Makin' Money

[alphaGT]

I've been following some similar pieces of gear to what I have in my system, just to check their market value, for my own curiosity. And I've discovered that many of the pieces I own have increased in value.

I recently watched a preamp like mine, a Parasound Halo 3, it sat on eBay for a long time at $565, and finally sold for that price, and I see another asking a similar price. I only paid $350 for mine 5 or 6 years ago. That's not too unusual I guess? But I recently bought the big Krell! And replaced my very nice Forte' Model 3, and they sell all the time on Audiogon for $700 to $750, and I only paid $300, again 5 or 6 years ago. That's a huge increase! In fact, almost every piece of used gear I own, is worth more now than it was when I got it within the past 7 years. Even my speakers are averaging $500 more than I paid.

I've read an article in a hi end magazine a while back saying that Hi Fi was a terrible investment. A sure way to loose money. I guess if you must buy new, that would be very true. But in the used market I seem to be making better gains than gold bricks. Why is this?

Is it just a shift that has occurred in these recent years? Has the cost of new gear driven up the cost of used gear? Or have I just accidentally chosen pieces they have increased in demand? Is anyone else noticing the same thing with their equipment?

It seems to me that a big stereo could be a nice way to store wealth? As long as most of the gear you own has done most of its depreciating before you buy it. And of course it's nice enough that age won't make it worthless, it beats a no interest savings account hands down! So you've got $30k in a standard savings account, drawing about 0.0050% interest, giving you 50 cent on the thousand interest per year. And if the banks go bust and lock their doors, you have no access to it. And you have to fill out a tax form to claim those pennies. But! If you buy stereo with it, then no taxes, and home owner's insurance covers it if stolen, or lost in a fire. And you get to enjoy that money every day instead of looking at numbers on a computer screen. And if you're as lucky as I am, and most of your stereo is going up in value, it seems like a great place to hide some money. And don't forget your record collection, used records have gone up in value a lot in recent years.

At any rate, I'm very surprised to find this trend that almost all of my stereo has increased in value since I bought it.

Ruseell




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[farflungstar]

I've lost money, not because the items I've sold haven't increased in value but because I've been in a rush to sell and also in the spirit of the forum asked for roughly half of what I paid. The Siggwan arm I recently sold was half the price I paid, and the Cary's I have on at the moment are only double (give it take) the price of the valves I put into them. I guess it depends on what you want - to wait and make money or to move on and share the joys of the hobby.

[petrat]

I can only recall ever making a profit on two items, out of dozens and dozens bought and sold ... so, clearly I'm clueless. Probably because I don't hang on to anything long enough for it to appreciate

Wish I'd bulk bought Garrards, Leaks, Marantz 7s, Western Electric, etc. when they were throwing them in skips ... I'd be wealthy now.
Trouble is that none of us ever see the value in yesterday's technology until decades later. Like bods who never sell their old cars, and put them in the barn ... 40 years ago, who'd have thought a Ford Escort would be collectable?

[Bigman80]

Yep, I subscribe to no making money out of sales on the forum and have lost £100 on the Alphason tonearm I was selling. I have however, been given stuff for free and at stupidly low prices so swings and roundabouts.

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[Zoidburg]

Yep, I subscribe to no making money out of sales on the forum and have lost £100 on the Alphason tonearm I was selling. I have however, been given stuff for free and at stupidly low prices so swings and roundabouts.

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Yeah Id agree with you on that Oliver, the forum sales section should be a place where stuff is sensibly priced (rather than the likes of ebay etc etc) and as fellow enthusiasts we can expect a decent deal when purchasing but also that that will be in tern passed on to the next person maybe. That's how I look at it anyway (though my recent experience is that not everyone sees it like that at all).

[Bigman80]

Yeah Id agree with you on that Oliver, the forum sales section should be a place where stuff is sensibly priced (rather than the likes of ebay etc etc) and as fellow enthusiasts we can expect a decent deal when purchasing but also that that will be in tern passed on to the next person maybe. That's how I look at it anyway (though my recent experience is that not everyone sees it like that at all).

Ive currently got £1000 worth of preamps sat in my front room, all on trial and more to come next week, an £825 tonearm on loan and various other bits and bobs, with no expectations from the owners, I've borrowed countless items and given speakers away for free because I've been given them gratis, if you aren't here to help expand the knowledge and experience of the members, you're not making the most of your membership.

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[Zoidburg]

Ive currently got £1000k worth of preamps sat in my front room, all on trial and more to come next week, an £825 tonearm on loan and various other bits and bobs, with no expectations from the owners, I've borrowed countless items and given speakers away for free because I've been given them gratis, if you aren't here to help expand the knowledge and experience of the members, you're not making the most of your membership.

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well said

[petrat]

With old stuff, you also have to factor in the cost of re-furbishment/servicing too. 'Mint' condition isn't just about cosmetics .... component aging and deterioration needs to be sorted too ime. I've had three amps recently that needed work before I was comfortable selling them on (losing a lot of money and time in each case).

[mikeyb]

It's because new prices are rising so it has a knock on effect on used prices

[struth]

lost on everything. such is life for a loser like me