Do you buy new, used or new or used gear?

@gents  What kind of schmuck would lose money when you don’t have to?

Although I usually buy second hand to be able to afford my audio chains, I don’t vilify those who buy new. They are not losing money, they are buying a mint factory direct item. For instance, if the choice was between used and new at the same price, one would always choose new - there is value in new and some are willing to pay for it.

This hobby is based on wants and not have to. 

https://forum.audiogon.com/users/mark200mph

Amen, Mark.

https://forum.audiogon.com/users/kennyc

Thanks for the clarification, kennyc.

However, my life and my money, more importantly, is based on choices. The Hobby can run on anything you think it should run on, but for the practical amongst us it more so runs on personal choices and wants. No one informed me about that rule when I got in all those years ago. My comment used a turn of phrase and I’m sorry its candor made you feel some kind of way but that’s how I run my businesses all of my adult life. Fortunate enough to have a great mentor and teacher who told me when I made a sourcing mistake. ’Any schmuck can pay too much. The world is full of schmucks. Don’t be one’. It’s everything you need to know in life in one and a half sentences.

I know there are some of you who like brand new, pristine right out of the box, no one ever touched equipment. That’s cool and I completely get it. I like my food that way- but the other stuff? Like electronics, I’m thoughtfully flexible. I was once a young pishke with a family, car loans, tuitions, and I really had no business spending gratuitous money on stereo equipment. I had the sickness like all the rest of us and I love music. I love it enough to not buy ’equipment’, but to buy something that would bring my music. Equipment better than my then pay grade at about half the price.The win-win solution came to me through the HiFi Exchange in Great Neck. Beautiful and decent guys who brought me better stereo than I was ever going to get at full retail.

For about 40 years, that popular way of thinking and feeding the hobby, worked out pretty good for me and a whole lot of friends I met along the way. Haven’t gotten a dog yet.

@kennyc 

Good Logic with your choices…… l believe in the same principles. Used = potentially increased spending power, and higher quality electronics for the same outlay. What’s not to like about that?

I always try to seek out “nearly new” pre-loved second hand gear, as to me it makes the most sense. Open box sales are as close as new needs to be, and directly from a dealer with full warranty minus the afore mentioned “discounts”, what’s not to like about that too? Even better, is buying gear hardly used, at a fraction of the retail price, from a personally known audiophile with upgradeitus. I do always drawn a line with used cartridges, unless l know for sure their history.