Used prices

howie777

A local shop in town has a pair of Marantz MA-500 mono blocks for sale which look to be in excellent condition. When I first saw them they listed the price as $400 MSRP (asking $275 each)which is not true, 6 months later is now says $300 MSRP as it should be. They want $275 each for these which are used and claim the Blue Book on them is $340 each. Now I have been following the MA-500's for about a year on ebay and audiogon and know they go for more like $150 each. How do you look up the "Blue book" price for these? I would consider buying them but wouldn't pay more then $300 a pair not $550 like the store wants. And I'd rather not due business with this store but ebay scares me.

So how do you look up used prices? Is there a fee? If I try and buy them I'd like some hard data to show them they are way off on the price, but maybe blue book is over valuing them too?

Thanks,

madmax

I believe www.audiogon.com has a blue book service but I think you have to pay for it. If you can find some completed sales on ebay you could show that to the store.
madmax

danger boy

Hey,

I own 3 Marantz MA-500 mono blocks. all purchased off Ebay.

Yeah, you do not want to pay that kind of money for them. Not that they are not worth it.. but those prices are way over inflated.

The MA-500 usually goes for between the low end of $150 to a high of about $185 or so. Most sell in the range of $170 - $175 each.

I bought a pair. then later purchased a single one.. each of them were within that price range.

Buy them in pairs if you can... saves on shipping costs and usually you can get that $150 price a piece when the seller lists them in pairs.

good luck guy... these suckers are heavy and sound great.

howie777

There is a guy in my state selling 5 of them. Two pairs and a single. They are about $175 for 2 right now and I expect they will hit $300/ pair before the auction closes. But I really shouldn't buy them as I should be saving for a house! But what good is a house if you do not have some good amps to put in it! I'd like 4 of them for my RTi's. I could bi-amp or bridge 2 and get 400 watts into 8 ohms! I think my RTi8s can handle em.

Howie

brettw22

Orion says..........

Retail
MSRP: $300.00
USED: $170.00
Wholesale
Mint: $100.00
Average: $60.00

howie777

Thanks for the information!

danger boy

wholesale?

what about real world retail?

mint for $100 LMAO that is funny.

where does this come from? Someone's got a good sense of humor.. and lives in la la land. A Marantz MA-500 for a $100

Waaaaaaaaaaa!

PolknPepsi

Audiogon Bluebook says used should be $190.00 each.

.............Pat

howie777

The $100 mint is what you could get for it if you traded it in to a store. They would then sell for about $170 - $190. Its like used cars. If you sell it yourself you can get more then if you trade it in.

Howie

howie777

So I go back to the store today with a print out from Orion Blue Book (hey, $4 is worth it I figure for this one time dea) on the MA-500 monoblocks that clearly shows they are worth $170 not $340 each. So the guy at the store first tells me he cannot change the price and the guy who can isn't in today. Then another guy comes over and I asked him, he promptly goes and gets the printed version of the blue book, 2004 revised edition and procedes to look up the price. Sure enough, it says they are worth $340 each (I saw this with my own eyes)! So this whole thing is due to (I'm assuming) a misprint in the book. So the store paid about $200, instead of the $100 they should have. I guess it is just not ment to be

Bah!

Howie:(

madmax

Maybe it was a really old book? If it is you could point that out to them.
madmax

danger boy

wow. if that's the case.. mine just doubled in value. LOL :cool:

NOT a fat chance. It has to be a misprint.. call those Orion folks and give em hell I say.

Some dude on Ebay.. was or is selling 5 mono blocks.. he first listed them at $1100. then had to relist since he got zero bids. relisted at $799 i think. Don't know if they ever sold or not. I was tracking the auction. suddenly it's not there anymore.

howie777

I have been tracking ebay for over a year now but ebay scares me! LOL. Shipping is what is bothering me, too many horror stories about damaged goods and then having to deal with it.

Oh well, I guess I'm just not meant to have them

Howie

Oh and it was a revised 2004 edition of the book so it wasn't and old one.

danger boy

Howie,

Don't be scared young man. Ebay isn't that scary really. Good deals can be had on just the gear you're looking for there.

Yeah, shipping costs suck... but what you save in $$ makes up for it.

You only hear about the bad stories.. just think how many happy people there are that gotten good deals and not had any shipping problems.

it's worth it IMHO

dorokusai

It was the Orion "Pawn Shop" Edition. Just feel good in the fact that those will probably sit for a long time....and if they do sell....it won't be for their BB value.

I know I saw one "R" version somewhere tho'...hmmmm

F 'em.

howie777

LOL, my first ebay auction and I lost! NO!!!! I'll never bid again!

Oh well, it was kinda fun actually. I bid on 2 Marantz MA 500's and went up to $180 but they sold for $189. Oh well, now I just want to sell a bunch of crap! I keep looking around my room for stuff to sell. Hmm, Spider II amp, RTi6's and RTi8's and my old yamaha CD player, Maybe a guitar or two, my guitar port... MUHAHAHAHA

Howie

danger boy

patience helps... i too get outbid all the time.. but i keep plugging away. sometimes I win by just a buck or two.. and it makes it all worth it.

allthough I would never, ever do it.. :rolleyes: sniping (outbidding someone in the last few seconds) is perfectly legal..

howie777

LOL, trying to outbid at the last second was how I was told to it works. I thought it was kinda sneaky, and I lost anyway after putting in about $12 more than the current bid. LOL maybe I lost due to karma.

Howie

danger boy

sniping isn't as much fun as it used to be.. right guys?

People have caught on to it.. and it's tougher to snipe someone these days.