Why do people sell their stereo equipment to cashforstereos.com ? Because selling it on your own is extremely difficult. Although ebay posts the asking prices for non-sellers/buyers to see, you don’t know if the equipment really sold and if it did how much it sold for. If you have an account you are allowed to see past or completed sold auctions and get an somewhat accurate idea of what things sell for(from high to low.) Also, you have to be prepared to pay exorbitant fees, take back returns for 6 months, take pictures, write an accurate description. deal with scammers and parts pirates, etc. Then you have to pack the equipment like you are sending to the moon. New double boxes, quality packing materials, shipping through FedEx or UPS. Selling vintage electronics online is total stress, work, and risk. If you state the unit works that means every switch, control, lamp, indicator, feature, function works as new. If not your going to get an “item not as described” email. From there you have to work it out with the buyer offering a partial refund, or a full refund with which includes an extra shipping fee back to you. Also, sellers are NO longer allowed to give Bad buyers negative feedback. Looking at any ebay buyers feedback profile it appears all buyers are living dolls(lol.) From my experience…selling vintage higher-end equipment is possible. McIntosh, Krell, Audio Research, etc. is possible with your work, time and risk. Mid-Fi equipment such as Pioneer, Sansui, Kenwood, etc. have become more difficult to sell. If you expect to make a fortune selling audio equipment, you will be extremely disappointed. Although, I am told this site or that site is the best to sell electronics, ebay is still the place to be. Yes, they are totally anti-seller(rules, regulations, fee’s, feedback, returns, etc. but it’s the only place that you get the looks from people who have $$$. The other sites such as Craigslist, Facebook, esoteric sites, etc. are also possible selling venues but you will make appreciably less money.
Case in point, I listed an amazing S.S. Scott Receiver on eBay. The auction started at $29.99 with no reserve and 28.45 shipping. I went over the whole unit, replacing a couple of lamps, using DeOxit on the controls, aligning the tuner, and cleaning the unit with medical grade cleaner. I didn’t even get one bid at 30 bucks starting auction. The shipping was fair and if someone on the other side of the country bid on this unit I would surely lose money on shipping which includes insurance, packing supplies, boxes, tape, etc. The thing that bothers me most…this receiver sounded amazing in all respects and cosmetically was perfect. It is my opinion the performance was better then most of the touted brands. But…not a soul would bid on it. I payed $10.00 at a yard sale for this receiver. I would still lose money selling it for the beginning bid of $30.00 I started it at. The fee’s and work involved would be worth more then the selling price. I relisted this unit one more time with the same outcome, no bids, no interest. Why? I guess a couple reasons come to mind. Some “audiophiles” never heard of the Scott brand. Maybe it doesn’t have the prestige and name of “Marantz?” People don’t like the name “Scott?” Shipping was too high? Nope, who knows? I viewed all the current and past auctions for this receiver and, what ya know? None of the others sold either. Excuse me, one sold for $15.00 with $15.00 shipping. Who ever, what ever, that person lost money even if they got the receiver for free. Time, work, shipping, energy, risk, supplies, etc.
Personally, I am more specific in what I buy now. Some of the vintage Scott, Technics, Sony, etc. solid state Receivers are truly works of art, that sound phenomenal. But, if I can’t sell or use them, what good are they? I work on a unit for hours until I get it as close to factory specs as possible. Travel, to get this equipment, pay for it, fix and align it, clean it, pack it, take pics, and write a description. Then I sell it to lose money? Sorry, no go. From my observations, it appears to be another changing of the guard. The mid-hi-fi brands have lost much of their desirability.
Sad but true, as previously stated I am much more specific in what I buy and how much I pay. If someone expects to sell the equipment for the highest eBay asking price, good luck. Sincerely, I hope you do. Everything seems to be changing, at least in the last year or so. Almost all collectables are going down in value. I was at a flea market last week. There were Lionel trains everywhere. Ten – twenty years ago they were worth their weight in gold. No more, unless you have one of the few mistake trains or NOS, etc. Watching the TV car restoration and hot rod shows you would think the old classic cars are in high demand. You can buy a brand new Dodge Challenger for 40K. Not too many people are smart enough to buy a 50 year old headache of the same model for twice as much money, lol. I know, it’s an investment, you’ll be dead and your kids would rather inherit the cash. (I know I have experience!, multiple experiences with car mistakes.)
Anyway, I buy old stereo equipment. I am interested in the 1960’s American branded equipment, and 1970’s Japanese equipment. I buy some newer equipment from McIntosh, and other boutique brands. If you think you have something I would be interested in purchasing…Please give me a call or email me through my website: cashforstereos.com Thank you.
To sell your old stereo equipment, please contact us at cashforstereos.com, or call 718 698-2428.
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