Audiogon - comments?

As a newbie to this fantastic world I have bumped into Audiogon and seen interesting offers.
my understanding is that it is a network based on trust when you pay before receiving the product.
how does it work? 100% trust in working product and delivery?
not sure I get it completely.
thanks for your help

That's pretty much it. I tend to look carefully at the seller's feedback and history of transactions before I commit to a large purchase that way for cash/check. Other sellers may be willing to take PayPal, (although I personally don't trust and won't use it). I did buy about a $1700 amp by check from an individual, and a sub from an authorized dealer that offered it on Audiogon as discontinued stock (new).

Unlike Ebay, the scammers haven't really caught on to the existence of Audiogon yet.

I bought my Cinema from Audiogon, paid had it shipped and received it no problem. I also found my Scripts on there, I drove to the guys place paid him and everything worked out great.

Ask for the seller's phone number. Don't be a stranger. Give him/her a call and do the deal on the phone.

Audiogon is fine. Just use common sense.

Erik

I have bought and sold a number of items on Audiogon without any problem, except for one situation where a seller reneged on a deal when he was offered more money after we had agreed on a price. Fortunately this was before I mailed him the money.

I just got my $5000.00 amp from Audiogon. Like anything “Buyer beware”. Talk to the seller. If you have doubts ask for a picture of the serial number. I have over 10 transactions on Audiogon and knock on wood no issues. But then again I have over 200 transactions on e-bay and again knock on wood no issues.

Lotus said:

As a newbie to this fantastic world I have bumped into Audiogon and seen interesting offers.
my understanding is that it is a network based on trust when you pay before receiving the product.
how does it work? 100% trust in working product and delivery?
not sure I get it completely.
thanks for your help

Click to expand...

I think it's best to pay via paypal and charge it on your credit card. The 3% fee is your insurance policy that allows you to contest the credit card transaction if things get messed up. I understand you can trace money back from money orders, but I don't know how it works, especially if the money gets spent.

Also, if you don't trust the seller, get a picture showing the serial number. You can call the company to get maintenance information, dealer name, and manufacture date of the unit.

Bought a preamp and a modded vintage tuner so far on audiogon. I pay the old fashioned way and begin with a letter of introduction. If the respondents (sellers) have co-responded in kind, have other items, and a good feedback, it's a go.
BTW, a little research goes a long way. For instance, while researching analog and tube tuners, one site, Tuner Information Center.com, has a list of baddies. I assume other specialist web sites do likewise.
Great fun, Audiogon. It's the the Sears Wish Book catalog when I was a kid.

this is really usefull! thanks! will let you know when I finish my transactions.

Beakman said:

Bought a preamp and a modded vintage tuner so far on audiogon. I pay the old fashioned way and begin with a letter of introduction. If the respondents (sellers) have co-responded in kind, have other items, and a good feedback, it's a go.
BTW, a little research goes a long way. For instance, while researching analog and tube tuners, one site, Tuner Information Center.com, has a list of baddies. I assume other specialist web sites do likewise.
Great fun, Audiogon. It's the the Sears Wish Book catalog when I was a kid.

Click to expand...

BTW, I meant eBay et al seller and purchaser "Baddies". the stuff on the components, that too of course.

i have done business on audiogon and have had 2 bad transactions where i could not leave feedback. the feedback system is very flawed - it is impossible to leave bad feedback on there.

I got some of my equipment from there. The best ones so far have been the ones I found on there and it turns out the guy is local too. So cash pickup is always a safe bet.

I've picked up a number of things via Audiogon over the years, most notably my Summits. You just have to remember to validate to your satisfaction the reliability and trustworthiness of who you're buying from. In particular, if you're picking up something of significant value (like my Summits), IMHO you must speak to the person one-on-one and get a 'feel' for that person. (Oddly enough, the person I bought my Summits from felt the same way from his end. He wasn't going to sell them to anybody that he didn't believe would give his 'babies' a 'good home'. )

kcl said:

I've picked up a number of things via Audiogon over the years, most notably my Summits. You just have to remember to validate to your satisfaction the reliability and trustworthiness of who you're buying from. In particular, if you're picking up something of significant value (like my Summits), IMHO you must speak to the person one-on-one and get a 'feel' for that person. (Oddly enough, the person I bought my Summits from felt the same way from his end. He wasn't going to sell them to anybody that he didn't believe would give his 'babies' a 'good home'. )

Click to expand...

My sentiments exactly! I've probably been through 25 transaction on AudioGon as both a buyer and seller, and I have exactly this approach - get to know the person on the other side of the transaction. Just use common sense.

In my system I gotten my new CLS's, my phono stage, pre-amp, amp, tuner, DAC and cables too numerous to mention off of the 'Gon, and sold equal amounts of equipment, all without a hich. The upside for me is that I have a "pretty decent" system at about 50% of what it would have cost me to buy it all new. I still try to give a portion of my business to the local high end shops I like to support, but the bottom line is that I wouldn't be listening nearly as well today were it not for AudioGon.

It's very common on these types of websites that the buyer pays and waits for the funds to clear with the seller before the item is shipped. It can be nerve racking for the buyer but that is the normal process. It's great for the seller but the process puts the most risk on the buyer.

The feedback system is worthless since the seller or buyer has to approve their own feedback. Who is going to approve negative feedback on themselves? That's why 99% of the accounts are all 100% positive feedback. The only use for the feedback system is to get an idea of how many transactions someone has done and even that can easily be faked.

With that said, Audiogon is great resource for the exchange of used audio equipment. Be sure to talk with seller for large transactions and to get an idea if they are trustworthy or not. If you have any doubts at all then move on to another deal another day.

There are excellent deals to be had but not without some risk. A local purchase is always best when possible and I've met some good audiofriends this way. For some items I would just go ahead and pay more for a new product at a brick ad mortar store such as turntables, large speakers and subwoofers. Its good to have the warranty, service and they often do not ship well especially if used.

Thanks all. I am going through the process right now and hopefully I will be able to share some good news during the weekend.
I have decided to go for a seller that is only 2 hours away from where I live, in this way I can inspect, listen and meet the seller. All feeling much simplier now.

I think you'll find out audiophiles are honest and polite people, but it never hurts to be cautious.

I think another major thing that Audiogon has going for it is that, in general, the equipment being sold is high-end. This is important for a number of reasons. First, this kind of equipment is designed to be the best in their price range, which means that they're also usually long-lasting and durable. Next, the type of folks that purchase high-end equipment not only appreciate it, they tend to meticulously maintain it. Finally, things are being sold on Audiogon usually because the seller has upgraded to even higher-end equipment.

I think you can see why so many of us like to deal with Audiogon.

Ok, I got my new (used) Vantage. They are indeed very beautiful and they sound great. Now it is time to finalize the system with a nice pre/amp and CD.

I think Beakman was referring to this site: http://www.fmtunerinfo.com/ and yes, they do make a point of tracking scumbags. So does AudioAsylum with respect to ebay scammers. AgoN has had their share of scammers (someone who is just after your money and has nothing to sell) and scummers (someone who is intentionally misrepresenting the item and won't refund your money.)

Here's a good AgoN tip (their stupid FB system notwithstanding.) This if you are not sure of a seller, or are buying a big ticket item: Pull up the seller's (received) feedback and look up all the 'buyer' feedbacks. They each will have the AgoN user ID of the buyer. You can therefore email that person through the AgoN email system and get more information. Most will be happy to speak with you on the phone too, and tell you if there were any problems (there often were despite the positive feedback ;-)