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Suggestions to help you sell your equipment on Audiogon

Based on my selling of 5 pieces of audio equipment over the last 90+ days on Audiogon, I have these suggestions to help you sell your audio equipment on Audiogon:

1) Please INCLUDE many pictures of your equipment to include the back of the unit, both side views, top of the unit, original packing box to include the insides, Unit brochure, Company Sales Unit brochure, remote, etc.  If your unit has special feet (or anything else unique), please include these pictures. Most ads not include enough pictures.   

2)  Please include background information on the company.  You can copy some information from their web site to help people know who the company is.  A short paragraph should do the job so use your imagination.

3) Your unit is a wonderful great sounding audio component and you need to include information on its features and benefits.  More descriptive info on your unit is suggested (most ads are too brief).

4) Include details on how you are going to pack the unit amp for shipping.   If possible, include pictures of the packing box, inside the box and other details.  You need to give the buyer confidence the unit will arrive safely.   It is very important for your buyer to understand how your unit will be packed and shipped (FEDEX, UPS, USPS, Freight, etc).   Explain how the shipping and insurance is going to work (including the units insurance value) and who pays for it.   

5)  Pricing is always an issue and each product need a strategy for selling.   For me, I suggest a starting price at 55% of list (meaning $1,100 when the list price is $2,000).   If your company is a well know name, and/or the product is in demand, you could start higher at 58% of list, or 60%+ if you want (increase % or decrease %, as needed).   If the company is not a well know name, and neither is the product, you could start at 48% of list (meaning $960 when the list price is $2,000).   There are no set rules so check around to see what other similar units are selling for.  If you have no clue, you can always start your asking price at 50% of the units list price ($1,000 for a list price of $2,200).

6)  Regardless of what you want for your unit, you are ONLY going to receive what buyers are willing to pay.  For example, I suggest you round the above price to $1,049 (or $1,149).  For one of my ads, I was told I was priced TOO high and should use the $1,949 price and NOT the $1,995 price to make the asking price more attractive to the seller.   My unit sold within one week (and, yes, this was a miracle).

7)  Do NOT be afraid to counter offer any low ball offers received.  I receive a low-ball offer on my unit and dropped my price by $200 and the buyer INCREASED his offer to an acceptable number and I sold it.  

8)   This is my opinion and others will have a different plan.   If your item does not sell in 30 days, you probably should lower its asking price and maybe even improve your descriptions and pictures.  Or, after 2 weeks, you could lower the price, etc.  The lowering of your price depends on how badly you want to the sell the unit and what responses you are getting on your ad.   If zero responses (meaning no questions), maybe it is time to lower its price, change the pictures and descriptions.   If no sale within 30 days, you can always re-list and see what happens.  There are no rules for this so use your best judgment or ask your friends for advice.

9)  You must promptly answer ALL questions received with accurate and informative answers.  You can always include additional information, if appropriate, trying to be a consultant to your possible buyer.  Sometimes it is useful to exchange phone numbers if a discussion is required (you decide).    

Hopefully, these suggestions will get you a quick sale this coming week.  Please add other suggestions for selling equipment on Audiogon.  Your experiences of what worked, and did not work, are requested   Cheers,   Howard
hgeifman
smittyjs
33 posts
 
You're idea about counteroffering what "you" perceive to be low-ballers is an excellent idea. I once made an offer of $650 on an $850 item. I was willing to go to $750, which I thought a fair market price. The seller (a regular seller) never responded. Two months later he lowered the price to $750 and it was still sitting there for a while after that. Meanwhile I had moved on and bought it elsewhere for $725.

I'll add something to your list - don't be curt in your correspondence. I asked a seller one simple question. The tone of the reply was "don't bother me with questions, just buy the damn thing". I always avoid buying from someone with that attitude because if they're a problem before you buy it, chances are they'll be a problem if something goes wrong with the transaction. I moved on.

A third problem I had, which is actually similar to the "curt" problem I mentioned above, was after bidding and attempting to make a payment I got a return email saying the payment didn't go through because the seller's account had a problem. I informed the seller (I believe he's a business because he sells a lot) about the email and the reason stated. He basically said pay up or else. After some digging I found out something had gone wrong with the Audiogon-to-PayPal connection. I reconfigured it and sent the payment again and it worked. But due to his attitude I'll never buy anything from him again. And in fact, there have been several instances where I've come across an item, saw it was him, and moved on. So the lesson is, don't assume someone is jerking your chain. There may be a legitimate problem.
hgeifman OP
1,193 posts
 
@exron

I do not work for Audiogon. My suggestions above were based on my experiences of selling 5 items in the last 90+ days. I hope that others will benefit from my experiences and suggestions. 

