Buying used vs. New

I have a mix of used and new in my system, which is the first audiophile quality one I have put together. I have had good luck so far buying used equipment. I would say, however, that one should never pay more than half of the original retail price for a used item, the only exception to this would be if it basically hadn't actually been used. That is pretty much the rule of thumb for any type of high-end goods. And of course, you have to do your research and make sure that you know what you are getting.

08-25-08: Learsfool
... one should never pay more than half of the original retail price for a used
item, the only exception to this would be if it basically hadn't actually been
used. That is pretty much the rule of thumb for any type of high-end
goods.

That's a worthy goal, but in practice, it's not always possible. The market for
an item determines its used value. In cases where there is more demand than
supply for an item, the market value will be higher than 50% of retail.
Depending on the component, paying more than 50% can still be a good
value.

You can see evidence of this daily in the Audiogon listings.

I agree with Tvad. Rigid policies are inappropriate in the face of inconsistent circumstances. There is no formula that can be applied universally since every situation is different. Factory direct products with strict pricing policies like Red Wine Audio maintain a very high resale in the neighborhood of 75%, whereas the Talon Khorus was dumped into the marketplace and now sells used for maybe 25% of list price.
I don't think the resale percentage of these products reflects their relative value or desirability.
Some vintage products fade into oblivion only to be rediscovered eventually and then their selling price soars due to scarcity. Certain turntables from Lenco, Garrard and Technics bear this out.

LOL, many items sell for more money used than they did when new, Quad ESL57s, Rogers LS 3/5A, EMT turntables, most vacuum tubes, better Garrard and Thorens tables, the list would take up pages.

Rigid policies are inappropriate in the face of inconsistent circumstances.

Macrojack,

Do you work for a pharmaceutical? This statement bears resemblance to the warning "if it lasts for more than 4 hours contact your doctor"...(why a doctor, in particular, should be open to such overtures I just can't figure out)