Prices for used equipment seem high to you?

TomBig58 said:
It seems as much wishful thinking to me as demand for the time being. Chalk it up to all the "There's $$ in Grandpa's Attic" news stories.
Click to expand...
That and things like the "Marantz tax". I mean, seriously, I can spend just a little more and get into true high-end sound from what I've seen some of the largest/most popular Marantz pieces get listed for.

JJCalvillo said:
Anyone think "vintage" is losing it's meaning on Craigslist? Old does not = vintage.
Click to expand...
To get really technical, the term really should only apply to wines. :) And I totally agree it's overused and abused. Today I equate it with local CL sellers slapping that word on anything over five years old, no matter how shabby it is. It's as useless a word now as "rare," another one that the eBay and CL sellers have ruined.

Alobar said:
Don't confuse asking prices with current value. Only selling prices count, and that goes for everything from houses to cars to vintage gear.
Click to expand...
I check HiFi Shark, and other means to see what items actually sold for. I've posted a "WTB" on another forum for a high-end piece and listed my accepted price right in the middle of what they have sold for in the past. So, I don't just throw out a lowball figure, nor do I want to encourage someone trying to sell it to me at twice the price because it's "rare" and "vintage." (Rare, yes...but not vintage.)
 
Re: Marantz tax I strongly agree. I've only been back into this a few years and despite a diligent lookout I have yet to come across a respectably priced piece of Marantz gear. I've purchased high end, even TOTL equipment from Nikko, Luxman, MCS, Kenwood, Rotel, even Fisher tube for a fraction of what some are asking for middle of the road Marantz gear. Would I like a piece of tasty Marantz goodness? Sure, but not at some of the prices asked.
 
birchoak said:
Yep. Where I live, there are two guys, one in North Andover and one in Beverly, who post a ton of stuff on CL. I'm not sure if they do anything to the units before selling them; I'm reasonably sure they are not trained technicians as there is no mention of bias readings, etc. nor any testing paperwork.
Click to expand...
You made me look on CL just now to make sure it wasn't me...nope, I'm clean ;-)
 
Wildcat said:
That and things like the "Marantz tax". I mean, seriously, I can spend just a little more and get into true high-end sound from what I've seen some of the largest/most popular Marantz pieces get listed for.
Click to expand...

It's not just Marantz. You can say the same for Pioneer and Sansui, as well. I recently saw an SX-1980 (fully refurbed w/documentation) go for $4K.
 
Then there is the seller that puts the words, "Marantz, Kenwood, Pioneer, Klipsch" etc in the ad when all he is selling is some old clothes, boots, or a vase. Drives me nuts. And did you know you can actually search "Crap" - try it and see what comes up.
 
savatage1973 said:
It's not just Marantz. You can say the same for Pioneer and Sansui, as well. I recently saw an SX-1980 (fully refurbed w/documentation) go for $4K.
Click to expand...

AK'ers are a small segment of the audio community. Lots of folks think nothing of dropping a couple thousand on vintage audio because it really ties the room together and looking at/listening to it is enjoyable.
 
TomBig58 said:
Re: Marantz tax I strongly agree. I've only been back into this a few years and despite a diligent lookout I have yet to come across a respectably priced piece of Marantz gear. I've purchased high end, even TOTL equipment from Nikko, Luxman, MCS, Kenwood, Rotel, even Fisher tube for a fraction of what some are asking for middle of the road Marantz gear. Would I like a piece of tasty Marantz goodness? Sure, but not at some of the prices asked.
Click to expand...

Ditto. It's good but not that good. Marantz spent a fortune on advertising back in the day; maybe all that copy is still paying dividends, years later. It's a good thing the masses focus on Marantz and brush aside Sony, Scott, Hitachi, JVC, etc., because more of that gear is available to people who can think past Marantz. I do have a Marantz 2230, but I don't think the prices for 2285Bs or 2252Bs or the big ones are worth it. It's just too much money. I would expect too much from the gear for that kind of money and wouldn't be able to enjoy it properly. If I didn't have a mortgage or a child I would probably feel differently. Or if I could limit myself to just one hi-fi setup.
 
One911Guy said:
Then there is the seller that puts the words, "Marantz, Kenwood, Pioneer, Klipsch" etc in the ad when all he is selling is some old clothes, boots, or a vase. Drives me nuts. And did you know you can actually search "Crap" - try it and see what comes up.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I hate that. An automatic turn-off for this potential buyer. Smacks of desperation, snake oil, and tomfoolery, not to mention a below average IQ.
 
savatage1973 said:
It's not just Marantz. You can say the same for Pioneer and Sansui, as well. I recently saw an SX-1980 (fully refurbed w/documentation) go for $4K.
Click to expand...
Gawd. I'm sure it was worth it, but that's a lot of money. For that I could buy at least twenty-five vintage receivers (not as well-known) that would nevertheless summon forth incredible sound. This summer I found a Sony GX80ES with 110 watts true RMS, toroidal trafo, with remote for $125. It will do 4 ohm loads all day and is built like a tank with a massive aluminum volume knob. It looks like a home theater thingy but it is not--last of the great two-channel receivers and built extremely well. I guess people fall in love with stuff they couldn't have when they were young--I certainly lusted after the SX-1980 but it would also be nice to have my own jet or giant robot
 
cpt_paranoia said:
Demand.
Click to expand...
Yes... Everybody has a smartphone and Any expressed interest in anyting results in a Google search and then the masses descend.

10 years ago before the smartphone was so prolific you could get a Technics sa 800 on Craigslist or the garage sale for less than $100....
Today they are between $700 + $1,500
 
birchoak said:
This is sort of a rant. If it's in the wrong place, my bad.

