How to buy from Audiogon?

I don't know how much money your talking about, but if it's fairly substantial I would handle the transaction with C.O.D. payment terms. Cash up front to someone you don't know or doesn't have references is risky to say the least. C.O.D. is the fairest & safest method for both parties concerned.

I bought a $4000 pair of speakers from an Audiogon seller. I used the escrow service I-escrow. You send the money to I-escrow. I-escrow notifies the seller payment has been made. Seller ships merchandise to buyer. Buyer inspects merchandise and notifies I-escrow to make payment to seller. The fees are reasonable and worth it for major purchases. www.iescrow.com Good luck

Has anyone used paypal.com? That seems like a good way to go, and it allows purchasers to pay via credit card. Is there a downside to Paypal that I'm not aware of?

I too have used Iescrow and have been satisfied with the result of the transaction. The seller was also happy with the results . Iescrow is probably the safest way to make a transaction. Paypal is ok but it does not guarantee the quality of the item purchased. Also I believe the seller must be a verified user with paypal in order to have any fraud protection coverage. I am too paranoid to use C.O.D. Seems like there is no protection for the buyer.

Tom- iescrow is fast and easy as described above. If seller has limited feedback and/or if $ is high, that's probably the best way to go, COD is next. However, I have done about 15 transactions here in the last year (2 @ 900, rest less) and all have worked well. Also, seller should be willing to talk to you on phone, esp. if big $.

I couldn't be happier with all of the transactions that I have conducted on Audiogon.. I sold and bought about $15K worth of equipments all from audiogon & did not encountered one dishonested person...(thanks to the good hearts of audiophiles), I have used all methods (palpay, cod, check up front), and happy everytime. Yes, trust is a good thing sometimes.

Nearly $20,000 sold thru Audiogon with nary a problem. I have sent items out, told the buyer & he or she then sends check. Have yet to find a dishonest audiophile. Phone contact mad4e at times, but generally all thru e-mail

I've only made one purchase but it was a $3K leap of faith so I can relate. All worked out great for me but one thing to add. I understand if you use money orders purchased from US post office and there does turn out to be some fraud the fed's are more than willing to chase down the offending party. Something to consider before bank issued money orders or certified checks.

Over the last year I have made several purchases here in the $3K - $8K range along with a lot in the 200 - $2k range. I have never had a problem and always paid up front. There always could be a bad apple but I haven't dealt with one yet.

I have bought and sold over one hundred items on Ebay, Audiogon, Audioweb and Audioreview. If the purchase price is low, I prefer to use Paypal as they insure the transaction against fraud for up to $200. If the item is a big ticket and it is a storefront seller, I rarely have any concerns as long as the emails and telephone calls go smoothly. I always look up the sellers feedback. I find that sellers here on Audiogon also tend to have Ebay feedback which is helpful. The key for me is always go with my gut! Every time I have had a bad feeling the item has been mis-represented as to condition. That has not been the case here on Audiogon, but, it has occurred several times at Ebay. I have refused to complete a few transactions based on the unwillingness of a seller to verify who he/she is and his home address and telephone number. We all are entitled to know with whom we do business so that if the item is defective or misrepresented, we have recourse. "BETTER I KEEP MY MONEY AND YOU KEEP YOUR ITEM THAN YOU KEEP MY MONEY AND YOU KEEP YOUR ITEM!"

Words of wisdom Lakefront. Didn't know that paypal had a limit on fraud protection. That's scary. Would point out to all that buyer is making a hugh leap of faith, so seller should be willing to put up with reasonable requests for authentication. If not, beware. Iescrow protects both, so any seller should have no problem. cost can be split, so neither party takes a beating.