has anyone had any experience buying subs/speakers/amps of 2nd hand places, not used new stuff, but sold like 1/2 off. ebay, onlinecarstereo. places like that. the prices are low that if the stuff was genuine it would be a steal.

 

I buy stuff off of Ebay all the time. Saved a ton of cash!

 

Buying off Ebay can save you a lot of money. I just bought all my speakers/amps and saved well over $1000 (USD) by going through various Ebay vendors. <edited due to incorrect information>.

Do your research. Figure out what you want to get. Then start shopping around on Ebay.

Ex. of savings:

JL Audio 500/1 monoblock amp (Slash series) is going to run ~$540 from any 'good' car audio retailer. Same amp (new/unopened box) on Ebay can be had for ~$340.

 

300%, what kind of glue are you sniffing. As a car audio shop owner and being in the industry for 20 years now, that has never ever ever happened. Way to spread total misinformation. If you would care to bring facts to the table, great, we can talk about them all day long. Find me one single cd player in the industry that has a 300% markup, we are lucky if they are at 20% these days.

Your example of savings is also flawed. Did you buy a new "B" stock item that is sold as a discount. Is it "A" stock item that somehow maade it's way to the market. As JL does not allow internet sales, one must wonder how this stuff got there. Is is a knock off like the fake Focals that were on E-burn a couple of months ago, was it the MIX amps made to look like the MTX. The sooner people realize that E-burn is full of people trying to rip you off, the sooner people will learn the true nature of what E-bay is. Yes there may be some good vendors on the site, but, these people are also running a business. A business has a profit margin that must be maintained or they are out of business. So buy today, gone tomorrow, same with that warranty that you thought you had as well. Get burned once is all it takes and it is literally a crapshoot. The knock off Focal's were so good that most people in the industry if shown them would never be able to tell. Turn them on though and have a listen, that is another story. But hey, at 50% off of what a store sells them for, look what I found on E-burn.......a roll of the dice people. You get what you pay for. Yes there are some great deals to be found, just be careful where you look for them. 300% markup, hahaha....hahahaha, cough cough, hahahaha...I haven't heard something so untrue and totally fabricated in a long time now.

 

i have bought so much stuff from so many different places. i install a lot for friends and favors. find what your looking for then find a couple authorized retailers online and see how much something is selling for. if its below that then its probably b-stock or refurbed or whatever they claim it isnt. i buy the stuff and accept what it is. i have found that if they claim it isnt refurbed it is ussually in pretty good shape. you have to be pretty into the stuff to find that missing screw, or tiny burn marks on the ground of an amp or whatever they missed. if they say its refurb then its in pretty used shape. if you buy it from the places that all have around the same prices and/or are authorized it is probably new but less of a savings. the way i figure it works is the companys dont fix any of there returns or only the best condition ones. they must sell both but one way cheaper than the other. they probably sell them in bulk thats why it seems the market(ebay, and online stores) gets flooded with the same products every so often.

 

I agree w/ forbidden, 300% mark up would be way out of line for a reputable shop. (Or any shop for that matter.) No one could stay in business due to competition. Although mark up is high in most product based business, doubling cost is fairly standard (which is only 100% markup) and still usually comes out less than MSRP.

 

The good kind?

About 8 years ago I worked for The Good Guys and did home theater installs for them. We got to buy anything they carried in stock for store cost. Any type of cables (RCA, speaker, etc) was insanely marked up and car audio stuff in general had huge markups. I guess the decks weren't as bad as the amps and speakers, but I do recall getting amps for 1/3 of what they were sold to the customers.

Perhaps I'm high and I don't know it. I don't mean to spread incorrect information.

Ebay is a roll of the dice. I try to avoid getting burned by buying only from people/stores with good feedback and lots of history (10,000+ transactions). So far, I have not been burned. All new stuff in unopened boxes for well below what I can buy it for at one of the local stereo shops. I know JL Audio doesn't authorize any online dealers and thus don't honor their warranty if you purchase online. That is a risk and I'm taking it. If something breaks or doesn't work, I'm hosed.

