HAVE ALL SALES STOPPED ON AUDIOGON ???

To answer the question more directly though, I think the slowdown could be contributed to the baby boomers entering into retirement and being a bit more judicious with their spending.  I'm  a divorced 40 year old with a teenager and a tween and have made a few major purchases just recently.  I had left my system largely untouched for two years.  When I go to the audio shows the demographic is still by far the baby boomer bunch.  When I tell my contemporaries about my listening system and prices, they nearly fall over and need resuscitation.  They think I am nuts!  They think nirvana comes in the shape of a Bose soundbar.  

I do think that there is a younger (like in their twenties) that are now getting into the vinyl seen and are curious about getting a stereo setup.  I recently sold a set of speakers locally to a college student.  So there might be hope; if these young folks can get well paying jobs after university.

Agreed.  I put a piece up recently and did not get a whiff of interest, not even lowball offers, even after dropping the price 25%. 

I also look at a lot of gear for sale I'd love to buy but don't have room for, and it just sits there unsold.  Maybe everyone else is like me, too much gear and generally happy with their sound.  

Selling on audio mart and waiting a few extra weeks for the sale is looking more and more attractive.

The nature of any free market includes cycles. Just as the stock market will lurch and gyrate, so too do the prices of audio equipment rise and fall. No single snapshot in time can be used to evaluate the overall health of any market. Those who act on those snapshots are almost always losers in the market.

Buying used items online is fraught with peril!  It is much safer buying from reputable dealers.  I have been burned several times in the last two years.

The days of innocence are over, and my best recommendation is "seller beware."  The buyer has some protections, but the seller is out there.

The high-end audio community might learn something from the way sports cards are traded online.  Sure, there are still direct auction site sales, but more and more traders are listing through reliable 3rd party resellers who receive, review, and inventory the cards and conduct the sales transaction, then send the seller the proceeds.  Prices are established by the re-seller, so they have the ability to control risks and make a reliable profit.  It's a lot like selling on consignment.  The seller will generally take 10% – 15%.  It certainly is easier to do this with a product that slips into an envelope, but it may be a viable option for bulkier items as well.