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How to sell used audio gear?


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First, the backstory:

Over the years, I've accumulated a bunch of audio stuff that I no longer use.  Sound familiar?  Except for a couple pieces, they are all what you might consider accessories.  Like USB cables, interconnects, speaker cables, test gear, and so on.  They are all just taking up space here.  Nothing wrong with any of them - some are almost brand new - but how many distortion analyzers or USB cables can one use?

I want to place them in a new home where they'll be used.  

At one time, that was easy enough to do.  You'd go to the local audio store and see if they'd take them on consignment.  Or, you'd hawk them on eBay or Audiogon.  For a variety of reasons, those aren't great options now.  Sadly.

So, does anybody have some good ideas of how to sell items like this today?

Note: I am NOT looking to sell any of this collection of stuff through this forum.  That's not what I understand the point of this forum to be.  I am looking for suggestions - just like asking the crowd here who a good dealer in some area might be.

Thanks in advance for any ideas.

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36 minutes ago, BKDad said:

First, the backstory:

Over the years, I've accumulated a bunch of audio stuff that I no longer use.  Sound familiar?  Except for a couple pieces, they are all what you might consider accessories.  Like USB cables, interconnects, speaker cables, test gear, and so on.  They are all just taking up space here.  Nothing wrong with any of them - some are almost brand new - but how many distortion analyzers or USB cables can one use?

I want to place them in a new home where they'll be used.  

At one time, that was easy enough to do.  You'd go to the local audio store and see if they'd take them on consignment.  Or, you'd hawk them on eBay or Audiogon.  For a variety of reasons, those aren't great options now.  Sadly.

So, does anybody have some good ideas of how to sell items like this today?

Note: I am NOT looking to sell any of this collection of stuff through this forum.  That's not what I understand the point of this forum to be.  I am looking for suggestions - just like asking the crowd here who a good dealer in some area might be.

Thanks in advance for any ideas.

BKDad, when I'm looking for items like this, I find eBay, Audio Mart, etc. to be the best source so I assume they would be a great place to sell also.  Our Atlanta dealer has started a swap meet every quarter and the first one was very successful.  RV

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Both of those are very  good suggestions.

I'm hoping to find a path that doesn't involve starting a new career.  I just want to find new homes for this gear.  So, I'm going to investigate swap meets closer than Atlanta as well as places like TMR nearby.  You'd think there would be in the Northeast USA.  I think people still play with hifi and other audio products here, but I could be wrong about that.

One of the challenges is shipping stuff.  The retail outlets for firms like UPS and the rest charge an arm and a leg.  I know commercial users of those shipping companies pay a lot less than retail customers do.  I see that every time I pay for an order from Mouser, DigiKey, or McMaster-Carr.   So, working around the shipping thing is part of the equation.  

Thanks for the tips!

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I've dropped stuff off at the local Salvation Army.  

Fast, easy, no complaints about it from the eventual buyer!  

Donations can be written off on taxes, in some cases.  

 

 

Edited by DC-93
more info
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Pirate Ship looks like an excellent approach.  I will try that.

~~~

Our local Salvation Army facility stopped taking electronics stuff for a while.  I'll have to check with them again.  Since a lot of what I want to get rid of is kind of specialized, I can understand their reluctance to take it.  TV's are one thing, but even there I've found it hard to even give away anything but the latest models.  It seems nobody wants a five year old TV, even for free.

But, I'll look into that some more.

 

Thank you both for the ideas.

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I'm exclusively on US Audiomart.  You also get eyes on gear from Canadian Audiomart too.  I"ve always sold everything I've posted and it's free. I often will donate a few dollars when I sell if I get full price, which is most of the time.  It's wonderful.  Hifi Shark is the site to get how much to sell for.  Good luck on selling.

 

BTW, this is how I met Bob who bought my Treo's.  I'm still in touch with many I've sold to.  

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USAudioMart user here too. I’ve acquired almost everything in my system (except speakers) there and have met sellers/buyers who I still keep in touch with. Great experiences and community so far.

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On 1/27/2024 at 9:51 AM, BFW said:

I have had great success using US Audio Mart (usaudiomart.com) to sell components as well as cables.  Lots of like minded audio people use the site.

US Audio Mart has worked well for me. Audiophile Style has a marketplace too. I usually list things in both places. One thing I won't do anymore is Paypal or any similar activity like Venmo etc., mostly because of fees.

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  • 3 weeks later...

@BKDad  I've had good luck on Agon. selling accessories as well as amps, preamps, headphones etc. I haven't sold there in a few years but I will probably be listing my Pass X250.8 on Agon when I am ready to upgrade to Richards HPA-5 in the near future.  Post a LOT of pictures and screen your buyers and you should be fine.

Bruce

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15 minutes ago, DC-93 said:

Been selling off some speakers and receivers lately on craigslist.

Cash and carry, no fees, no issues, no packing, no taking to UPS, etc.

 

 

Everybody but me probably already knew this but:  don't do craigslist deals any way but US Green ca$h. There are scammers who do tricks with cashier's checks, and they almost reeled us in once.

Edited by John Gallup
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  • 7 months later...

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