Audiogon Ethics

In the past year I've gone through a lot of equipment in my pursuit of finding a particular component that I'm happy with. A lot of the items I bought I simply turned right around & sold when I determined they were simply not what I was looking for. Conversely, a few of the items I sold were very soon back up for sale. Every single item had a higher asking price which doesn't necessarily mean it sold for that amount.

Here's another example. I had for sale an item & advertised it for the fair market price. Somebody emailed me & asked me if it was the same item I had bought from somebody else that this particular person knew about at xxx price. I said yes, offered him the same price & never heard a word from him again. Was he really interested in this item? Was he working on his Jr. private dick's license? Most of the time the asking price is on the high side & it is expected that a little bargaining take place. Lowballing is totally different & I won't even go there.

Another deal I made involved trading amps. Originally I had no desire for this trade but the other party contacted me a second time after a few weeks of "will buys" & "gotta haves" so I decided to try it out. Well, to make a long story seem that way, while I was waiting for delivery of this amp I made a deal with a dealer to trade it in on some new speakers. I got the same money that I paid for it because it was at fair market price. I noticed shortly thereafter the other party had the traded item up for sale also. Did I care? No. Would I deal with this person again? Absolutely. We both got what we wanted or thought we wanted at the time.

Thing is, there's not a lot that can be done. The only action you can take is directly ask this person if it is indeed the same item & if so ask that the ad be modified. Otherwise you can report the situation to A-gon, as you have first hand verifiable knowledge of said discrepancies. You do have this information, i.e. SN, copy of receipt to prove age, etc., correct? I bring all this up not to agitate you but to point out just some of the frustrations. If they say it's not the same item there's nothing you can do.

The only thing I can say is do indeed stick to your values while at the same time not get too bogged down in the inanity of it all.

There's an current thread in "Disputes" regarding counterfeit ProAc speakers. I think the serial # should be added as a required field in in ad. To me it is just as important as condition. With all the current questions over transferrable warranties, anyone who is selling or buying should think of the serial # as one of the deciding factors in a transaction, I do! As far as the manufacturers are concerned, that number is more important than any description or condition claim in an internet ad.
Selling or buying a legitimate audio piece should be like
doing the same with a vehicle. At least there you match the VIN # to the title...

Daniel

You also have to be leary (not Timothy if Tireguy is around) on buying tubes on this site - go to Upscale Audio's web and he points out a few cases which have occurred both here and ebay where fakes are presented as rare NOS.

Ljgj is right about tubes but that is not limited to Audiogon. Lots of relabeling going on. Check carefully unless you buy from an established supplier.

I think we all need to remember that much of the equipment for sale on Audiogon is priced on the low side. No, not all of it, but many deals are out there, and if a person buys it and for whatever reason doesn't like it, he is free to ask whatever price the market will bear.

This recently happened to me on a Power 2SE amp. It sold for a very low $2300 to the first replier. I was the second, so I lost it. Immediately upon receiving the amp, the new buyer posted it for $2650 and sold it immediately. Was I and the original Seller pissed? Yes. Should we be? The answer is open to interpretation. The Seller wished I had gotten the amp because he knew I wanted it for myself, not for resale. I wish I had the amp. But this is a capitalist society, and that's the ballgame.

It is comforting to see that there are many Audiogon members who have strong moral codes that prevent them from engaging in these sort of transactions. On the other side of the coin, there are those who lie about and misrepresent condition, who then can use the excuse that "everyone's perception of mint is different." Personally, I'm tired of that hogwash. It's similar to the general decline in quality, pride of workmanship, respect of others, and, above all, shirking of personal responsibility that is so prevalent in societal decline.

On another note, I'm all for SERIAL NUMBERS IN AUDIOGON ADS!! Audiogon, let's do it.