Buying, Selling & Trading
To help you understand how we work when it comes to buying/selling/trading, we broke this article down to the three parts to simplify your search criteria. Simply click on the word to go to that point in the article
BUYING | SELLING | TRADING | CONTACT US
BUYING
Our business is solely based on the premise of buying, selling and trading audio equipment over the past years. Yes, ALL kinds of audio equipment not just vintage audio. At one point we did buy video products such as DVD players, projection systems, screens and the like but sadly, no more. We try not to deal with video stuff anymore as this just gets too darn complicated with advancements in technology elevating each time you get a sales flyer.
The number of products people can bring in is unlimited. We sometimes get a few pieces from a garage being cleared out to full blown collectors that have accumulated 20 odd years of stock-piling that have decided to switch hobbies. We only ask that if you are bringing in a large amount of pieces (20+) that you call ahead to arrange a time that we could set aside for you and give you the proper attention. In addition, it may take a bit longer (sometimes up to a few days) to test and evaluate the pieces so please take this into consideration as well.
PLEASE BEAR IN MIND THAT NOT ALL EQUIPMENT HAS VALUE!
Please call us if you are unsure! It will save us both time and heartache!
Each year, as fads come and go, certain items have a stronger value than others. Some years big speakers were the rage and in others it was turntables. As a result, in order to keep up with demand, we would offer higher prices when buying those items currently ‘in demand’. If the market changes, then the prices would reflect those changes. It’s like buying stock; one month its up, the other it’s not so good.
Alright, so why should you get rid of that old stereo if it still works fine? Well, don’t. If it works and you like it, keep it, enjoy it, pass it on to your kids. We offer a ‘buy’ service because in most cases, when you want to buy that new fangled 12.9 channel, 600 watt 400 disc DVD plasma-infused popcorn maker, the store you are currently shopping at probably will not take trade-ins. And if they did, amidst all the chuckling and finger-pointing as equipment they probably have never seen before comes by the pound out of your trunk, you will more than likely get pennies for your efforts. This is exactly where we fit in.
How does that work?
Many people have stuff lying around their house maybe in the garage or basement that they would like to get rid of. Perhaps you have to deal with an estate or are down-sizing your lifestyle and would like to find a place that will give you a fair dollar value for your equipment. There are various options available to you including donations, garage/yard sales, newspaper ads and so on but none will guarantee complete success. Why bother with the hassle?
When you sell to us we buy virtually everything audio related, and will not ‘cherry pick’ just the good items. We try to be as fair as possible, and will even offer pick up service to help you out (restrictions apply). At times, we will also buy most items that are not working, have parts missing or may look like it’s ready to be thrown out. This of course depends if we are needing the parts still on the unit or not. Again, the best way to know is to simply call us and ask.
What’s the deal with ‘Store Credit’?
We offer a unique difference in shopping by offering store credit for items brought in. So what is the difference and how does it work? Well, let’s say you brought some items in for us to buy and we found that the items are worth $100.00. Now, you can either be paid $100.00 cash OR we can give you store credit. Bear in mind that you will more often than not get a better value with store credit than you would cash. In this case you might be looking at $120.00 or more worth of store credit. Cool, huh?
Now this is just an example so don’t try to figure out some crazy math here because each transaction is dependent upon different circumstances. We have found that over the past few years, people actually prefer store credit as it helps out when that ‘gotta have it now’ piece suddenly appears on the floor and your cash level is a tad low. Store credit can be used for everything we offer in our store. Looking to have a repair done? Use your store credit. Estimate needed? Buying records? All can be done using store credit. Now it has to be noted that you have to HAVE the amount needed already in your ‘account’ before you go happily buying everything in the store! So unless you have read this wrong let’s make this very, very clear; WE DO NOT FINANCE, NOR DO WE LOAN (same thing but what the heck, it needs to be said differently). You MUST have brought in something of value to build your store credit first. (Mother in laws do not count!)