You can save a ton of money if you buy off Ebay or some other online store. You can get burned as well. If you do your research, buy from good sellers, and pay using Paypal or some other means that protects you from fraud - you're going to be at least a little ahead of the scammers.

 

I have. Right there, the first line of the quote.

 

Perhaps then you are not in the retail side of this industry. When your customers come back to you with items bought on E-burn that are just what I am talking about, you might have a different opinion. Here is my own quote about E-burn "Yes there are some great deals to be found, just be careful where you look for them." Here is another quote from the same post "If you would care to bring facts to the table, great, we can talk about them all day long." Fact, I as a retailer of over 20 years now have seen the growth of many different ways to screw over a person, from stoen gear sold in vans and schools to pawn shops, swap meets and now, E-bay is by far one of the biggest and just because it may not have happened to you does not mean that is not and has not happened to others. E-bay is an electronic pawn shop for people who use it for that exact purpose. When you total over 50 customers a year getting ripped off, let me know. Do a search on the many forums related to car audio and see for yourself how many people get burned. Want a name to start your search from....

http://www.canadiancaraudio.com/onli...aeed-marc.html

 

In case you still don't believe me, here is another post by one of my customers. Pay close attention to page 2 but the entire thread is a good read.

http://www.canadiancaraudio.com/onli...l-165-k2p.html

Here is another case that I came across on another forum where I am a technical support member.

http://www.boostcruising.com/forums/...&#entry5718744

Now in both cases these items were found on E-bay and the quality of the knock off was amazing. Having seen these speakers myself, I can say that it would have fooled even myself (until I heard them that is). So to each his own, you can go on thinking that E-burn is full of people who would never screw you, I will continue forward knowing that with more than adequate hands on proof, than E-burn is full of people trying to screw others.

 

Wow Forbidden...

Your sure taking this personally.

Sounds like your business was hurt from the people selling on eBay.

Of COURSE the legitament sellers on eBay can sell for cheaper. They are not paying the mark up that goes into owning a business or having insurance or all the workers they would have to pay (health cost etc).

I have made like 50 purchase on eBay (from an engagement ring that cost $5000 but I had appraised for insurance at $18000 to a coin). All of them have left me happy.

In ANY transaction your taking a chance. You just never know how the deal (or the product) will turn out.

I am sure I could find people unhappy about the service your business provided in the last 20 years as well? You can NEVER make everyone happy.

I just love how people wont do something because they heard one person got burned.

 

I've worked in the car audio business (retail) and can tell you that it was extremely difficult to compete with Crutchfield at the time...let alone the emerging Ebay.

However, the main selling point for our shop was that you get SERVICE with the sale. We would always hook up customers with some free wire, or advice, or whatever they needed.

On the other hand, I have purchased stuff from Ebay as well. I have found that you have to know what you want, and you have to be EXTREMELY weary of "too good to be true" sales. Seriously folks, you are not going to find brand new Diamond Audio components for $75. You do get what you pay for. You also have to ask the seller the right questions....if you ask the seller for the s/n of the unit, you can call the manufacturer and they will run the s/n and tell you if its ligit and what model number that unit should be (to ensure it wasn't copied off something else).

 

There. Jeez. I took that "haven't heard something so untrue and totally fabricated in a long time now" information out of my original reply. Calm down already.

Ebay is a safe place if you use your head.

 

would buying through amazon.com be a good idea?

 

Amazon is a vendor with very good reputation and reliability. Yes, it is a good idea to buy from them.

 

i understand that you are fending people away from ebay thats fine, i dont buy much from it anyway but what about places like say....www.ikesound.com great pirces but they are not outhorized sellers for most of their products but still have a company warenty. If at all possible i would but from someone who is a offical retailer that way you have a face that you can go back to. yeah the prices are higher but you have that much more cofidance in your purchase.