Prices for used equipment

[Mr. Widget]

It depends on what you have to sell.

Collectible and classic vintage 2ch is still going up in leaps and bounds.

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Apparently today there are gobs of folks looking for yesteryears's classics.

In the mid 90s (pre-eBay) I walked into a used stereo shop and bought a beautiful Marantz 2275 with walnut case and a pair of L100s for $450 for the combo. I didn't really need them, but the price seemed fair and there was all the nostalgia surrounding these pieces. Over the decades since they have been in use in a couple of my offices and in and out of storage. I found the system great for vintage 70s rock, but as I don't primarily listen to that... I used the system mostly for listening to NPR.

These days the 2275 is in storage and the L100s are on semi-permanent loan to a younger friend who uses them in his hipster auto shop. If I was in a flipping mood though, I would have to say that the $450 purchase I made was probably the best audio purchase I ever made.

 

[Steven Holt]

I don't sell any of my gear anymore. My wife got sick and tired of hearing me cry and moan 'OH WHY IN THE HELL DID I GET RID OF THAT??' so I just keep it. Also, people want quality vintage gear cheap and good luck with that. You just can't make any money reselling modern gear, you can get better new for less. So in short, yes, it's a tough market.

 

[NiagaraPete]

I eventually sell everything I buy. In yesteryear it was profitable. Now not so much.

 

[Prana Ferox]

I know that. That's why I thought you might have had him sign a copy for which I'd sell a kidney... at least for the down payment. Did you ever cross paths?

Are you asking if a body ever caught a body coming through the rye?

 

[mhardy6647]

I know that. That's why I thought you might have had him sign a copy for which I'd sell a kidney... at least for the down payment. Did you ever cross paths?

Nope -- although he was still alive when we moved here.
Sorry, I forgot "we" had that conversation already. Silly me (actually, more like senescent me)!

 

[DWPress]

When you decide to sell that personally signed first edition of "Catcher in the Rye"... let me know and I'll sell everything for the down payment. Print and Audio...

I haven't done any Salinger yet but if you like books check out my site: deepwoodpress(dot)com - Kafka, Conrad, Grahame, more. Old school printing, fine bindings, better than tubes even...

edit: sorry for the shameless plug

 

[Mustang]

Generally, if I'm going to buy used, I don't want to pay more than half of retail because of the lack of warranty and risk. If I'm going to only be 10-20% off, then there is usually a sale that gets there or its better just to pay the difference for peace of mind and perhaps the ability to return if you don't like the performance. I do really enjoy trying to find a bargain on used gear below 50% off but at some point you run out of space for things and it's harder to find used items that represent an upgrade over what you already have.

 

[Acerun]

You've also got manufacturers desperately slashing prices 30%. Try to sell used Revel speakers about now...

 

[LugsyTL47]

Exactly. I'll not pay more than 60% of current retail. It goes down from there with age/condition.

I'm constantly amazed how much people think their used gear is worth.

I was shopping for a mountain bike at a local shop earlier this year. Chatting with the owner about used bikes prices & trade-ins, he said he never pays more than 25% of MSRP whether bike 1yr old or 1day.

 

[pseudoid]

In this used-equipment discussion, used speakers (especially floor-standing / full-range models) should be the most risky for purchase consideration. [imho]
It has the equivalent risks in buying a go-fast machine that you know the previous owner most likely abused! [ymmv]
Of course, considering to buy a "used" cartridge becomes the equivalent of buying retread tires!

 

[Sal1950]

Would it be fair to say that everyone has seen a significant decline in the ability to sell your used equipment at a decent price?

A large part of the problem, at least in the US, is the skyrocketing cost of shipping..
When a potential buyer adds in shipping costs, the pricing advantage sometimes fly's out the window.

 

[olbobcat]

I have bought and sold a lot of used equipment.
There are a lot of listings on various sights that will be on there for years.
The problem is everybody looks at what things are listed for and not what the selling price is.
I find that there are unrealistic prices on vintage gear, considering you need to bring it up to spec.
Even if you DIY there is an expense in older gear.

 

[pseudoid]

I guess there is also the distinction that should be made between "used" equipment for sale/buy and just plain "old" equipment that is not fit for much... except door-stops.

Case in point: A 5 yr old DACs? Vintage A/V equipment?
These types of used AND old equipment are stuck in vintage format standards that would not complement any current hardware/software mixtures for audio/video...

 

[Snarfie]

I did sold my philips CD650 reference CD player with upgrade filter for 225,- euro's. (new in the 80ties around 3 a 400,- euro's with CD filter upgrade (JK acoustics)
I bought a Topping D10 DAC back for 75,- euro's. From a nostalgic point of view i could understand it from an peformance point of view no match besides the Topping DAC has no tray

 

[antcollinet]

Case in point: A 5 yr old DACs? Vintage A/V equipment?

Any 5yr old DACs that can't do 24/96K? You need more?

 

[Chaconne]

Everybody thinks used audio gear is priced too high.
Until they have something to sell.

 

[Chrispy]

I was shopping for a mountain bike at a local shop earlier this year. Chatting with the owner about used bikes prices & trade-ins, he said he never pays more than 25% of MSRP whether bike 1yr old or 1day.

I dropped by my local shop today, we were chatting how soft the market was now compared to say during covid and with supply line interruptions. Now issues due employment/inflation....

 

[-Matt-]

Anything with an HDMI port on it is pretty much obsolete after a few years.

It's almost as thought the industry invented it for that very purpose!

 

[Chrispy]

Anything with an HDMI port on it is pretty much obsolete after a few years.

It's almost as thought the industry invented it for that very purpose!

Well so far mostly backwards compatible, tho on the hdmi. It's for drm primarily.

 

[chelgrian]

I was shopping for a mountain bike at a local shop earlier this year. Chatting with the owner about used bikes prices & trade-ins, he said he never pays more than 25% of MSRP whether bike 1yr old or 1day.

In Europe MSRP include VAT which is usually 20%.

Retail markup on this kind of thing is usually 100%, that is to say the retailer sells it for double what they bought it from the distributor for, in some corners of the HiFi market the markup can be much greater than that. Usually when some kind of consulting or install service is effectively being bundled in to the price if you want it or not.