why are sellers to be trusted, but buyers are not?

@moto_man 

I am an attorney and would be happy to serve as an escrow agent for sales, for example.

Yeah, but for what you did - vet the buyer - isn't that enough? If you and the buyer verbally agree that is legally binding. Mind you, a piece of paper or email outlining the deal is more appropriate, as it is harder to quash by one or both of the parties, but transactions of this type are done to minimize expenses and escrow would come at a cost, correct? 

The idea makes sense and gives each party, equal footing, as you state. But it is a big ask for each party to trust a lawyer nowadays.

Reminds me of the joke (sorry, not meant to be at your expense!):

A lawyer moving to a small town will starve if they are the only attorney. But if a second lawyer moves to town, they will both make a fortune.

@goodlistening64, all good, and sure there are untrustworthy people in every profession, mine included.  But here’s the thing about using an attorney as an escrow agent.  Unlike having to deal with PayPal or sue, all attorneys are regulated by their state’s Bar.  Mishandling of client funds, such as those being held in escrow is in most states a capital offense for attorneys, meaning at a minimum, suspension for at least a year from being able to practice law in any way, up to and commonly, disbarment.  The state bar investigates the complaint so you don’t have to deal with it.  I don’t know any colleagues who would risk their bar license over whatever money is being held in escrow.  Are there some?  Sure, I suppose that there are some who would be willing to risk their bar license, but those people would generally have a record of prior discipline with the state bar for other ethical breaches — records which are publicly available.  I think that the risk of using an attorney as an escrow agent is far less and far more reliable than, say, PayPal, joking aside.  I am surprised that especially for substantial sales, it is not more common to use an escrow service.

+1 @moto_man: is there an established escrow service for high end hi-fi? I am not in the retail market these days. I think Bring a Trailer offers it for used cars (of the collectible type). Agree that it would be stupid for a lawyer to risk their license over mishandling funds in an escrow. 

I have bought some used equipment which wasn't as advertised. Equipment that broke down in less that 90 days.So buyer beware.If are buying used remember it used....for who knows how long .

Yeah, buying used is a risk.

I bought a second subwoofer once.  Unpacked it, and it worked fine in my system.  But I noticed the driver looked different from my other sub.  Upon inspection, the driver was a replacement from a different manufacturer.  So just for peace of mind, I eventually replaced it with the proper OEM driver.  Still cheaper than buying new.