New prices keep going higher and secondhand prices keep falling.
Dealers don’t want trade in gear unless you are going for expensive new stuff and the Dealer has big margins to play with.
Makes you wonder what the last owner got for them, probably £10k less, unless dealer is just trying to get his money back on the deal.
But certainly shows how to market is right now, dead.
Nothing is selling unless the price is too good to resist, its a buyers market for sure. Problem here, if no one is selling / upgrading, the market becomes stagnant. Dealers will also suffer.
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I was thinking about selling my 42.5/HC/250 All recently serviced
Would of lost minimum 30% on top of what I paid, So I ended up giving it to my daughter,
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Great choice. 
I really wish I still had some of the hi fi I used to own. Marantz 2225 Reciever with Walnut case, Lecson AC1 / AP1 amplifier, Garrard Zero 100 turntable, Nightingale NM1 speakers. Enjoyed them all and they looked special.
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Don’t mean to offend anybody but I’ll tell you guys this anecdotal story.
A few years ago I was selling my speakers and very expensive rosewood stands on the famous auction site. I had them listed at a fair price. Somebody contacted me regarding the speakers only and wanted to offer several hundreds lower than asking price. Initially I stood firm on the price but he was very persistent on his offer. Eventually I thought I’ll just do it as it’ll be a quick sale and I can afford to lose the few hundred pounds.
I had offered to hand deliver and setup as the buyer was reluctant to collect. Imagine my surprise when I turned up to his gated estate where he had two very expensive sports cars along with an SUV. I proceeded to setup the speakers and having had almost a decade worth of experience with the brand I offered my advice on optimum setup with components and speaker stands. I told him that after years of experimenting with various stands I’ve had the best results from solid rosewood open frame stands such as the ones I’m selling. Honestly I wasn’t trying to be a typical sales person. I was just stating what it cost me a lot of money to learn and I wanted him to really get the best out of the speakers.
Btw he knew my reason for sale was to put the money towards new gear which I was saving up to buy. Anyway he made me another ridiculously low offer for the stands and I declined. He spent weeks trying to get me to sell the stands but I had learned my lesson. I don’t know if this says more about me than him but I’m sure many of you can understand what I thought of this chap.
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Some folks will try to leverage the fact that a sale is near to closing. Back in the 1980s I was selling an old banger of a car for £50. Price agreed on phone, prospective buyer turned up and tried the line “I’ve only got £40 with me”. I declined this offer and went to close the door. Miraculously another £10 appeared…
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True story this:
Long time ago I was selling some speakers on a well known site, they were approximately £400 for the pair for the winning bid. They were like new, a bargain for the new owner.
I opened the boot lid of my car, he said lovely and proceeded to pull out £200 in cash out of his pocket.
I just looked at him, stayed calm, and proceeded to close my boot lid whilst saying to him “It’s a real shame you can’t afford these speakers”.
He very quickly pulled out the other £200 out from his back pocket.
Sometimes, you have to know what you’ve got and be prepared to walk away. 
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My dumbest mistake when selling was a sealed iPad that I listed for sale in my mid 20s. A very convincing buyer turned up and said “I just want to make sure it’s a real iPad and not a fake”. Stupidly I let him break the seal and then once satisfied with the product he offered me about 20 percent less. He knew I could no longer get the price as sealed.
Some people are just built like that. Greed
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All these interesting stories, I’ve had a fair share of these experiences. Most who are into this hobby are actually quite rich, though some can be cheapskates perfectly explained in @khan84 post. I recall selling a fairly cheap pair of speakers and the buyer came to collect them. We have already agreed on the price earlier but he attempted to knock off more from the already low price during the collection. It was really disconcerting but we would have to expect this sort of thing to happen, all sorts of people in this world we live in.
The reason I now rarely or am reluctant to sell things on my own. I would rather trade-in to a dealer if I’m selling.
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Hi Ryder,
I am not so sure that most (or even many) involved in this hobby are ‘rich’ (in financial resources). I personally think one could not make any such statement with confidence.
I would prefer to think of the OP stated problem for items of ‘vintage’ HiFi, the potential purchasers are ‘rich’ in personal experience and knowledge (of HiFi).
How that plays out for any given transaction is always a ‘trade’. Very recently a regular HiFi retailer offered me a trade in value for a ‘high end’ cable that was seriously below what I paid the same retailer a few years ago! I declined and suggested they sell the cable on my behalf using their online channels (which include eBay).
At the point of confirmation of the advertised price the interested party to the purchase of the cable bid lower than the advertised price (but higher than what my retailer had originally offered me) and the retailer had to check with me I was OK with that. I accepted.
What is that notorious saying:- ‘a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush’.
I needed the cash to complete a purchase of something different - not a cable - and I feel confident that the purchaser of the cable will be happy, I am happy, the HiFi retailer is happy.
YMMV.
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Buy new expensive HIFI expect heavy losses. Simples. Same as with a new car.
The ways to avoid this, as always, is to buy expensive Hifi used at the right time and haggle to get a good/fair deal or stick to cheap HIFI.
No miracles involved.
I see some crazy things on ebay with advertisers dreaming of what they think they can get and, vice versa, great deals. A mistake many, many sellers make is to skimp on information and lack of good quality photos. We all know how anal audiophiles are. I mean what is it with advertised speakers that do not show drive units or ads with a couple of pictures and a five word description to mention just two … .
The only time I’ve lost significant amounts of money on Hifi was when I bought new, expensive (for me) and sold on. I don’t do this anymore. Rarely do I make a loss on s/h items but I know what the market values are.
I did ask here about the s/h value of some Naim speakers I am looking for. Due diligence.
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The problem is dealers don’t trade in gear much these days. I’ve made several purchases from dealers and I can’t remember a single instance in which they were willing to trade in gear.
I love SW1X gear. I think it’s right up there with the best sounding gear available on the market today so I don’t want to discourage people but even they wouldn’t trade in an old piece of equipment against an upgraded model. I guess it’s just the poor state in this hobby right now.
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That is a shame. I did purchase all my gear from one dealer and each time I upgraded he happily excepted my gear I was replacing.
I found working with one dealer had it benefits with taking gear home for a demonstration period prior to purchase and receiving a fair price when trading in.
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Don’t let go of that dealer
It’s summer time. Audio sales have always been off in the nice months. With until fall or winter things will pick up. I have several things I need to sell but the buyers are all at the beach or playing golf LOL
Surely it’s about rarity, and being able to conspicuously consume. An LP12 or such like is never going to be super valuable because there are 100s if not 1000s still in use. Likewise just about all Naim gear. Tape decks, go figure….
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Looking around, not even allegedly desirable recently discontinued kit is selling - people are just not interested in spending money at the moment…..
Or perhaps ever again?
ATB, J
Nothing lasts forever. Nor will this depression. However I do think hifi brands are suffering as a result of this. I just hope they survive.
I’ve recently sold my Olive Supercap, NDS, Cd555PS and Prefix for what I considered fair prices. Fully expect to do the same with my 52/PS. Stuff is selling fine just not for outrageous prices.
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