The Secondary Market

[2FarGone]

Something over a year ago, I had decided on a power amplifier upgrade. Having settled on a used amp from a small manufacturer, I intended to have the seller ship the amp directly back to said mfr to have a minor issue resolved and generally have the amp checked out. While speaking with the owner of the company, he made it very clear that he had little use for buyers of his equipment used because he felt that they “did not support his company”. I thanked him for his time, and did not buy the amp in question. Needless to say, the seller wasn’t pleased.

FWIW, I am not now, nor will I ever be a buyer on the primary market for this man’s products, as they are quite simply beyond my means. I have the choice of buying new product in a certain price range or buying used to get hopefully better equipment, albeit at greater risk. I’m fairly sure that there are several people on this forum who are either manufacturers or otherwise make their living in the audio world, so I’d like their perspective on used gear. It seems to me that the secondary market supports the primary market by providing an upgrade path for new product owners. What say you?

 

[brad225]

People do have on ways of responding 2FG.

I once owned apair of Vandersteen W2 subs I used with my Spica TC 50 speakers. One was new and one was used.
I was puzzled when I discovered how they would happened to operate when connected to electronics differently that I had ever seen. So, I call and spoke with Richard Vandersteen.

I asked if it was normal for the subs to play when only the + wire was connected not needing both + & -.
He told me I was an idiot and it should be illegal to resell equipment.
I thanked him for his time and sold my subs.

 

[Michaels HiFi]

Something over a year ago, I had decided on a power amplifier upgrade. Having settled on a used amp from a small manufacturer, I intended to have the seller ship the amp directly back to said mfr to have a minor issue resolved and generally have the amp checked out. While speaking with the owner of the company, he made it very clear that he had little use for buyers of his equipment used because he felt that they “did not support his company”. I thanked him for his time, and did not buy the amp in question. Needless to say, the seller wasn’t pleased.

FWIW, I am not now, nor will I ever be a buyer on the primary market for this man’s products, as they are quite simply beyond my means. I have the choice of buying new product in a certain price range or buying used to get hopefully better equipment, albeit at greater risk. I’m fairly sure that there are several people on this forum who are either manufacturers or otherwise make their living in the audio world, so I’d like their perspective on used gear. It seems to me that the secondary market supports the primary market by providing an upgrade path for new product owners. What say you?

I've learned that unfortunately many of these audio companies are often their own worst enemy.

They make fantastic products but they have no clue about basic business 101.

I would agree with you that it's in his best interest to support repairs on his gear. Certainly he has a right to charge for repairs (I'm sure you were willing to pay) but in my personal view, customer support is a part of what helps gear keep - or not keep its value.

Although I am not a fan of the sound of Pass Labs myself, there is no denying there is no better company when it comes to customer support. I believe that is part of why they retain some of the value they do - customers know they will be taken care of and buying their gear is virtually risk-free.

 

[NewAlkyogre]

I bought some second hand stuff, some buys I am very happy with. The Bryston preamp is still working and very good. Also a Marantz sacd player is still functional which I bought 2nd hand in 2009, and my Denafrips Dac is still in my setup. The latter was almost new.

On the other hand: guarantee until the door: an SMSL dac stopped working after half a year and one of my hypex ncores exploded after a few months.

In general you have to calculate that every piece of equipment has a maximum amount of playing time, and that if you are unlucky that point is almost reached when buying.

One additional thing: what Vandersteen is doing not allowing to resell equipment is prohibited here. A manufacturer does not have anything to say what a consumer does after buying. They are not above the law.

 

[mep]

I bought some second hand stuff, some buys I am very happy with. The Bryston preamp is still working and very good. Also a Marantz sacd player is still functional which I bought 2nd hand in 2009, and my Denafrips Dac is still in my setup. The latter was almost new.

On the other hand: guarantee until the door: an SMSL dac stopped working after half a year and one of my hypex ncores exploded after a few months.

In general you have to calculate that every piece of equipment has a maximum amount of playing time, and that if you are unlucky that point is almost reached when buying.

One additional thing: what Vandersteen is doing not allowing to resell equipment is prohibited here. A manufacturer does not have anything to say what a consumer does after buying. They are not above the law.

You missed the part where Brad225 wrote that RV said reselling equipment SHOULD be illegal.

 

[Michaels HiFi]

One additional thing: what Vandersteen is doing not allowing to resell equipment is prohibited here. A manufacturer does not have anything to say what a consumer does after buying. They are not above the law.

It's not allowed here either - they can't prevent you from reselling equipment you own. Vandersteen has a terrible industry reputation for a reason.

They can choose to not support regardless of the laws. They can simply not answer your email or phone calls.

Accuphase is a prime example - they will not support any piece of gear anywhere in the world that was not bought through the local distributor. They won't even let you buy the repair manual.