Oh yeah, there IS NO TIME LIMIT ON STORE CREDIT. You can have it for years and suddenly decide to use it on anything we have in the store. YOU CANNOT CONVERT STORE CREDIT TO CASH! Also, please note; we do not buy car stereo equipment, stereo consoles, or televisions!
SELLING
Essentially, you have a few options when selling your equipment. These options include selling the item ‘as is’, and us paying you a wholesale value based upon what we see. The second is to have the item brought in and evaluated. We will then test the item, check the cosmetics, functionality and performance and base a price on these results. The third route is consigning your item. When consigning, we take the time to evaluate your item with you, work out what we both feel are fair prices and sell your item on your behalf. When the item sells, we take 30% of the selling price less any repairs that may or may not have been needed. Since we have a 14 day return / exchange policy, you will be issued a cheque after this period of time lapses.
If you have items you’re considering selling, but maybe do not have the time to load them up and bring them in, no problems. In some cases we can come to your home to help you out. This option is normally reserved for larger or multiple items. We only ask that you call first so we can arrange a time to visit your home after store hours.
If you wish to call or email us with what you have, please have the following information available so we can help you better. It’s best to take a moment with a pen and paper, go to the equipment and write down some basic information before calling our shop;
- What is it? (receiver, amplifier, record player, speakers, etc.)
- Make? (Pioneer, Sansui, Kenwood, etc.)
- Model? (SX780, AU9500, etc.) This is normally found on the front face of the unit, or at the back.
- An asking price. Please have an asking price in mind – it will save us both a great deal of time. We completely understand if you are unsure how much to ask for and to help you out we suggest you browse through our stock either in the store or here on our site and see if we might have something close to what you have. Please note that we often go by ‘book value’, or current ‘trend value’ when determining prices. We DO NOT use eBay or on-line auction sites as these prices are not valid and things like shipping, taxes and other costs are not considered.
So ok, you made it all the way down here, thanks. I just wanted to add one little itsy-bitsy morsel of information that may be overlooked people who are looking to sell their equipment. Ready for it? Here it is:
WE ARE NOT EBAY OR ANY OTHER CRAZY AUCTION HOUSE AND SIMPLY CANNOT BUY EQUIPMENT FOR THE MONEY THAT SOME PIECES GET. WE ARE A BUSINESS, AND IN ORDER TO KEEP IN BUSINESS WE BUY ACCORDING TO MARKET VALUE AND RE-SELLABILITY. WE WILL CERTAINLY OFFER THE FAIREST AND QUITE POSSIBLY THE BEST PRICES IN TOWN BUT CANNOT COMPETE WITH ON-LINE AUCTIONS OR BUY/SELL ADVERTS. IF YOU HAVE THE SLIGHTEST HESITATION SELLING YOUR EQUIPMENT WE STRONGLY SUGGEST YOU CHOOSE THESE ROUTES FIRST BEFORE SELLING TO US. THANK YOU.
TRADING
We love trades. I mean, trades are those types of transactions where a handshake still means something. So if you were looking to upgrade your gear, check us out! With us, it’s all about the deal. If we can make you happy by giving you a great deal on your trade, we both win. We only ask that you insure that the gear you are trading is in good condition, works great and is worth the value you are asking.
Trades can be anything. It is not necessarily a speaker for a speaker, but anything for anything. There will be those times where one of us may have to pony up a few dollars to top off the tank to make it fair but hey, that’s what makes trading fun!
We once traded a Brand new Home Theater receiver (when we still dealt with that stuff) for a box of musty magazines! No money changed hands, and both parties were thrilled with the deal. As it is that deal got even better as a friendship developed and is still strong! Let’s face it; trades are fun. And if you feel you got something I really want then let me see what I can trade you for it!
CONTACT US
The best way to sell your equipment is to drop by or contact us by phone during store hours. Our address and telephone number can be found on our Contact page. For your convenience, we have provided a simple on-line form that you can fill in and submit to us anytime. If you have multiple items for sale, the best method is to contact us directly.