I understand why 100 watts-and-above amps/receivers command high prices. People crave power: it's sexy and it will always sell whether it's a boat, a car, or a 40 year old amplifier. Okay, makes sense. And legends like the Sansui 9090dB, the Kenwood KR-9600, the Pioneer SX-1250---of course prices will keep going up for these icons. They were the flagships in a remarkable time for hi-fi, a time that will never be repeated. Tube gear always fetches a premium because, well, tubes.

But why are sellers charging top dollar for things that are broken, totally abused, or not working at all? What am I missing here? These are not derelict SX-1980s, either--they are obscure, third-tier, or formerly undesirable pieces. Back in the day, if something was broken, missing parts, or smashed up it cost less and you and I could put a little sweat into it and maybe have a decent machine for ourselves without taking out a mortgage. It seems that era is over and I can't help but wonder, who on earth is buying this stuff at these prices? There are not that many good techs left on planet Earth who know how to work on this old gear.
Click to expand...

I can agree that 40 year old + equipment like receivers especially just should not be selling and the price points they are!! !
Most of the prices are higher today than they were new.
Forget the inflation BS
 
Alobar said:
Some of these broken amps can have parts needed to repair others. As the popularity rises and age takes its toll parts machines will start to fetch a higher prices too...

But asking and selling ain't the same thing!
I sold a 'vintage' pickup truck, a 1965 Chevrolet 4x4 for $6000 (probably twice its original price) but I had asked for $10,000 originally. I was just testing the market to see if there were any takers for a fairly rare truck (only 1200 made). No takers so I slowly started reducing price, and at around $7500 I started getting interest, and even some offers. I finally settled for $6000 as I felt it was a fair price for that truck.

Don't confuse asking prices with current value. Only selling prices count, and that goes for everything from houses to cars to vintage gear.
Click to expand...
Point taken.
 
Harvestor said:
Yes... Everybody has a smartphone and Any expressed interest in anyting results in a Google search and then the masses descend.

10 years ago before the smartphone was so prolific you could get a Technics sa 800 on Craigslist or the garage sale for less than $100....
Today they are between $700 + $1,500
Click to expand...
Yes, that is what I'm talking about! I think it's gotten crazy. Of course, when I go to sell something the craze seems to instantly suspend itself.
 
& some of these yahoos out there that think they struck gold and trying to sell beat up garbage that isn't worth a hill of beans for top dollar . ..
These are usually the one tooth Wonder types trying to pull this crap!
Or fast-talking salesman.
 
savatage1973 said:
A lot of people are not as dumb as we give them credit for (granted, many can far exceed our expectations), but not all. They have bought and sold on Ebay before and have an idea of shipping costs, Ebay and PayPay fees, and the amount of time and effort involved in building a listing, packing and shipping, and the potential for "issues"--claims/refunds for no apparent/valid reason. I buy and sell on both Ebay and CL, and if I see the same/equivalent item both places, I expect the CL selling price to be 25-30% less than Ebay prices.

Granted, CL has its advantages in that you can physically go and evaluate the item in-person and BIN--really NOW--as in load it in the car and take it home now--not waiting for shipping. OTOH, you have to personally deal with a**holes, drive (sometimes hours) to be seriously disappointed, or end up in a neighborhood that you might get caught dead in. BUT--the seller is getting the full amount of the transaction price, so packing, shipping, and Ebay/PayPal fees should be removed from selling price equation. I'm not paying for services not provided--packing, shipping, PayPal and Ebay buyer protection and convenience of delivery.

I recently sold a fairly "high-end" R2R deck--listed on both CL and Ebay. I listed it for $500 more on Ebay than I did on CL--I had to, in order to end up with the same amount of cash-in-pocket at the end of the day. BTW--it ended up selling on Ebay at full asking price (BIN/OBO), before I got anything more than CL "lowballer" offers from CL--so you do sometimes "get what you pay for" in terms of Ebay/PayPal fees.

OK--rant over, and back to the OP.

People are also beginning to realize that some of the mid-range/less-desireable models in a given line-up are the real "sleepers"--they have a few less watts and a fewer "bells and whistles", but sound just as good (in some cases, better) than their bigger TOTL brethren, so values are increasing, relative to where they were, say 5 or 10 years ago.
Click to expand...
I think you are right. And yes, Ebay is a luxury vs. CL. Good points all around. Everybody is making good sense. I wasn't losing sleep over this, just kinda amazed at how all the deals are gone (and by deal I don't mean getting a receiver for $5 or even $50--$100 was a bargain in my book!)
 
savatage1973 said:
It's not just Marantz. You can say the same for Pioneer and Sansui, as well. I recently saw an SX-1980 (fully refurbed w/documentation) go for $4K.
Click to expand...
Yeah, that's just a sick amount of money for a receiver. I can buy one hell of a nice brand new high-end piece (or two) for that much coin, and the sound is on a whole different level. But I tend to look at things more along the lines of value per dollar. I don't care whose name is on it as long as it sounds excellent and is known to be reliable. I buy long-term, so what something is worth five or ten years from now makes no difference to me.

But if anyone is willing and able to enjoy what they buy for this much money, even if they are paying for the "name," then go at it--I have no problem with that.

Anyone at AK is going to seek out the best bargains anyway, since we're all pretty much aware of the true value of these things and won't get suckered into buying something overpriced because the Internets told us what the good brands are. (And we don't get suckered into buying old equipment that may not be up to snuff in condition, in regards to capacitors and such.)
 
With the amount of vintage gear now going overseas from the USA.
Gone for good be my guess, look for prices of the desirable rare classic models to keep getting top dollar on any open market.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom