Buying used or sight unseen speakers a bad idea?

The biggest issue of used speakers is shipping.
Buy off Audiogon, but wait until the items you want are near enough to go pick them up. Thus you SEE and hear them before you pay.
I have found a bunch of really heavy stuff on the Gon close enough to go pick them up, or have them dropped off by the owner.
Having a bit of patience helps.

I have bought 2 pair of speaker here and have been very pleased with both condition and packing.

Best,

Dave

I, too, bought multiple pairs of speakers (4 pr.). I have been incredibly satisfied with both the orice, the courteous service - of course member-deoendent. However, all of my transactions went thru without a hitch and in every case the speakers exceeded my expectations.

That, plus the fact that on average I bought the speakers at 30 to 50 cents on the retail dollar and I feel like I came out way ahead all in all...

Good Luck To You!

-RW-

Just be aware that if speakers are not packed properly, they can be damaged in shipping. I bought a speaker that was not packed tight enough, got shook around by FedEx, and ended up getting some damage on it.

Most high end speakers will last very long time without requiring repair or maintenance, so unless the owner has abused them buying used should not be a problem, but strongly recommend you at least audition the model you're interested in at trade show or dealer. Very risky to buy speaker based on review only and I personally would never do so, especially in the high price range.
Another great option, depending on where you live and dealer availability, is to buy a floor model that dealer is selling. Usually this will still have warranty and can be had for half retail price. Many of these can be found on audiogon as well.