Guidelines for buying used speakers (as in, are there any?)

2psyop -  I have the opportunity to purchase a 20 year set of 2s, seller says they sound pristine, said he took care of them "ike they were "another child" and rates as being in excellent condition - 9/10.

What kind of a lifespan do these speakers have? When would one typically expect degradation on the sound?

Turn this around.
How would you feel about selling used speakers?

Age or the amount of owners are irrelevant condition is whats important as were pointed out.

Depending how old speakers are original foam surrounds can be a concern.  As can replacement surrounds depending on replacements, were they done with quality accurate duplicates made by a company for a specific driver or one size fits all flea market type surrounds. And were the replacements installed by somone reputable or atleast someone that cared enough to do a good propet job. This should reflect in asking price or make or break the sale.

Also wire coatings can dry out and become brittle and crack over time and cause a short in extreme cases.

Capacitor age might also be a concern, they dry out in time as well, some sooner than others. Poly caps tend to last longer.

None of these should become a concern unless reaching over a decade plus. Or depending on where the speaker lived its life thus far. Sunlight and tempatures can play some part in it.

Well I say this ... buying a new set of speakers is fun, and widening the field to include used speakers is way more fun.

Speakers otherwise out of my price range become available and that's exciting. 

Billbartuska,

Turning it around and discussing selling a used pair of speakers. When going through a speaker selection process I bought and sold quite a few speakers. I only sold one pair locally and the rest I shipped.

One thing I would not do for a local buyer is audition speakers. I was willing to demonstrate that they worked, but only if the purchase price was agreed and the buyer was willing to purchase based on the speakers working correctly. Buyers need to realize they are buying from another hobbyist, not a dealer.

I have 100% positive feedback on Audiogon and include detailed pictures including pictures of any flaws. I think that helps buyers understand what they will receive and avoids further discussions of minor blemishes.