Why so many Flaky Buyers?

I think Jvia said it really well. I guess when you sell used "stuff" yourself, you have to be prepared to possibly put in a lot of work, & probably deal with a certain amount of jerks. Like, you could sell your components to a used stereo dealer, or put them on consignment, but you would get that much less (but hopefully save the hassles). Have you ever sold a used car yourself? You get way more than trading it in to a dealer, but is a GIGANTIC PITA.

I'd like to hear on this thread from any audiophiles who constantly buy & sell stuff on the web & how they manage.
One thing I've read a lot, & firmly believe myself, is talk to the buyer or seller on the phone before agreeing to any transaction! A great way to weed people out, if not foolproof. However I've done way more buying than selling so far, & that's a whole other topic full of potential pitfalls..... I've been sandbagged a couple of times by sellers (real jerks) who agreed to my offer & then suddenly backed out. However you'd also be amazed at how many truly ethical, conscientious audiophiles are out there. Good luck!

I don't know if there's any more flaky buyers than there are sellers. I would think that anyone who lists equipment on this site runs the risk of getting bothersome questions and lower than expected offers. I don't care whether I'm buying or selling an item, the polite thing to do is to respond to all inquiries. That's the price you pay for trying to sell or buy on line. If the offer that you receive is lower than what you will accept, politely and firmly tell them so. There probably isn't anyone out there who hasn't asked someone if they'll accept a lower price than the one that's been represented as firm. What harm is there in asking? I, for one, am certainly not going to be offended if someone offers less. If the item I were selling were so desirable and priced right on the money, the first one to respond would probably be tickled to death to have the first crack at a deal. Ironically, many of us feel that what we own is worth the same to others as it is to us, which might not be the case. Audiophilia is a hobby for many and considering the current economic conditions, many prices are lower today. I'm in the retail automobile industry and if you want to see some squirrely buyers, you should see what I see every day. There are better deals out there today than I've ever seen before and still the buyers want more. It's a fact of life...everybody wants more for less, probably more so today than ever before.

Have you ever gone into a store or a car dealer and say to the salesperson you are interested in item X and then don't buy it. Or do to you immediately buy everything you're interested in?

Ucmgr- You've nailed it, IMO. Just a part of life and esp. doing business on the web.

I've had over 30 transactions, both buying and selling here on Audiogon, and in general am very pleased with the results. Yes, I've had to put up with some "tire kickers" the "low-ballers", and sometimes many questions, but by far the majority of my transactions have been quick, smooth, and pleasant. Most Audiogon members are class people, and I certainly appreciate the buy/sell services such as Agon provides. I've also had excellent results using Ebay-- over 30 transactions there too.

I live out in the boondocks relatively speaking, and to me on-line buying and selling is the greatest thing that ever happened to my stero system and my associated obsession. It works for me. Cheers. Craig