I agree that pricing, #5 above, is very important. As I said, there are no set rules and everyone has to decide on a starting price. I started high on 2 of my items and received no acceptable offers. I decided I was going to sell these items so I reduced the price and developed the above strategy for myself. As others have also indicated, I also posted items on eBay and US AudioMart.

In other situations, I have pulled my ad after 30 days since there were no offers and I was unwilling to give it away. This is an excellent "strategy" where you re-list the item later (or, maybe keep it) and update your pictures, descriptions and maybe the price, depending on the situation.

I continue to believe that "great" pictures and a well written "description" greatly help selling audio equipment.  Posting on multiple sites also helps selling the piece since more people are seeing the ad (maybe the same people).  Of course, being polite and answering all questions is very important as was stated above. 

Thanks for your comments.



Ag insider logo xs@2x
mark_hubbard
46 posts
 
Thank you all for your comments and insight. It has been a long time since I have sold on Audiogon (I just keep buying), so I was surprised to learn of the "new" costs and other issues. I have always used my real name as my user name for transparency, both on Audiogon and on eBay, and all of my transactions have been cordial and satisfactory (usually splendid), with the sole exception of a pair of speakers that were slightly cosmetically damaged by UPS. For me, Audiogon still feels like a family of honorable gentlemen.

I'm unfamiliar with US Audio Mart and Audio Asylum Trader, so I would like your advice on whether to use my real name as my user name when I register there. Have any of you noticed an increase in spam since signing up for either? The story about the angry seller is appalling but presumably rare. Are there other issues I should consider? Obviously, I'll have zero feedback to begin with, for instance. I don't mind giving Audiogon more money than in the "good old days," in part because my ad costs in the past have been so low, but I don't wish to be fleeced either.

I have a high-end Wadia CD player, an entry-level Wadia CD player, and a Rowland amp and preamp I should sell, as well as a few less valuable components that need new homes. I'll probably stick with Audiogon, but all advice and comments on what I should consider will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Mark Hubbard
Eureka, CA
lou_setriodes's avatar
lou_setriodes
414 posts
 
Jmcgrogan & Grannyring:  Interesting comments about selling on A'gon as opposed to AA and Audiomart.  I've been doing this for a very long time too and totally agree with you.  A'gon needs to change their structure to allow phone numbers so people can talk to one another.  People in the hobby are getting older and we want to be able to talk with one another when consummating an expensive transcaction.

Selling audio gear is just like selling a home.  If its priced too high, it will sit.  If it sits long enough, the ad gets stale.  Removing the ad, waiting a few weeks or months and relisting it at a lower price makes it appear fresh again and if its priced right, it will sell.  And just as in real estate, when a listing is new, your first offer is usually your best offer

Dave:  I had a similar experience with a nut job seller on US Audiomart.  I was selling something a few years ago and listed the reason for selling.  It was to raise money for taxes and also to get other gear.  The prospective buyer called me a liar, unethical and all kinds of other nonsense.  When I explained that 1/2 of the $ was going to paying taxes, the other 1/2 was going to be used to buy other stuff, he continued on his rant calling me the worst of things.  Now, I have been doing this  (buying, selling, and even trading audio gear for 30 years and also sold audio at the retail level for 2 years in the early 90's and have never had a problem).....I soon realized that he was a complete nut job and told him to loose my email address and I stopped answering him.....but for the one night that we went back and forth with messages, it was very upsetting.  I wonder if you had the same guy from the West Coast?  I think he was really fond of Phase Linear and JBL gear?
phd
1,008 posts
 
There was a big exodus from Audiogon years ago when the new owners changed things around to such a degree, many left in disgust and vowed not to come back other then to check the forums once in a while. I am also a member of us audio mart and have sold several items there with great success. I have also purchased items there and I am very pleased with the results.

I have noticed that much gear that sold for around five hundred to a thousand dollars a few years back on A'gon is now be listed at much higher prices as if the sellers were trying to retire. Of course you can sell for any price you see fit but many folks here that have been buying on A'gon for sometime now, know what the average selling price for most items. But also one should consider that some sellers inflate the price only to settle for less on  "make offer".
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