Spinnergeoff Posted June 25 Share Posted June 25 (edited) As a regular try-hard attempting to make sales of surplus and/or DIY speakers and other hifi items, it has struck me that sales have become rather slow lately. Is this a wrong impression? I know, everyone will jump on me and say that my prices must be too high or the products not fashionable. But the products are fine, and my prices are nearly always at the low end of what's offered here, where one usually gets informed members looking for good things at a fair price. I recently "sold elsewhere" my DIY floor standing speakers* (with folded horn bass labyrinth, Peerless 10" woofers, Infinity 4" mids, nice scandinavian tweeters, and ribbon super-tweeters.) They had languished here (as have another five items reposted this week) and eventually sold via Facebook, admittedly for a bit less. *Speakers for $575 that would not be outperformed by anything new in a shop for less than $4000. Anyway, I still have about a dozen pairs of speakers around the house, and need to thin the herd. Constructive comments re the market rather than personal invective would be appreciated! P.S. I only just read about Lifestyle! Edited June 25 by Spinnergeoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 25 Share Posted June 25 The market is as flat as I have seen it. We've only just started recording the "clearance rate" in the classifieds, which was hovering up around 34% last week, after sitting around 27-28% prior and again now. That's not bad IMO though. Certain items sell almost immediately. DIY would be the slowest, and cables, well there's no shortage of choice there. The more expensive stuff is stale and has been for a while. Record high amounts of it being listed (also a reflection of the economy), and record lows for number of sales on that stuff. Cheap stuff (not DIY) under $1000 selling as well as ever. 509 sales in the last 8 weeks and $225,210 worth of successful sales in the past 14 days. This is climbing though as more people migrate to and get used to the new Classifieds format. Feel like I'm doing the market analysis at the end of the news program on TV! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinnergeoff Posted June 25 Author Share Posted June 25 Thanks Marc - I think only one pair of DIY in my latest five postings, but certainly feels like the market is a bit limp; might pick up in August! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 25 Share Posted June 25 Hi-Fi is generally a luxury item. It's the first to go when things get tough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rantan Posted June 25 Share Posted June 25 1 hour ago, Spinnergeoff said: Constructive comments re the market rather than personal invective would be appreciated! I have noted several of your listings,in which I have an interest, but the no boxes,no shipping means that you are restricted to a pick up,local sale, which considerably lowers your chances of a sale. I understand 100% your situation where no packaging and secure boxes are available, but nonetheless I am sure this is then main reason for your lack of success in selling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 25 Share Posted June 25 I think there's truth in @rantan's comments. Small, shippable items, up to a certain value that is worth the risk of postage opens up your market of buyers nationally (and beyond). I know local pickup and heavier items I have sold in the past obviously get less interest. Whereas FB Marketplace has a larger audience pool, so pickup is often no issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinnergeoff Posted June 25 Author Share Posted June 25 (edited) 5 minutes ago, rantan said: the no boxes,no shipping means that you are restricted to a pick up,local sale, which considerably lowers your chances of a sale. Thanks, fair comment. Sydney is a big place however. The low prices can also mean that cost of shipping isn't justified. And while I can do a reasonable job of packaging, it takes time and effort (including to find appropriate cartons) which nobody wants to pay for, and given the rough treatment some couriers dole out, damage is always a possibility. Edited June 25 by Spinnergeoff 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rantan Posted June 25 Share Posted June 25 Just now, Spinnergeoff said: Thanks, fair comment. The low prices can also mean that cost of shipping isn't justified. And while I can do a reasonable job of packaging, it takes time and effort (including to find appropriate cartons) which nobody wants to pay for, and given the rough treatment some couriers dole out, damage is always a possibility. 100% agree. If I were in your situation I would feel exactly the same way in every aspect. Notwithstanding this, it means that your market is very small and items will linger longer no matter how good they are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willmax Posted June 26 Share Posted June 26 Times are tough for the great majority, but there seems to be a few with more cash than most around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steever Posted June 26 Share Posted June 26 (edited) Not just audio. I'm just going through the process of selling a used car. Definitely a buyer's market although, the current economic sentiment is even impacting that. Edited June 26 by Steever Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinnergeoff Posted June 26 Author Share Posted June 26 Two of the current speakers I have advertised have previously attracted extremely favourable comments, and they are hardly expensive at $395/pair, but it's certainly a flat market at this time. Never mind, I'm not up against it financially, just rationalising the collection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts