Ever Burned on Used Equipment? (1 Viewer)

[Mark Madden]

I’ve been reading through the forum for a few weeks now, and really appreciate all the advice. General question: ever been burned buying used equipment???

I’m new to this high-end audio world, and am more-than-a-tad daunted by how much all this stuff costs. I just bought new speakers (Paradigm Reference Studio 40’s / CC / Atoms / PDR10), and am now ready to kick the two-year-old Kenwood receiver (vr410) out the door in favor of a better receiver or possibly an amp (and use the kenwood as a pre/pro for a bit). Seeing how much I’m dough I’m gonna have to drop, I’m thinking about buying used. Any advice? Have any of you had bad experiences? Would you buy used again???? Thanks, Mark

P.S. – FYI – I’m thinking I can’t really spend more than another $750 or so… maybe a bit more if it’s REALLY worth it…

 

[Saurav]

Hi Mark,

Welcome to the forum. I've bought quite a bit of gear used, and haven't burnt myself so far. I think the usual cautionary comments apply - if you feel something is off, walk away. This includes checking the person's feedback (if you're buying off of a place like eBay), seeing if he's sold/bought expensive audio gear in the past, make sure his feedback isn't mostly from people with low or poor feedback themselves (that would probably mean they're fake user IDs), and so on. Send lots of emails to the person, call him up if you like, and make sure he's not being evasive or vague. Ask questions about the unit's past history, it's history with him/her, how much it's been used, has he had any problems with it, and so on.

I usually find that somewhere into this process, I usually get a feeling about whether the seller seems honest and trustworthy, or not. If I'm not comfortable with the person, I usually look somewhere else.

 

[Ron Boster]

Mark here is a recent discussion we had over at AVS Forum:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...hreadid=118265
Click on the link within my post at AVS for a real world example of a rip off artist. When I buy used gear, I try to stick with authorized or high-end dealers. Once you have created a relationship it pays off in quality gear and price. But, I do buy used gear from individuals (and sell it for that matter)....I'd recommend paying via COD or even better is an escrow service.
Good Luck
Ron

 

[Mark Madden]

okay guys, thanks for the advice! i'll keep checking on audiogon and ebay for a used amp in my price range (i think that's the way i'm leaning, rather than a new reciever).

 

[John Morris]

Hi Mark: Welcome to our madness!

Be careful if you are buying a used item. I've bought alot of stuff used online and have never been fully burned, but I was ripped off by a buyer to the tune of $250. If I am spending alot o' bucks I always require that I talk via phone with the person I am buying from. Also, I ONLY pay with a CC, so I have some leverage if the item is not as described. As a seller, I must have the money in my hand before I ship the item, so I do not accept either COD or escrow for my stuff. You should also check out TSTO(the Stereo Trading Outlet), for used gear. I've bought a few amps from him and have been very happy.

 

[Mark Madden]

hey guys, btw, what's "b-stock" mean? (thanks, john, i'm checking tsto now...)

 

[John Morris]

Mark: I have bought many B stock items and have been mostly happy. I've bought Denon receivers which looked and operated as brand new in box, and I have bought Toshiba Receiver/DVD players which arrived with major dents in the back of the cases. They worked perfectly, and I was aware of the damage before I bought, so for the money I paid they filled the need that I had perfectly. I sold one on Ebay for the cost of both, and then used the remaining one in my kid's game room. Finally, a few years back, I got a great deal on some top of the line VCRs. When they arrived, the sealed boxes were covered with soot, but the units were absolutely perfect. It seems that a fire in an adjoining warehouse made the boxes unacceptable for resale at the retail level so the insurance company paid them off and sold them as damaged goods.

So, B stock usually can mean one of a few things depending on the seller:

- the item may be a customer return. It usually is in perfect or almost perfect condition and is as new.

- the item may have been a unit that needed service, was fixed, and is now as new

- the item has a cosmetic imperfection which makes it unacceptable for sale as a new in box item

- the item can be a manufacturer overrun or overstock or has been discontinued and is being sold outside of the usual distribution chain

In any case, you should call the seller and inquire why the units are B stock. If possible, have them inspect the actual units you are buying to make sure they do not have any noticable imperfections.

Good Luck with your purchase!