audiogon good/bad experience

In the months to come I may be looking to buy one or two amps used probably PASS to drive my spires I would probably go threw audiogon and want to start looking so when a good deal arises I can jump on it before it is gone. I would like to know if there is anything I should be aware of so I can keep my chances of getting ripped of to a minimum.If any of you have had bad experiences I would like to know the details of what happened.preferably I would like to demo and pay on site but that may not be a possibility. if this thread is in the wrong area I am sorry maybe the moderators could move it for me.if I should look elsewhere let me know

Hi Fish...

To minimize your risk, here's a few tips:

look at the seller's feedback on A'gon... The more, the better.. but not having any isn't always a BAD thing.

Communicate with the seller via email and let him know you'd like to talk to him on the phone.

If the seller is not legit, it's unlikely that he'll gonna give you a phone number.

Call him and talk to him... ask him about the amp... the history of it, what was it used for, how to ship it, how it will be packed, etc.

While all of this may be listed in the auction already, by talking to him on the phone, you'll get an idea of what he's like as a person and your comfort level will most likely go WAY up.

Make sure you let him know you want to know when it's shipped and to provide a tracking number the same day, so you can watch it's progress.

If you sense any "red flags" and don't get all warm and fuzzy, then maybe you should continue looking.

When I bought my Pass X250 on Audiogon, the steps above are exactly what I did and I got a good feel about the seller before I agreed to purchase it.

Hope this helps! :music:

I've only bought 3 or 4 things on Audiogon, and each time I spoke to the seller on the phone. I got a sense real quick that he liked to talk about the gear, how it might match with my stuff, other gear he's had in the past, etc. Each time it sounded like a guy trying to sell something to fund buying something else, just like what I was doing.
I never had an issue.

I have had a few good experiences with the GON, I did get to talk to them all though as Tom stated. Any one that wont phone communicate is not a legit seller. First thing I always ask is can you do a local pick up. If they shy away from that I would not even consider them. If they say sure they usually do not have anything to hide. Many a seller has blamed the shipping company for damages that never occurred from shipping.

I have gotten 6 or 7 items from Audiogon and have had a good experience each time. I agree with Tom look at the feedback, call the seller talk to him or her. And ask questions. Oh and don’t be afraid to haggle. Start low because you can always go up. Many times I have been shocked by the low number I have put out and getting the OK from the seller. I think “Man I should have started lower”. Don’t be afraid to walk away from an item because chances are another one will come up.

Yea, the main theme here is 'speak to the seller'. You should be able to make your own decision as to if the person is trustworthy after a few discussions.

My one and only experience was positive, but i did speak to the seller and was assured that he was a good person to deal with. The down side of my experience was that the unit arrived without a power cord. Perhaps you can use that experience to ask the seller to double check that everything is packaged.

Try to verify claims. For example, i was able to verify that the unit was actually checked out by an authorized repair center by obtaining necessary information then calling the repair center to verify. The seller should be glad to help you verify any such claims.

Good luck, and let us know of your experience if you decide to buy.

Ask for the serial number and check it out with the mfr before you purchase...

I believe I have had 60 or so transactions on Audiogon. They all have went well accept for the following:

1. DHL dropped my Pass Labs X600.5 (this was pretty darn close to hell). Everything worked out. Thanks to Pass Labs, simply the best customer service in the business. Long story but truly amazing.
2. International Buyer gave me the wrong address and his two piece CDP could not be delivered (this was hell). Basically the buyer blamed this all on me and threatened me with legal action and yada yada yada. Everything worked out.
3. Buyer in New York said he got a scratched DVD player that did not work. I gave full refund. Got DVD player back worked perfectly had pictures to prove it was in perfect shape when shipped. Box was perfect from FedEx was not damaged in anyway. 3 months after the transaction he left me neutral feedback Audiogon. My only blemish.

3 out of 60 ain't so bad...Everything I have bought has been perfect, including some very high dollar items.

I hope this helps!

D

I've had one very negative experience, one dissapointing,
and one very good. The two negatives were trying to buy
a Krell KCT preamp; the positive was with my BAT tubed
CD player.

Very negative - Before I committed to buying his KCT, the
seller triggered every scam warning possible while
negotiating the details...

• Used an anonymous hotmail/gmail address.
• Provided a cell number only. Refused to provide a home
  number or postal address.
• Demanded a wire transfer and rejected offers for any type
  of check, personal or certified.

The guy was either moving stolen goods or was an outright
scammer.

Dissapointing - Bought a demo KCT from a large NY dealer.
Arrived with black, plastic chips in the shipping box and
even inside the preamp case. Turns out the KCT used a
giant toroidal transformer which had a hard plastic shell.
Early KCTs had a defect which caused the transformer to
overheat. This in turn caused the plastic shell to become
brittle. Shipping vibrations caused the plastic shell to flake
away and disintegrate. The seller accepted the unit back,
but I still lost about $100 in shipping expenses.

