?  It seems to me like the market is soft, really soft, since I keep seeing the same speakers posted for sale over and over again by the same seller.  And these are top flight speakers from solid manufacturers such as Focal, B&W, Rockport, Sonus Faber, etc.  Does this mean the number of audiophiles and audio enthusiasts is on the wane, or is there just a glut of used speakers for sale out there? 
mtrot
@d2girls: A bit of reality and perspective on the "fat margins" you think dealers make.

No. 

Evidently you have never seen the price sheets that come with the "exclusive" brands you wish to carry and the T's & C's that come with these brands. High-end gear has very low margins compared to inexpensive gear.  SONY, you remember them, permitted a 21% mark-up in the day--not sure what it is now.  If you understand anything about the business, you know that keeping the lights on costs about 21%.  SO, if you get a 2% credit by paying within 15 days, you still have to add freight to your costs.  Let's not think about co-op advertising and other things that seem to creep into your "outflow" like workman's comp and insurance and truck payments and insurance and so forth.

I lost money on every piece of Sony I ever sold, but had to stock it as it was quite popular at the time.  Today, large some TV sets have a bit of margin, but when a 65" set is $499, how much do you think is left for the average retailer?  And that's the cheap stuff. 

A pre-amp I sold for $595 cost me 420.00+.  Speakers that sold for 800/pair (Fair Traded in those days) cost me 660.00+.  Not sure where you get your ideas, and I would guess some manufacturers are dumb enough to charge retailers huge mark-ups on their gear, but cheap gear neither performs nor lasts like so-called "high-end" gear.  As for R&D, let's just say that different "high-end" manufacturers approach that little task differently and leave it at that.

So, I am sure that a cartridge might sell for something stupid like  $1200 and cost the dealer $600+, but how many do they sell?  Let's say 4/month--maybe in NYC or LA or SF, so the dealer grosses $30,000 a year on cartridges.  The rent is at least twice that if not 4 times, and I very much doubt any dealer sells one $1200 cartridge a week.  Add to that the floor inventory+stock and the average high-end dealer has  250,000 to 500,000 invested before the doors open.  That's a lot of cartridges...and high-end gear with 30-35% markup is about average.  You have to sell LOTS of stuff to make any money in the high-end regardless of what you "think" it is.  

Dealers you want to stay around in brick-and-mortar stores to provide the service you want when you spend big bucks on a system need to make a decent profit or they are gone and you are left complaining.  I wish dealers made 50%; they would be happier people, I promise!
My dealer told me this many years ago.
"Do you know how to make 1 million $ in Hi-End Audio? Start with 2 million $"