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Dealers v Ebay

By the virtue there are second hand items on the market someone somewhere must purchase the item new or possibly ex dem from a dealer. Whether this be via internet or bricks and mortar.
 
Central Audio said:
Steve i wish i could buy back every LP12 i have sold in the last 12 years for the money i charged ,and i do remember you,good on yer.

Tony
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I bet you do! I've had 3 and made money on all of them thanks tp the steadily rising market, including the one you sold me. My great regret is not filling the house with Garrards and 3009s when you could get them for thrupence!

No complaints from me re Central Audio service, he told me exactly what I was getting, packed it properly and delivered it promptly. It took some cleaning up but that's what you get buying something that needs some restoration. LP12 Valhalla with Notts Omega arm, needs a tidy up, £300 anyone? I thought so too.:) My records never had it so good, the neighbours less so.:D
 
Hi Steve,

I totally agree with you on Tony. His service is excellent. Some are questioning his after sales service and I found that was also excellent. A fault developed on the Solo Movie. I was asked to return it for a replacement. I pointed out that I needed it for sound via my Sky as I have a Plasma panel rather than a TV. He organised a new one to be delivered whilst I still had the old one so I would not be without audio. What more do some people want?
 
bottom line ... if I were on the market for a new amp, and my local dealer is £200 more expensive than what I can get a new one on ebay, it's a no brainer that I will buy from ebay

when buying new on ebay from a business seller, you still get the same warranty .... don't give a shit about the dealer on the highstreet ... it all boils down to how much I can save
 
"If you buy on price alone then you are not justifying

a the product

b the Manufacturer

c the dealer that commits to a brand with its Knowledge, training, financial commitment.

Who care's you may say but ultimately used prices will also suffer with this way of trading"

There is nothing wrong with a traditional dealer etc. However, there is also room for other models. How many of these so called expert dealers have gone to the wall? Many went tits up well before eBay arrived which suggests they did not deliver on any of these:

a the product

b the Manufacturer

c the dealer that commits to a brand with its Knowledge, training, financial commitment.

Indeed, I completely forgot about a dealer in Wimslow who give my dreadful service which included lying and taking money off my credit card without authorisation. To make matters worse he was a top guy in BADA. I think he is no longer a dealer.
 
Whilst I'm sure Tony @ CA is fully capable of defending himself:), I also wish to praise him. I've bought a few items from him since '98 and his prices and service have always been excellent. Highly recommended.
 
Central Audio said:
I know this is self promotion but i have noticed that Ebay is often the last resort if sellers have no luck on here or other places to sell kit.
A great many items go for less on Ebay than i would pay,obviously there are certain items where Ebay is the best bet as you can pretty much guarantee a given price.

I have sellers phone me and ask for a price for an item,i give them one if possible and it is less than they think the item is worth,so they put it on Ebay and it does not sell so they reduce the price and reduce the price and 2 months later it sells for about the same as i offered or less,they have put up with 2 months worth of dumb questions and are giving nearly 4% to Paypal and a fee to Ebay:confused:

Same applies to buying i see loads of stuff go on there for more than i am asking plus you can p/x and get a warranty.

I hope Tony will not mind me putting this on here as it is in PFM members interest as well as mine,and i would like to get some feedback so i thought the Audio room was the best place but i will leave it up to Tony.

Best Regards Tony @ Central Audio
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E-bay and HI-FI. It,s like playing russan rullette in Vegas with your morgage $.
 
YNWOAN said:
Yes, I am entirely in support of dealers. However, buying and selling second hand is entirely different to buying new from a dealer; I certainly don't think people should waste dealers time by getting a free demo and then buying off eBay.
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I couldn't agree with you more, the chance to dem is very improtant and I think those who dem with no real intent to buy and then look to save elswhere is not on.

I have a very good friend who is a hifi dealer and although I only buy a few things from him (most of his equipment is out of my price range) and he's a mate I understand he is making a living. Dem space equipment depreciation, labour mean there HAS to be a sensible margin in things.

On the other hand buying and selling secondhand I can't see the advantage unless you know and trust the dealer and don't want to source the things yourself. Otherwise what is the advantage, a third party insured warranty ? that you have paid for anyhow ?

I have made MANY friends over the years buying and selling HiFi (As well as cars for that matter !) in fact I am popping over a friend of some 20 years shortly who I got to know buying a pair of Quad II's ........

My first pair of 135's I travelled, listened to ensure they worked and had dinner with Mike from this forum. I would buy from Mike again ;)

Exdem with warranty is a different story but I am still struggling to see why there should be a price premium from a secondhand dealer. It's their skill to buy cheap and sell expensive, surely !
 
Jack Barriere said:
E-bay and HI-FI. It,s like playing russan rullette in Vegas with your morgage $.
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Only if you don't buy with care. I have spent £000's on ebay and only ever got caught taking a punt on something for £50 from Hong Kong, more fool me.

Ebay is a market with a wide audience, there are scammers in every market. I travel check and pick up if it's expensive and factor that in to the price or have sufficient dialogue before bidding seriously
 
dim_span said:
bottom line ... if I were on the market for a new amp, and my local dealer is £200 more expensive than what I can get a new one on ebay, it's a no brainer that I will buy from ebay

when buying new on ebay from a business seller, you still get the same warranty .... don't give a shit about the dealer on the highstreet ... it all boils down to how much I can save
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That's fine so long as you don't need any services or advice the dealer offers. Most of us do value demoing, advice, support. If you don't then no problem sit at home and surf ;)
 
I can't see Central Audio, or any other sealer, being interested in the sort of hifi I buy and sell - DIY and kit stuff. Ebay is excellent for finding both buyers and sellers for specialist stuff like this.

Seems to me that the 2nd hand hifi market is just like the 2nd hand car market with a scale of risk versus cost from main dealer through local dealers to Joe public and possibly downiright crooks.
 
I started buying from ebay with the sole intention of treating it as an extended home dem. I liked to be able to hear the kit in my home system in my own lounge in my own time. Every single piece of kit that I decided I did not like for whatever reason I sold back on ebay at a profit. Every single one. How many dealers would pay you cash to come and listen (and cover petrol and parking expenses) let alone recreate you living room for an indefinite period. As soon as manufaturers start selling their kit over the internet then the life of the dealer is numbered. Oh, they already are!

CJ
 
IWC Doppel said:
That's fine so long as you don't need any services or advice the dealer offers. Most of us do value demoing, advice, support. If you don't then no problem sit at home and surf ;)
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experience has taught me that a salesman will always (only) promote what he has on his shop floor ....

for real advice, I speak to people on forums who own the equipment, and this has always worked for me (so far);)
 
CJ1045 said:
I started buying from ebay with the sole intention of treating it as an extended home dem. I liked to be able to hear the kit in my home system in my own lounge in my own time. Every single piece of kit that I decided I did not like for whatever reason I sold back on ebay at a profit. Every single one. How many dealers would pay you cash to come and listen (and cover petrol and parking expenses) let alone recreate you living room for an indefinite period. As soon as manufaturers start selling their kit over the internet then the life of the dealer is numbered. Oh, they already are!

CJ
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Personally I always send out equipment ( at my expense ) so potential customers can hear it in their set-ups,which I believe is essential.
I draw the line at paying them though!
Keith.
 
Cherished Linn and Linnstore and just the start from Linn I suspect. Don't get me wrong I don't have it in for hifi dealers per se I just think face to face retail is really going to struggle to survive in the next few years.

CJ
 
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