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How to find the Hard to find?

To set up alerts, let's say you do a search for an XXX YYYY on ebay
Near the top of the page right above the first item, next to (number of results for) for XXX YYYY there's a light blue heart, and next to it in light blue letters it says "save this search".
Click on that.
 
Fill up the tank with gas ($$$$$) drive around all weekend going to estate sales, garage sales, thrift stores, flea markets, audio stores. Next weekend do the same. Keep repeating until you find your red herring. Sometimes it takes months, lately it was taking years so I gave up the hunt for red herring and now only look for sun perch as those are common, cheap and fun. I have driven 45 mins one way too many times only to come up empty handed to continue the hunt for the elusive prey.
 
goodolpg said:
Yes, there is an alert system on ebay.
I have several audio pieces that I get alerts for when any are listed.
Alerts show up in my email box in the morning. It's possible it may already be sold before I even check my emails if someone spots it overnight.
It used to be quite easy to set up an alert for something. Like there was a button/link at the top of the page to set up an alert. I don't think it is "watch". I think that is specific to one particular listing.
Now I have to fumble around to find a way to do it. So either it's a bit harder to do OR I'm getting dumber.
I can't rule that 2nd option out as it's a real possibility.
Click to expand...

You do a search for something. At the top of the page there's a link "save this search." It will then alert you when other like items go up for sale.
 
Yeah, I agree with the other comments, keep a constant eye out for gear that interests you - both online and local, the hunt is a large part of the hobby

hifi shark dot com searches multiple online markets
if you search your local CL daily/weekly you'll start to see people who specialize in finding and restoring vintage gear, then you can search for their signatures
you'll want to map out thrift stores, consignment shops, second-hand/pawn shops in your area that carry vinyl/speakers/amps/turntables etc and hit them regularly
summer time has lots of yard sales, that's going to be where you'll find the best deals, but the condition will vary widely
 
You have to define "hard to find items," are you looking for cool and unique equipment or stereo equipment in general, maybe from the 60's-70's?

I've searched world-wide for equipment, I don't have expensive tastes, some of my litte stereo microcassette players were just a few dollars, I just like some of the neat stuff that's been under the radar. Most of my big audio equipment was found locally, shipping will kill any deals you find and even triple-bubble-wrapped equipment will show up damaged.

I've seen some big hoards around here through the years, there is cool, unique equipment but it takes a lot of work to find it or for it to come to market. One of the best ways to find projects is garage-sale'n or local for sale listings. Make sure you always ask if they have more! Some of my best equipment is the stuff sitting in the basement that was too heavy, maybe broken and they didn't want to bring it up.
 
For me the watchwords were patience and luck. I am in Vancouver Canada which back in the sixties was a fairly small town compared to some US metropolises. It also meant that a lot less top end gear was shipped and sold here so now that stuff is scarce. With patience and luck I have found all the top/highly sought receivers from Pioneer, Yamaha, Sansui and Marantz.
 
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