Selling/rehoming stereo equipment
July 6, 2024 10:13 AM Subscribe
(Hoping someone has an answer besides FB marketplace or Ebay)
I'm helping my mother sort through my late stepfather's stuff. Turns out, having one's office / man cave on a separate floor allows for great amassing of stuff!
My latest project is stereo equipment, a topic I don't know much about. Here's a list of what we have, all of which is in good working order. I know some of these items are basically obsolete and should probably be donated or taken to e-waste disposal, but a quick scan of Ebay shows that some are being offered for $500+.
My priorities are to try to get this equipment out of my mom's house by the end of October, to keep stuff out of the landfill whenever possible, and for my mom to end up with some reasonable sum of money (a few thousand?).
Questions:
- Are there any brick & mortar or online retailers that deal in used stereo equipment?
- If not, are there online communities where I could perhaps offer up the whole lot at a discount?
- Would an in-person garage sale make sense? We are in the Triad region of NC.
- Is (sigh) selling individual components on FB marketplace or Ebay the best way to go?
- Are there any brands or specific components from the list that I should focus on?
Any insight you can provide that will help me prioritize and get things rolling would be very helpful. Thanks!
I'm helping my mother sort through my late stepfather's stuff. Turns out, having one's office / man cave on a separate floor allows for great amassing of stuff!
My latest project is stereo equipment, a topic I don't know much about. Here's a list of what we have, all of which is in good working order. I know some of these items are basically obsolete and should probably be donated or taken to e-waste disposal, but a quick scan of Ebay shows that some are being offered for $500+.
My priorities are to try to get this equipment out of my mom's house by the end of October, to keep stuff out of the landfill whenever possible, and for my mom to end up with some reasonable sum of money (a few thousand?).
Questions:
- Are there any brick & mortar or online retailers that deal in used stereo equipment?
- If not, are there online communities where I could perhaps offer up the whole lot at a discount?
- Would an in-person garage sale make sense? We are in the Triad region of NC.
- Is (sigh) selling individual components on FB marketplace or Ebay the best way to go?
- Are there any brands or specific components from the list that I should focus on?
Any insight you can provide that will help me prioritize and get things rolling would be very helpful. Thanks!
Audiogon is an online place you can sell audio equipment, I used to buy used stuff there back in the day when I was in the market for that kind of thing.
posted by Daily Alice at 11:09 AM on July 6 [3 favorites]
posted by Daily Alice at 11:09 AM on July 6 [3 favorites]
Audiogon is a good place for high-end equipment.
posted by Ideefixe at 11:10 AM on July 6 [2 favorites]
posted by Ideefixe at 11:10 AM on July 6 [2 favorites]
Reverb.com is well-liked and trusted in my circles for all things music/audio gear. Look at sold listings on ebay for these items, asking price is always swayed by people fishing for rubes. You can do the same on Reverb.
A good pawn shop is definitely an easy choice, many of them somewhat specialize in audio stuff. I would try to sell what seemed the most expensive via in-person local online venues first, then Reverb with shipping, then pawn shop or donation to some sort of music charity in my area.
posted by SaltySalticid at 11:52 AM on July 6 [4 favorites]
A good pawn shop is definitely an easy choice, many of them somewhat specialize in audio stuff. I would try to sell what seemed the most expensive via in-person local online venues first, then Reverb with shipping, then pawn shop or donation to some sort of music charity in my area.
posted by SaltySalticid at 11:52 AM on July 6 [4 favorites]
Offhand none of that stuff sounds like high-end gear. Audiogon is not really the home for it. I would probably try a garage sale and/or Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. You don't need to e-waste any of it, the Craigslist free section should be able to rehome anything that you can't sell. The market for older AV receivers and similar is pretty bad, so I doubt you'll be able to get a *lot* of money for this stuff, but you could probably make a grand or two if you piece it out and take your time.
The speakers will probably sell better than the other stuff. Most of the other gear is worth $50-100 apiece at most, and may be a difficult sell at that. Make sure you track down all the remotes in the house and try to pair them up--these will sell a lot better with the remote.
If you found someone to pay $500-600 for everything I'd probably take it and run. Otherwise check eBay sold prices and go decently below that.
posted by Slinga at 12:34 PM on July 6 [5 favorites]
The speakers will probably sell better than the other stuff. Most of the other gear is worth $50-100 apiece at most, and may be a difficult sell at that. Make sure you track down all the remotes in the house and try to pair them up--these will sell a lot better with the remote.
If you found someone to pay $500-600 for everything I'd probably take it and run. Otherwise check eBay sold prices and go decently below that.
posted by Slinga at 12:34 PM on July 6 [5 favorites]
If you don't end up with a better option than eBay/Facebook Marketplace, eBay has a search option to view recently sold. There can be a big difference between what items are listed for and what they sell for, so that could help you narrow down which items would be worth your time.
And as someone who has done my share of helping relatives deal with their stuff, I know the sorting process alone can be exhausting. Please cut yourself some slack if you don't feel up to selling things that could be worth something to the right person, your time is valuable too!
posted by Eyelash at 3:17 PM on July 6 [4 favorites]
And as someone who has done my share of helping relatives deal with their stuff, I know the sorting process alone can be exhausting. Please cut yourself some slack if you don't feel up to selling things that could be worth something to the right person, your time is valuable too!
posted by Eyelash at 3:17 PM on July 6 [4 favorites]
I don't know anything about stereo equipment but friends always suggest Audio Advice on Glennwood Ave in Raleigh for stereo stuff. Perhaps see of they'd take a look at your list and give ..... advice. I don't know of anywhere in the Triad area.
posted by mightshould at 9:31 AM on July 7 [1 favorite]
posted by mightshould at 9:31 AM on July 7 [1 favorite]
One Reverb competitor is Sweetwater's Gear Exchange. Seller FAQ; sellers opting for payout, rather than Sweetwater gift card, keep 92.5% of earnings vs. Reverb's payout of 91.8% (but Reverb gets more traffic).
posted by Iris Gambol at 12:57 PM on July 7 [1 favorite]
posted by Iris Gambol at 12:57 PM on July 7 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thank you all - I'm going to start by reaching out to the shop in Raleigh and a local guy who takes equipment on consignment. You've given me great advice and lots of good options to explore!
posted by Sweetie Darling at 4:42 PM on July 8
posted by Sweetie Darling at 4:42 PM on July 8
Response by poster: Update: A local used equipment dealer is going to take most of it on consignment. Of course, whether anyone will buy it is another story, but it feels like we can say we tried. This post saved me from doing a garage sale, and for that I'm especially thankful!
posted by Sweetie Darling at 4:25 PM on July 11 [2 favorites]
posted by Sweetie Darling at 4:25 PM on July 11 [2 favorites]
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posted by sagc at 10:29 AM on July 6 [3 favorites]