Ebay or AudioGon for selling speakers?

[GreenJelly]

Has anyone had any experiance in selling speakers on Audiogon... I got some Thiel CS.5's that I am going to try and sell (I know, no ad's; but this really is important) and that I was recommended to sell em on AudioGon and not Ebay.

What you guys think?

Mike

 

[kgb540]

Audiogon tends to have a more educated and serious buyer than Ebay.

 

[Rob Babcock]

Thiels I'd probably list on A-gon first. They definately have the more knowledgeable clientele, and even though Ebay gets more traffic, your speakers will probably be seen by more "serious" potential buyers on Agon. That said, I've sold speakers & amps on both sites with no problems.

I'd also say that overall the average A-Gon'er is a bit more reputable than your average Ebay'er. Nothing against the latter, it just seems the higher profile site attracts more sleazebags trying to scam a buck. Check the feedback carefully in either case.

 

[Seth=L]

Or you could just sell them here.

 

[GreenJelly]

Or you could just sell them here.

Tried that... No one emailed me for it...

Mike

 

[highfihoney]

When i was still trading used gear heavily i used both sites at the same time for the same item & unless whatever i was selling was in the high multi thousand dollar bracket ebay has been my best site for selling.

On agon as a seller you tend to run into more lowballers & tire kickers,also if you plan to list them on agon be prepared to sit on them for a while,selling on audiogon is not anywhere near as fast as selling on ebay unless your asking price is so low a reseller jumps on them & speakers are the hardest peice of gear to sell on audiogon.

With ebay you reach a much wider buying audience plus buyers on ebay tend to be in more of a rush to get what they want as oposed to the buyers on audiogon who research & wait for exactly what their looking for,ive sold a little over 400 pcs of gear between the 2 sites & out of all of it less than 50 pcs were sold on audiogon with every peice being listed on both sites at the same time.

It costs a little more to sell on both sites but in my case it seemed to help ease buyers concerns about getting ripped off on ebay when i could send them a link to the ad on audiogon & they could see feedback on both sites.

Try em both,it only costs $6 for a 30 day ad on audiogon.

 

[Rob Babcock]

That is true- things can take awhile to sell on Agon. Selling here is a mixed bag; we just don't all that much traffic on the forum. Plus, I've noticed the trend here is towards big box stuff and a couple direct sales company. The "boutique" brands and stuff generally considered "high end" is not well represented here.

Ebay might be a good option. As Hifihoney said, you could list them both places. It's only $6 bucks or so for the ad.

 

[GreenJelly]

I was thinking of putting it up for auction... I just need to decide what price is my cut off. These speakers are so damn good, I have to come up with a personal value to the speakers. I would think around 500-600 is the minimum... bellow 500 and I would start to cry.

 

[highfihoney]

I was thinking of putting it up for auction

If your going the auction route then ebay is surely the better site,what makes ebay a better site for auctions is that alot of times bidders get into a (i gotta have it) state of mind & keep on bidding higher & higher,you'll never see that type bidding on agon.

I had the best luck with ebay auctions by starting the auctions with a very low starting price like $100 with no reserve to attract bidders,high starting bids mostly attract buyers looking for a specific item,aside from the cost that ebay charges for the seller to use a reserve price reserves tend to tire out bidders & they look elsewhere.

Try looking in the completed auctions on ebay & get an idea of what your speakers have been selling for before listing them.

 

[GreenJelly]

Try looking in the completed auctions on ebay & get an idea of what your speakers have been selling for before listing them.

They got rid of that option I think.
Mike

 

[highfihoney]

They got rid of that option I think.
Mike

The completed listing feature is still there,at the ebay start page click on the HELP ICON & on the next page click on the A TO Z index then scroll down to the C SECTION & click it then click on COMPLETED LISTINGS SEARCH.

Using the completed listing search feature shows all items sold within the last 30 days.

 

[GreenJelly]

thanks 1 result sold for $600

Mike

 

[Rob Babcock]

Obviously there are different Ebay strategies. You can start low with no reserve to get bids going, but you run the risk of having your item sell for peanuts. Setting the reserve too high can scare off bidders (although it keeps the bargain hunters and tire kickers out). I think, though, that a high reserve makes the ad more expensive.

I have sold speakers, amps etc on Ebay and always got a good price. A few "tips" that have helped me:

1) A good ad helps. Use good grammar and double check your spelling. An ad that's incompetantly written will hurt credibility and make you look "shadey."

2) Post some good pictures. Stock photos from manufacturers websites are not a good substitute for images of the actual item up for sale.

3) Always time your auctions so that they expire at times when a lot of people will be watching, like 7:00 PM EST on Fri or Sat nite. Lots of people are on ebay between 7 and 10 in the evening, and most people will set things up to display items ending soonest, and this is the default for things people are bidding on. I've scored some terrific deals when buying simply by watching auctions that ended in the midday or morning early in the week. True, some will set a proxy bid for the max they're willing to spend, but lots of people will only bid towards the end. Especially 'snipers'- those guys will watch items and only bid in the last seconds of an auction to avoid "tipping their hands" and driving up the price.

4) Be straightforward in your dealings. Leave feedback promptly, answer questions ASAP and he honest with your transactions. Good feedback is critical to a sellers, and helps for buyers, too.

5) Lastly, when selling, think long and hard about what the lowest price is you're will to accept. Under most circumstances you're obligated to sell to the winning bidder. If you speakers are worth $500 to you, and you couldn't see going any lower, consider starting your auction at that amount or setting that as the reserve. You can put a pretty tempting "Buy Now" price on them, too- that's often a great tool.

Good luck with whatever route you go.