Very good - My BAT tubed CD player transaction was very
enjoyable. Before I committed to buying, I called the seller
at home and spent about an hour chatting about his BAT
and the audiophilia hobby in general. I had no worries
buying from him, and the unit arrived exactly as described.

I've recently purchased several items on the GON, and so far so good. I recently purchased my Vista's on the GON and had no issues. I agree with several of the other posts about calling and talking with the seller and looking for positive feedback. The person I bought my Vista's from had over 100 positive feedback ratings.

I have bought and sold 20+ items on Audiogon. All of the transactions were positive, with one exception, where the seller reneged on the deal after we had agreed on a price because another buyer after me offered him more. He seemed like such a nice guy when I talked to him over the phone.

I tend to keep my purchases small if I am not picking them up in person. I bought my ARC monoblocks from a guy in Toronto, and drove there to pick them up. I was quite surprised when the seller asked me if my wife and I could stay for dinner !

I purchased my Spires on Audiogon and had a great experience. The seller had a huge feedback history which helped. I also looked up his home and work address through Google map street view. Having a picture of the house in a good neighborhood gave me a little more reassurance.

FISH_MAN said:

In the months to come I may be looking to buy one or two amps used probably PASS to drive my spires I would probably go threw audiogon and want to start looking so when a good deal arises I can jump on it before it is gone. I would like to know if there is anything I should be aware of so I can keep my chances of getting ripped of to a minimum.If any of you have had bad experiences I would like to know the details of what happened.preferably I would like to demo and pay on site but that may not be a possibility. if this thread is in the wrong area I am sorry maybe the moderators could move it for me.if I should look elsewhere let me know

Click to expand...

I've purchased several high end components from Audiogon sellers without a hitch. I second TomDacs method of finding a comfort level with the seller.

I did buy one pair of Aragon Palladium amps from a commercial seller that didn't check them out well and one was slightly ill when it arrived. He was a class act, however, and gave me the option of having the amp repaired at his cost or sending the amps back for a full refund including S&H, which I did.

The strategy that worked for me was to peruse A'gon (or craigslist) for local sellers of the desired items. This way, I can talk to the seller, see the item in action before forking the $$$ to pick it up. Most of the times, talking to the seller face-to-face and establishing a connection, he was willing to knock down the price a bit even though he listed as "firm".

Spike

Cherian said:

Start low because you can always go up. Many times I have been shocked by the low number I have put out and getting the OK from the seller. I think “Man I should have started lower”.

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Very good strategy if you don't have to have the item.

How low do you go without insulting the guy? What % off is considered low balling?

thanks for the info you have put in. it sounds like the shipper is the one to be afraid of I think I am going to hold out for a road trip pick up 4+- a few hours would be ok I just can't stand the thought of UPS smashing a nice amp. Is there any other shippers that specialize in a white glove service for items that you do not want crushed or banged around ??? paying more might be worth while

I've sold three items and purchased one (my Cary CDP) on the Gon. No issues. Just follow Tom Dac's sage advice and you'll be fine.

GG

FISH_MAN said:

thanks for the info you have put in. it sounds like the shipper is the one to be afraid of I think I am going to hold out for a road trip pick up 4+- a few hours would be ok I just can't stand the thought of UPS smashing a nice amp. Is there any other shippers that specialize in a white glove service for items that you do not want crushed or banged around ??? paying more might be worth while

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Hey Fish,

If you find a reputable seller and have the original packaging, you should be okay 99.97% of the time. You can have them double box the stuff, and insure the package as a pre-caution as well.

Most of the stuff sold in the US gets shipped, and there are usually no problems. People just get scared of the vivid stories. More people get killed by deer than sharks, but no one reports this. You should have no problems as long as you do your due diligence. Good Luck!

If I see a price and then OBO next to it I start at 33% less than asking. In my head I know what I'm willing to pay for the item. If they say no I go up slowly till I hit my max and then I walk away. I have had transactions that took 20+ e-mails in a matter of an hour.

FISH_MAN said:

thanks for the info you have put in. it sounds like the shipper is the one to be afraid of I think I am going to hold out for a road trip pick up 4+- a few hours would be ok I just can't stand the thought of UPS smashing a nice amp. Is there any other shippers that specialize in a white glove service for items that you do not want crushed or banged around ??? paying more might be worth while

Click to expand...

Anything insure over $5k gets hand delivered not on the big vans. They send it out on the small vans and take extra caution. I shipped my Krell KPS to KRELL and that is what they said. You can also have it strapped to a pallet and that is safe too. Then it has to be fork lifted not man handled. There are shipping companies that you can get to special deliver . Go to USHIP.com. They bid on your shipping.