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Best site to sell vintage amps on?

B

BABABONDO

New Member
Hello All. I have had quite a few old tube audio amps, preamps and tubes on my shelf for many years. Some not touched in the 20 years they have been there. Just a question: what sites would you recommend for listing these old items on NOT mentioning ebay. Ebay has FAR too many rules, regulations and terms-conditions that It is not an option want to consider. Any personal recommendations for me?
 
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Become a subscriber here, and list them on BarterTown.. $25 annual fee gets you access to BarterTown, other subscriber-only forums/privileges, and supports the operation of the site. USAudioMart and CanuckAudioMart are other options. Audiogon is probably a waste of your time, since most folks over there are looking for more modern and/or higher-end gear, and want fully-functional/restored gear if they even consider anything vintage.

Your best bet is here, because of the number of folks who are dedicated to rescuing and restoring old tube gear like that. Other than the $25 annual subscription fee, there are no other fees/taxes associated with the sales (unless you use PayPal, but that is between you and the buyer)--AK does not get involved in your methods of payment. You also have the option of working out trade deals, and listing "wanted to buy" ads, should you choose to do a little restoration work and need parts.
 
BABABONDO said:
Ebay has FAR too many rules, regulations and terms-conditions that It is not an option want to consider.
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As a seller, I've never had any problems with the rules, regulations and term/conditions. As a buyer they afford me certain desirable protections. Unless you're referring to something else?

What eBay rules, regulations and terms/conditions do you have a problem with?

As to your question, if you pay $25 to become a paid-up member here, you can sell on the AudioKarma private BarterTown forum.
 
Same here, eBay is the largest market available, if you want to get the most for your equipment..........

I would venture over 90% of my current gear was purchased through eBay.
 
Grenadeslio said:
Same here, eBay is the largest market available, if you want to get the most for your equipment..........
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Ebay is certainly the largest market--especially if you are open to international sales, BUT, pretty much everything is going to have to be packed and shipped, and you are going to have to pay Eprey/PreyPal "taxes" on the total sale amount (including shipping)--which is pretty much 15% off the top + the cost of packing materials + your time and effort.

So, to get "top-dollar" for an Ebay sale, it has to be at least 25-30% higher than what you can get from a local sale, just to end up with the same amount of "cash in pocket".
 
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Well, maybe it is just ME then. Or maybe it is the buyers that I had been dealing with that have caused my ill feelings regarding ebay. One member above asked specifically what I did not like about ebay. The number one thing I do not care for is the fact that they will not put anything they tell you in writing. In the past I have had questions or issues that I did not know how to handle. I prefer to state my situation and have a person or a company respond in writing so that I can follow the procedure exactly as required, but ebay will not do that. Somehow though, after being an ebay member for 21 years I have 100% positive feedback. Apparently by your replies ( and I DO thank all for their replies) it seems like ebay MIGHT be the best way to go in spite of the difficulties I have had in the past. I have found out and firmly believe that no matter HOW straightforward, honest and open I might be there are some buyers that simply are on a different level and expect far far too much from a used piece of equipment. Perhaps, if there is any interest, I could post the details of a transaction last year that in spite of my very best efforts in every facet of the sale, was still faced with a customer that wanted a full refund. I was not about to give ANY refund for something that was a situation that I was not responsible for. I had to fight it out with ebay and the customer and finally ebay said that I was not at fault and realized that the buyer had buiyer's remorse. Long story. Another day.....
 
BABABONDO said:
Well, maybe it is just ME then. Or maybe it is the buyers that I had been dealing with that have caused my ill feelings regarding ebay. One member above asked specifically what I did not like about ebay. The number one thing I do not care for is the fact that they will not put anything they tell you in writing. In the past I have had questions or issues that I did not know how to handle. I prefer to state my situation and have a person or a company respond in writing so that I can follow the procedure exactly as required, but ebay will not do that. Somehow though, after being an ebay member for 21 years I have 100% positive feedback. Apparently by your replies ( and I DO thank all for their replies) it seems like ebay MIGHT be the best way to go in spite of the difficulties I have had in the past. I have found out and firmly believe that no matter HOW straightforward, honest and open I might be there are some buyers that simply are on a different level and expect far far too much from a used piece of equipment. Perhaps, if there is any interest, I could post the details of a transaction last year that in spite of my very best efforts in every facet of the sale, was still faced with a customer that wanted a full refund. I was not about to give ANY refund for something that was a situation that I was not responsible for. I had to fight it out with ebay and the customer and finally ebay said that I was not at fault and realized that the buyer had buiyer's remorse. Long story. Another day.....
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If you look through this forum you will find the same with CL, FB Market place and any other online “garage sale” site. I guess the good thing about CL, Offer Up and the such is it’s typically a face to face cash transaction.
 
GChief said:
If you look through this forum you will find the same with CL, FB Market place and any other online “garage sale” site. I guess the good thing about CL, Offer Up and the such is it’s typically a face to face cash transaction.
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I don't want them coming to my house if possible.
 
Grenadeslio said:
I don't want them coming to my house if possible.
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I understand that mindset and would tend to agree. For me it’s not that big of a deal, I have had many people come by my place for car, bike and boat parts as well as audio stuff. A lot of PD’s are putting transaction “spots” in their parking lots.
 
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Although much smaller than e Bay, I like Reverb. Yes, it's mostly pro gear, but they do have a home audio section and there is more friendly feel than eBay. With a look.
 
I've had good luck with Bartertown, especially with older and/or less expensive gear. But I've also had some success with selling more expensive gear, as long as it was well priced. I've also had no problems with having AK members over to my house to demo and buy. I suspect that the $25 fee helps keep the riff raff out.

Ebay is good if you want to be sure to sell in a set time frame, and are willing to pack, ship and absorb the substantial fees. But I've had a few issues with shipping damage lately, despite my best efforts at packing (and I've been selling there for 20 years without a problem).

I've been happy with purchasing through US Audiomart, but haven't yet tried selling there. I may try that next time I have something to sell.

I haven't used Audiogon in many years. They used to be the place to buy and sell recent high end gear, but it looks like a lot of that has moved over to US Audiomart.
 
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