I’m not sure about instituting different standards for dealers. Should we also institute standards to differentiate between ‘experts’ and ‘noobs?’ Personally, I find I welcome posts from dealers, especially when they self-identify. When it is an obvious ‘advertisement,’ I generally discount it and move on. If every fifth post were such an ‘advertisement,’ it would be a problem for me, and I would likely frequent another forum.
Should Audiogon forum dealers be held to a different standard?
Usually, people take a measured approach in trusting salespersons because of conflict of interest - commission vs serving customer’s interests. It’s great when you find one you can trust on your behalf.
However, I noticed that sometimes when an audio dealer posts, they’re met with seemingly automatic skepticism beyond the usual - like they are automatically dishonest about helping audiophiles, they just want the sale. I do like them informing us they’re dealers in their posts which allow us to scrutinize their claims more closely.
Should Audiogon forum dealers be held to a different standard than other members?
FWIW, when I first got interested in high-end audio, I had a very bad experience at an audio store trying to push a sale of an inferior sounding system. So for years I avoided dealer opinions for lack of trust and did all my own research. Luckily, lately I found a knowledgeable audio dealer with whom I can trust - his knowledge was invaluable in my purchasing decisions.