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What happened to the "club atmosphere" of Audiogon?

Hi Goners!

After 12 years as a member hear i have developed some questions based on my observations of Audiogon in the last four to five years...

When i joined it was a fledgling group of "music lovers" who now brand themselves, quite often it seems, as "audiophiles"! [ whatever that REALLY is...:-)
The boards were helpful, very helpful and almost never negative but like a brother [be it older or younger] discussing the finer points of a product,company, design etc...

It was known that you could score wonderful, WELL MAINTAINED audio and video products sold at a fair price and with confidence that the person who sold you that item would stand behind it!!

It was the CULTURE of Audiogon that made it so very special to me, in fact it has been on my radar every day since i joined!

I have been a seller, buyer, trader, cartridge seller and have noticed disturbing trends:
Seems if anything is mark "USED", even 5 minuted old, it should, at best, garner only 50%
Lowball offering has become rampant here,trying to then add insult to injury by asking the seller to pay shipping!
Nasty,curt e-mails without any simple courtesy and professionalism...Now i am painting with a broad brush BUT all of these negatives , and more i will not go into from this vein, have reduced this site to a "virtual close out Wharehouse" of close out merchandise or find your ads not even getting a question about your ad!!

I for one enjoy the banter with long time posters, some of who have earned my respect with they're
 witty yet insightful comments...

Has anyone else felt Audiogon's best days have come and gone if we follow the present template?
Thanks and keep the responses civil and helpful please!

128x128azjake
jafant
18,821 posts
 

OP-


brings up excellent points for our consideration. The net has changed, better or worse, it has changed. In the way of forums, there are many, many more in 2016, than say, 2004.  eBay in 2016, is laden with rank amateur sellers who are not professional at all. Paypal was the worst thing to happen to the 'bay. Those guys get what they deserve.

Thankfully, Amazon has steered clear of this crap and remains the best choice for net commerce- I am a weekly customer.

syntax's avatar
syntax
2,193 posts
 
Audiogon still has a lot and first rate information from former years. You need some time for search but you will find information you will not get anywhere else. Other forums have financial interests - well hidden behind "being a music lover or enthusiast or...." - and are useful more or less for one person only: The owner.
Normally you will find only one rave after the next, the showing of price tags, happy owners who are glad to be a member of this or that exclusive object....in Audiogon you will find comments/influences/ideas which are not the usual main stream... but in the end you have to think to make your own decision. That is something different than the usual flavor of the month...
Audiogon is a market place but their forums with the information which is there, is still unique.

loomisjohnson
1,903 posts
 
i would also keep the forum aspect separate from the commercial aspect. as for the forum, other than getting older and more cantankerous myself, i don't see much erosion--there's always been a lot of great, interesting folks and a significant minority of wankers. as for the commercial, there likely has been  a deterioration in the "honor code in a gentleman’s club arena" (well put, akg)--the professionals and bottom feeders seem more prevalent and i personally don't find it as much fun to buy and sell here as i once did. oh well--all things pass and i have enough gear for several lives.
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,436 posts
 
Syntax and LJ---Having discovered Audiogon only relatively recently, I am SO grateful the Forums are still here to be read. The depth of knowledge and expertise found in them is truly amazing. I hope the Forums are kept available long enough into the future for me to make my way through them all! 
enliten
44 posts
 
All good Goners - A friend of mine who is a partner in a cable company near by expressed his frustration on this topic to me. He's considering exiting audio due to concerns expressed above. He is one fine human being IMHO. This makes me sad... I LOVE AUDIO! And I love the person-to-person market AudiogoN has developed. Our audio culture is WHAT WE MAKE IT. My 2bits is let's all conscientiously pick up our approach here as we can. Thanks to all the people who have added their intelligence, wisdom, and experience to this fine forum!
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