[TyTB]

Hello everyone,

I recently got some HD800s, and am now looking for source gear, which I am going to buy used.

This is my first foray into the used audio market, though, and I was wondering if there was any rhyme or reason to how things are priced.

I get that "The correct price is whatever a buyer is willing to pay", but in typical classifieds, things can range from being unopened, to 200 years old and covered in rust and dirt. So, pricing heavily reflects overall quality, condition, and remaining lifespan.

With audio gear, though, like 95% of all the items listed are like-new. After all, they just sit on a shelf, with virtually no moving parts, and just run. So, condition and remaining lifespan aren't really factors anymore.

As such, is there just a generally-agreed-upon "All audio gear is 20% off if its 1 year old, 30% off for 3 years, 40% off for 10 years old, etc.? Any structure at all?

I don't want to come across as a dick in the community by trying to negotiate or lowball what might already be a very reasonably-priced item.

Do people here frown upon haggling in general?

Thanks!

 

[warrenpchi]

There's no definite rule, no. Market prices can fluctuate wildly based on popularity, rarity, and age.

 

[HipHopScribe]

No, it's like used cars, some models depreciate more than others, and if something is rare and in demand enough it may even be worth more than original MSRP. Your best bet on value would be to search here, eBay and other marketplaces and see what recent sold listings for the same item went for.

In terms of haggling, at least here negotiability is tagged when creating a listing, so you can see whether the seller considers their price firm or whether they're open to offers. I'd generally respect that on newer listings, though if something has sat around unsold for a long time, I personally don't think it's bad etiquette to ask about negotiability even if it's marked firm.

 

[dunring]

I buy and sell $6k a month in audio equipment on the secondary market. To determine value, log into eBay and advanced search will let you pick "sold items" and find out what the item has sold for recently. The market determines price, and also supply and demand. If there's 5 other items like it for sale, or none then you can adjust on it also. Aliexpress has 4 major sales each year, and the resellers also adjust prices on Amazon and eBay during that time. This can depress the market for a while since used prices are based on new. Also after a big sale the Amazon returns can lead to oversupply and lower prices.
For haggling, it's best to contact a seller and just ask if they're accept an offer on the item and see if they shoot you back a number or hold firm. On Picclick it shows on eBay how long the item has been listed, which can also show if they might want to just unload it.
On Mercari make an offer, since there's no way to shut off the "make an offer" button and everyone overprices things because of that. Liquidators on eBay often will do 5-10 percent, pawn shops never take offers, and private people you just have to ask politely. The rule is if the eBay history for sold items in the last 90 days were all a lower price than a listing, odds are they'll accept an offer.
Whether buying or selling, the eBay advanced search is the most accurate way to determine price. Also camelcamelcamel tracks historic prices on Amazon and can indicate if an item has been on sale for a while and prices will soon go up on it. Like if your amplifier has been on sale for a month and prices or low, then wait for the sale to end before selling. The secondary market follows Aliexpress and Amazon prices/sales, but short term some liquidators might be dumping an item if they got 10 returned items in a palette from Amazon or Drop. Research each item and you'll know what's realistic for a price.

 

[baskingshark]

Hello everyone,

I recently got some HD800s, and am now looking for source gear, which I am going to buy used.

This is my first foray into the used audio market, though, and I was wondering if there was any rhyme or reason to how things are priced.

I get that "The correct price is whatever a buyer is willing to pay", but in typical classifieds, things can range from being unopened, to 200 years old and covered in rust and dirt. So, pricing heavily reflects overall quality, condition, and remaining lifespan.

With audio gear, though, like 95% of all the items listed are like-new. After all, they just sit on a shelf, with virtually no moving parts, and just run. So, condition and remaining lifespan aren't really factors anymore.

As such, is there just a generally-agreed-upon "All audio gear is 20% off if its 1 year old, 30% off for 3 years, 40% off for 10 years old, etc.? Any structure at all?

I don't want to come across as a dick in the community by trying to negotiate or lowball what might already be a very reasonably-priced item.

Do people here frown upon haggling in general?

Thanks!

I buy and sell 2nd hand IEMs locally, to sample various gear, and if it isn't for me, at least I can move it on instead of a first hand purchase.



Generally, newer releases, exclusive sets, or more popular brands may depreciate less than some older obsolete models or unwanted budget CHIFI which are released weekly.

It also depends on the condition of the gear - mint condition products can be sold at better rates compared to something scratched or defective or missing accessories for example.

Lowballers are not too appreciated in 2nd forums and so generally, give a reasonable offer if you want to negotiate (you can roughly know what is the market rate for a certain product based on last sales of the same item).

 

[earmonger]

+1 on Ebay completed listings research.

Head-Fi classifieds don't charge any fee, so you may find at least slightly lower prices than you would on Ebay or retail. And anyone can ignore or turn down a lower offer.

You might also consider making your subject lines more succinct -- like one line -- instead of taking up so much real estate on a forum page. Put the Q in the body.

 

[TyTB]

Thank you all for your comments! It seems Ebay really is the way to go, in terms of establishing what a decent price is.

Interestingly, a search for "Schiit Lyr+" returned basically no listings. Only two models sold.

Same with the Modius E, and a few more listings exist for the Jotunheim.

Still, it's a handy way to establish average pricing. Thank you all!

You might also consider making your subject lines more succinct -- like one line -- instead of taking up so much real estate on a forum page. Put the Q in the body.

Lol what is it with this forum's aversion to detailed titles? You're not the first person to tell me this.

 

[HipHopScribe]

Lol what is it with this forum's aversion to detailed titles? You're not the first person to tell me this.

You’re taking up as much space when I scroll as 3-4 other threads

 

[TyTB]

Ah, I see. Didn't think people really bothered with forums like this on mobile devices. I'm on desktop, all threads take up the same size.

 

[oqvist]

Ah, I see. Didn't think people really bothered with forums like this on mobile devices. I'm on desktop, all threads take up the same size.

No on my 32" you take up like 5 times more space. I don´t think I ever seen such a long label remind me of this f1 question

 

[TyTB]

Dead link

 

[oqvist]

Dead link

Click on the youtube link

 

[TyTB]

Click on the youtube link

Ah, fair enough. Well, if head-fi takes issue with long titles, they're free to lower the limit of the number of characters in a title. In either case, though, it's really a non-issue.

 

[oqvist]

Ah, fair enough. Well, if head-fi takes issue with long titles, they're free to lower the limit of the number of characters in a title. In either case, though, it's really a non-issue.

Its certainly not a world crisis by any means but labels are there for a reason. You are not supposed to use the space to explain the issue fully that is why there is labels. Your label take up 5 rows. Everyone else one row.

 

[earmonger]

Ah, fair enough. Well, if head-fi takes issue with long titles, they're free to lower the limit of the number of characters in a title.

"Not technically impossible" does not equal "good behavior."

Imagine simply being courteous and observing community norms when they're pointed out. Especially since people have been trying to help you.

No, it's not a big deal. Neither is having your posts Ignored.

Have a nice day!