So far, I haven't been burned by overpriced used gear. The one case where I felt I paid too much is in the case of the Oppo 205 Universal disc player. When it first came out, I seem to recall it was listed at about $1,200. I opted for the less expensive 203. When Oppo sadly ceased making digital gear, the price of the 205 when up about 3X its original cost. Supply and demand I guess. I recently decided I wanted a 205 and purchased a upgraded one for $3,400 on Audiomart US. But, in a momentary lapse of reason, I did this with full knowledge that it was overpriced.
Used gear prices and the state of the hobby.
I am always on the look-out for quality used gear, especially CD/SACD players.
It seems that lately (especially), I am seeing a lot of used gear come up at (what I consider to be) ridiculous prices. I've gone through enough CD players that I sort of know what they can be had for.
I am fully aware that the market will drive pricing, but some of these prices are insane.
Asking 75% of MSRP for a player that's more than 10 years old isn't going to happen, at least in my world.
I see the same ads come up, over and over, which tells me that these things aren't selling. In some cases, the asking prices are absolutely ridiculous.
Maybe the dealers/whomever are underwater on their product, but in case anyone hasn't noticed, the economy is starting to dive.
I'm not ranting, just stating that perhaps your stuff isn't selling because you're overpriced (in some cases by several hundreds to thousands of dollars!).
Other no-no's as far as I'm concerned:
No remote. Buy one THEN put the unit up for sale. In most cases, I will not consider a piece of equipment without an original (and in good condition) remote control.
"Rare". Sure it is. If it's so rare, well, that makes me wonder WHY it's so rare, now doesn't it?
"Giant Killer". Un-huh. Sure.
"Mostly Working". Well, get it repaired, and make it "totally working". THEN offer it for sale.
I view used gear like cars. When you drive it off the lot, well, you just lost 10% of the value. And it's all downhill from there.
I just wonder if anyone else had noticed this, or if I am just turning into an old man yelling at clouds?
If it's not a buyer's market at the moment, it will be shortly.
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I sometimes will offer a 30-90 warranty on my used gear but I do require the option to repair the unit first and I do not pay for the shipping to and from costs if it ever comes to that. You should pay what you want to for anything new or used so it does not matter what the asking price is. Now for the rest of you , I have a bridge for sale, slightly used but in overall pretty good shape. Google the Brooklyn Bridge for condition. Happy Listening. |
@bigtwin 50% off msrp is a fair starting point for a one year old piece of gear. why? Because often product can be bought at a discount from MSRP- in the ten to twenty percent off range. So, fifty percent off for used is really not enough of a discount to get someone to buy used. The other reason is that if someone expects me to pay 20-30% off of list I'll just buy it new, know it's history and get a full warranty. |
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