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A little help for someone new

K

kwrentals

New Member
Hello,
I'm not sure where to post or ask for advice so please excuse me if this is the wrong place. My adopted grandad was a professional sound man (I found this site when doing a search for his name/products and came across this item which was built and sold professionally by him: http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/soundmaster-from-canada-807s.379193/). He is now getting up in years. He has a lot of working professional quality equipment and parts (new and previously used) that he's asked me to help him sell while he's still alive. I have no clue where to start and have only started taking a few pictures and will get him to write up some details/info to help me. (I think the item linked above was sold online somewhere by a deceased friend of his.)

Can anyone point me to which site(s) would be best to use for posting so that I can target to the audience correctly? This is all very overwhelming for me.
Thank you in advance.
 
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It can be overwhelming indeed. Selling gear without much knowledge of it can be hard.

This site has a section called Barter Town that is accessible only to subscribers ($25 fee annually) but in it you can sell and buy, plus the paying members help support Audio Karma.
 
Well, make and model of what he has would help of course. If you want to actually SELL the stuff here you have to pay up, but that is probably worth it as it is obviously a well targeted market. Otherwise it is eBay or Craigslist. You get less money on Craigslist but then you can deal locally. No shipping or any of that BS.

Generally, when I got stuff I want the value of I go to eBay, search for the item and then on the left should be "sold listings". They cannot lie there because whatever price you see, someone had to pay eBay 18 % on. So these are real sales.
 
Montycat said:
It can be overwhelming indeed. Selling gear without much knowledge of it can be hard.

This site has a section called Barter Town that is accessible only to subscribers ($25 fee annually) but in it you can sell and buy, plus the paying members help support Audio Karma.
Click to expand...

Thank you Montycat. And the folks on this site like/may want "vintage" type stuff like this? I thought it was a little more recent items people are looking for here. Is there any way I can look at what's on BT first to see what's available/sold before suggesting this site to him? Thanks again.
 
JURB said:
Well, make and model of what he has would help of course. If you want to actually SELL the stuff here you have to pay up, but that is probably worth it as it is obviously a well targeted market. Otherwise it is eBay or Craigslist. You get less money on Craigslist but then you can deal locally. No shipping or any of that BS.

Generally, when I got stuff I want the value of I go to eBay, search for the item and then on the left should be "sold listings". They cannot lie there because whatever price you see, someone had to pay eBay 18 % on. So these are real sales.
Click to expand...

Thank you JURB. I've not used either eBay or Craigslist before. On eBay, if something sold for $100 does that mean the buyer paid $100 and eBay took off $18 before the seller gets $82? Or does it mean that the buyer had to pay $100 + $18? Are there other sites where audio/vintage audio (not just amps but people who might be interested in mics, and turntables and reel to reel stuff) gurus congregate? Thank you for the eBay & Craigslist advice.
 
If you figure your listing and Pay Pal fees, 2 items would most likely cover the $25.00 subscription fee to AK. An advantage here is you would get "word of mouth" help. Depending on what you have to offer, I may not need it, but someone I know may. Good luck.
 
I had a subscription haven't renewed . I can tell you though it's worth it . Some nice stuff and great people behind the sales
 
We've always made a point of welcoming any audio enthusiast, whether they are experienced, or a novice, liking old gear, or new. It's all about enjoying the music. There are sizable contingents of vintage gear fans, tube fans, recording hobbyists, collectors of rare and unusual gear, any of whom would be interested in your grandfather's gear, especially because he's Canadian.

We ask for an upfront payment of $25, for a year's subscription. That gets you account enhancements, access to forums out of the public eye, and buying and selling privileges in Barter Town. Paypal works best for that. You go through the link in your profile, upper right. (click on your name and select Account Upgrades) Then you are off and away to the races.

I'll be watching for your threads.

(Other than Barter Town, we strongly frown on selling in the open boards, so please do not discuss any sales, until you are a subscriber. Thanks for understanding)
 
kwrentals said:
Thank you Montycat. And the folks on this site like/may want "vintage" type stuff like this? I thought it was a little more recent items people are looking for here. Is there any way I can look at what's on BT first to see what's available/sold before suggesting this site to him? Thanks again.
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Much of my favorite gear is older than I am (and most of it is more well preserved).
 
absolon said:
Your link leads to the preview subforum but I can't find anything in it that gives me any taste or preview of bartertown. Lots of threads with attachments that don't exist; presumably they were screengrabs.
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Sorry about that. I see that now too. It looks like the preview is not being maintained and didn't make it through the site upgrade either. Luvinvinyl or some other mod might have more input on that.
 
kwrentals said:
Thank you JURB. I've not used either eBay or Craigslist before. On eBay, if something sold for $100 does that mean the buyer paid $100 and eBay took off $18 before the seller gets $82? Or does it mean that the buyer had to pay $100 + $18? Are there other sites where audio/vintage audio (not just amps but people who might be interested in mics, and turntables and reel to reel stuff) gurus congregate? Thank you for the eBay & Craigslist advice.
Click to expand...

The seller pays the 18 %. There are also Paypal charges or if not someone has to get a postal MO and send it and wait until it gets cleared. They all got their hands in your pocket.

If I survive this winter I will probably be not only a paid up member but a sponsor, possibly even with a banner. It depends on how a few things go in my life. I might relocate, or I don't know. I am sick of these winters but I do not like the heat. But if I go to Florida for example, I could get used to the heat just once and be done with it. Here it goes from zero to one hundred every year.

