Audiogon change

doctorcilantro

Well, now you can't edit your listing title or model after about a week. Guess it serves me right as I'm guilty of re-using ads now and then.

thuffman03

That is a good thing. I had to email a seller last week that he had the wrong info listed on an amp. He was able to change the ad and correct the mistake.

heiney9

http://www.audioasylum.com/cgi/vt.mpl?f=general&m=574954

It seems they are going downhill, atleast in the public opinion poll.

H9

Face

Be sure to read the last few posts.

punk-roc

the BBB stuff is worrisome.. i've had all good experiences the last year for whats worth..

Jason

doctorcilantro

Um, did you guys notice they suddenly are taking 2% of the final value.

WTF did that start??

doctorcilantro

http://stereolist.com/

Looks promising. Free for now.

steveinaz

Basically an on-line garage sale, buyer beware; just like flea-bay.

doctorcilantro

Sorry to hear your opinion Steve, but I'm glad to hear your unbiased opinion which is why I didn't mention I'm involved in this project... until now. I was hoping to hear more feedback from others. We feel Audiogon has lost its charm and utility. Yes, there are many users, but for what we pay... we get no service, outdated features, and ever-increasing fees. If you have time to offer any other feedback, I will pass it along. Have a great weekend.

cheers
dc

zingo

Doesn't look good for the 'Gon.

cstmar01

I still enjoy looking and shopping on the gon. Really for me where I'm located its like the only thing I've got besides flea bay. I don't have dealers really close by and none of them carry used stuff of anything like what you can find on the Gon so it is a source for me to go to, look at stuff, find out the prices, etc.

I like the idea of the members being already established, and having feedback already in place so I know who to buy from/trust/their judgment.

When a new place tries to do the same, its hard to get a read of what they are like and if the person can really be trusted as everything is starting fresh, ya know? I do think maybe having another site compete would be a good thing as it would open things up more, however I do see why the gon has gone down in ratings from what I read and how it used to be, however still for someone still fairly new to the game (only been doing a year and few months) it still offers a place better than flea bay and people that know what they are selling, well for the most part.

heiney9

Audiogon is not seller friendly and I'm not sure what people are smoking but the prices sellers ask (in general) are at the upper end of the scale. I haven't bought anything on 'gon for awhile because there aren't many good deals. I have had good luck with ebay and I continue to buy tubes from well known sellers at very reasonable prices.

H9

cstmar01

heiney9 wrote: »

Audiogon is not seller friendly and I'm not sure what people are smoking but the prices sellers ask (in general) are at the upper end of the scale. I haven't bought anything on 'gon for awhile because there aren't many good deals. I have had good luck with ebay and I continue to buy tubes from well known sellers.

H9

But Brock, don't you think for the prices it all depends on the situation too?

I know there are people out there that will say OBO and only take 20 bucks less, but due to the fees and everything as well that the gon charges it is one reason why the their prices tend to be higher. Personally compared to buying used gear at a dealer I found the gons prices to be lower as well as the sellers knows more (at times) than what the dealer does about the unit. Now that said doesn't mean the dealer hasn't gone over the unit while the seller never did, but the seller knows more of the features, whats happened to the unit, etc.

The other thing is that on the gon, normally if prices are to high, it doesn't get sold. Something is really only worth what another person is willing to pay, and if no one is going to pay the price, then its an easy indication that its overpriced. Now you do still get low ballers on there at times, such as my Pio DV-47AI I got an offer of 25.00 bucks on which was absurd, but whatever, you're going to get that anywhere really.

heiney9

I am more or less looking at tube sales. Audiogon sellers typically list at 30-50% higher than a typical ebay seller gets at an auction. Now I am speaking in generalities of course. And yes it is situation specific and seller specific sometimes, but Ebay has MUCH better buyer protection.

I bought a quad of 1950's Sylvania JAN 6SL7GTY with black plates and square getter (the good ones) for $38 on ebay all test and play as almost NOS. The same tube for a pair on Audiogon list for $55-$85 with less buyer protection than Ebay.

Here's another one:

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?accstube&1291424397&/Sylvania-6sl7-gt-vt-229-nos-be

I can buy those same tubes (NOS) from a dealer matched for $44-60. The seller is on crack to think he can get $150 for them!

H9

heiney9

Sellers can ask anything they want, I'm just telling you why I rarely buy on Audiogon anymore. Prices are insane and this is a recession. You are right things sit if they are priced too high. But again price is why I don't buy on Audiogon anymore.

Ricardo

I don't complain on Audiogon. Yes, their fees are going up (what isn't?). But I've never had a single problem buying or selling there. I think the overall "quality" of memebrship is above average.

Of course, like anywhere else, you need to pay attention to feedback.

steveinaz

doctorcilantro wrote: »

Sorry to hear your opinion Steve, but I'm glad to hear your unbiased opinion which is why I didn't mention I'm involved in this project... until now. I was hoping to hear more feedback from others. We feel Audiogon has lost its charm and utility. Yes, there are many users, but for what we pay... we get no service, outdated features, and ever-increasing fees. If you have time to offer any other feedback, I will pass it along. Have a great weekend.

cheers
dc

I was speaking about Audiogon..not the "stereolist" link you posted.

heiney9

Ricardo wrote: »

. I think the overall "quality" of memebrship is above average.

Of course, like anywhere else, you need to pay attention to feedback.

Overall I agree, but the gap is closing between Ebay and Audiogon and Ebay at the current time has much better buyer protection policy.

My current impressions of Audiogon are mostly based on what I read on the internet audio sites of people's current complaints.

H9

heiney9

Ricardo wrote: »

But I've never had a single problem buying or selling there.

Didn't the Belles come from Audiogon?

Ricardo

The Belles problems (bad solder joints) came from the factory, not from the Audiogon Seller.

steveinaz

My point was, as long as you are buying second hand (from anyone) you accept a certain level of risk. So ask the right questions, get additional photo's, read feedback...etc.

heiney9

I see Ricardo, couldn't remember exactly what the issue was.

The way I see it is many sellers on Audiogon think their gear is worth more than it actually is. I suppose to a certain degree we all think that, but predominantly the mind set on AG is to price things higher than the actual value in hopes that someone is willing to pay a premium to get that item, rather than wait and actually do some research. I am a bargain hunter especially when it comes to my secondary rig and things I buy to experiment with in that rig.

H9

heiney9

One last example and then I'll stop bashing sellers on AG.

An amp sells for $449 new. The seller uses it for a year (spairingly according to him) and it's in perfect condition, box, packing, original accessories, etc.

He asks $399 plus shipping for it. To me that's not a bargain or worth taking a risk on if I can pay $50 more from the dealer and get a better shipping rate and full waranty. That's the kind of stuff I see on AG all the time.

H9

Ricardo

Audiogon is not perfect, but you can't blame the site if a seller asks too much. You see that everywhere. If you think the price it's too high don't buy it. Chances are the price will come down.

heiney9

Again, I'm just stating why I don't use AG all that much. If things stop selling they don't make any money. Trying to help DR. C with the new site. I know AG can't set a max price, etc, etc. I just find things that are fairly common tend to have a higher asking price on AG than what I normally see in the market.

H9

doctorcilantro

@ Steve - thanks for clarifying.

I didn't get one email about all the posts here. Interesting points. I hope you'll all consider listing things and provide feedback if you have the time.