But really, the 25 bucks for this place is probably a steal. Sell one thing for $200 and you are ahead of if you dealt with eBay. And the scams. This is almost like a social network and if you get screwed you can post, somewhat. but on eBay they got people stealing parts out of stereo equipment and sending it back "not working" or "not as described". People are ****ing ruthless out there. They have even sent back different units, put them in the same packaging n ****. If you EVER sell anything, make sure you got pictures and serial numbers. You just can't trust people like in the old days.
 
Welcome to the site! To answer a few questions:

1. This site has a number of tube gear enthusiasts. Probably as many as any other single site. There is a ton of nformation and assistance available. Barter Town requires items offered at a set price (or best offer below that price) so you may need to research ballpark pricing in advance. Barter Town sales rarely have problems so long as the gear is accurately described up front.

2. For Ebay, as mentioned above, you will cast a wider net, but there are potential problems. International sales (beyond North America) can get you the highest prices, but also have the most potential pitfalls. Ebay / Paypal are always grabbing their 15% to 20% of everything, including shipping charges. One positive is that if you don't know how to price an item, you can use an Ebay auction format. But you are responsible not only for the sale and for safe shipping, but to some extent for the buyers satisfaction once the item arrives. There are country-specific scams you need to be aware of, and if you haven't used Ebay before your lack of experience (as denoted by your Ebay rating) will depress final prices you receive.

3. Craiglist allows local, face-to-face sales (usually cash) which may be good or bad in your area. Pricing tends to be lower than Ebay, and depends how many collectors or resellers are local to you. There are some scammers (never take a check!) and dependng upon who responds you might need to be careful with who gets personal access to your grandfather. I've had dozens of Craigslist interactions in my area, and only one has been sketchy, but I have been aware of a few resellers who have taken serious financial advantage of senior citizens. Things like taking all the most expensive, and easiest to resell, items for pennies on the dollar.

Good Luck, and I look forward to items you post here.
 
As important as Barter Town is, there's a much more important reason to discuss items here; it's a community of enthusiastic and knowledgeable fans, with graybeards who remember the old stuff, and hipster beards who are discovering it. Your grandad may have some great insight into his pieces that could be rekindled with some questions from others, that ultimately could help you write more complete ads.

At this point, do you know what he has (list or photos)? I'm not looking to buy, but to set several pair of eyes on a pile of stuff to see what gems you might want to concentrate on.
 
I think the communitarian aspect of AK and Barter town are very important. Ebay is really the wild west, with all kinds of scams and Ebay itself ginning up the market by siding with buyers as the default mode, regardless of the actual (get banned, sign up under another name) history of the buyer, and Craigslist offers the enticing option of inviting people into your house -- obviously safer to meet someplace public, but the hassle factor is significant. I've always had good luck with buyers and sellers on AK, I think because anyone who has been here a while wants a good reputation, but even more so, because members like the equipment, not just the money.
 
My 2 cents........ Anyone looking to sell audio related gear especially vintage audio gear would be an absolute fool not to become a subscriber. Here are a few reasons why.

1. If you do a random Google search on practically anything vintage audio AudioKarma is almost always in 2-3 or more of the first 5 hits.

2. AudioKarma is like a double edged sword..... not only do you get a place to sell in BT but you have multiple other forums to ask about your gear in before you sell it, the collective knowledge here is incredible.

3. The fee for BT $25.00 is a mere pittance compared to selling on Ebay Audiogon or elesewhere. A single $250.00 item sold on Ebay will cover the cost of an entire year of selling here.


Regards snow
 
I think communities such as this are great for commerce. You got recourse for example, if the guy's check bounces or the item is no good, just post it. eBay does always seem to side with the buyer, which is wrong. I have already posted about that and some ideas on how to minimize the possibility of getting scammed as a seller. I think it happened to us last year. It was only like $300 but still. And then, in all due consideration, your feedback rating is made so valuable that it pays just to capitulate sometimes. Well maybe usually.

Personally I like to meet the person and they or I can see the item actually work. Of course there are problems with that. First of all, if it gets too much worse here the people from the show Hoarders will be snooping around. There is literally so much stuff in this house that if someone wants to rob it they need the BIG Uhaul. Another thing is there is almost always someone home. And we all know how to shoot. And we all keep different schedules.

So I am not afraid to have people meet me in the garage, or even the basement. But I realize that this is not the case for everyone. You might have a very sparsely but expensively decorated house, along with stereo components on the etagere' worth thousands of bucks apiece and some really hot teenage daughters. And big huge picture windows. And unfortunately in the garage there is a classic Vette. What do you do then ? Especially if you work alot, they don't know how to shoot and sometimes you fly out of state on business.

Of course that is a bit different. I understand.

Damn shame we live in a society where paranoia is a survival skill.
 
Thank you. I will take photos and get a few more details from him and then look into registration. Appreciate the advice.

luvvinvinyl said:
We've always made a point of welcoming any audio enthusiast, whether they are experienced, or a novice, liking old gear, or new. It's all about enjoying the music. There are sizable contingents of vintage gear fans, tube fans, recording hobbyists, collectors of rare and unusual gear, any of whom would be interested in your grandfather's gear, especially because he's Canadian.

We ask for an upfront payment of $25, for a year's subscription. That gets you account enhancements, access to forums out of the public eye, and buying and selling privileges in Barter Town. Paypal works best for that. You go through the link in your profile, upper right. (click on your name and select Account Upgrades) Then you are off and away to the races.

I'll be watching for your threads.

(Other than Barter Town, we strongly frown on selling in the open boards, so please do not discuss any sales, until you are a subscriber. Thanks for understanding)
Click to expand...
 
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