DCS Pre-owned components

Is there a section for DCS pre-owned audio products?

No. The question implies some kind of sales feature which may involve some legal ramifications. A nice idea though were it possible.

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Do you mean for support? For buying? For selling?

I suppose he means a sort of classified section? Well if some of the dCS owners here want to part with their gear what better place than with fellow enthusiasts? Not such a strange idea with the caveat that dCS is not actively involved and buyers still heed common sense as is to be expected on the internet and research who they’re buying from.

Yes, good idea. However there are barriers to operating such a thing and dCS may not want to be involved considering the level of responsibility under UK law.

Ghastly. Is there no leeway for private individuals selling their own used goods?

This needs an answer from counsel, not a layman like me. However the definition of an online marketplace is wide and any kind of online special sales area, for new or ( importantly) used goods is likely to be viewed as such. Incidentally much of the UK consumer law behind this would predate Brexit and would have been harmonised with the requirements of the EU so I would not be surprised if a similar situation may not hold for remaining EU member states. Of course there is also the UK position on VAT to take into account.

So if dCS wanted to comply with the legal requirements this would entail quite an obligation and cost.

I am unsure of any forum rules which relate to this but I have seen a couple of mentions of units for sale in the general to and fro of the usual topics but the transactions were ( if they took place) made privately via PMs. The downside is that such opportunities could only be incidental so as not to be interpreted as constituting an online marketplace.

One other factor is that much replaced dCS equipment is part exchanged via a dealer for a superior dCS model. Dealers have their own methods of dealing with units traded in. So the market size outside of established paths may be limited in many cases.

Just my take on the subject but were I actively involved in such a matter the next step could be an expensive consultation with a lawyer having experience in this area.

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If you are in the UK or EU try ukaudiomart.com. It is a sister site to canuckaudiomart.com, usaudiomart.com, and aussieaudiomart.com. I use USAM. It is free to hobbyists (unless you use their transaction services) and works well.

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Both the Roon and PS Audio have robust and well-behaved Marketplace’s.

https://forum.psaudio.com/c/marketplace/66

I am sure that both you and @SJF are right. However the subject of this thread is not where is a good place to sell but has this forum got a section for pre-owned products ( presumably for selling/buying)? If not then, by extension, should it have one?

Both Roon and PS Audio are USA based so the strictures which may apply to UK based dCS may not affect them similarly.

Anyway it is accordingly worth reminding those without previous experience that trading equipment internationally not only may involve incompatible voltage settings and costly long haul shipping but the payment of Duty and VAT. The latter is not inconsiderable being an average of 20% in UK and EU. I mention this particularly as I have read of several complaints of a " why have I got this bill ?" nature since Brexit.

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If you look at both of the sites I posted, there are numerous sales listed from international sellers.

If you are purchasing a peice of equipment listed by a seller outside of your country and aren’t aware of potential voltage issues, well that’s a whole other issue.

As far as shipping costs are concerned, VAT included, buyers and sellers should always have a robust conversation of the total cost of the item being purchased.

How much of a nanny state do you want to live in? The same issues you address exist on USAM, Audiogon, Canuck Audiomart, etc… Buyer beware.

I personally would like to see a Marketplace on the dCS forum.

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So would I as I hinted earlier " were it possible".

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Count me in.

Perhaps someone would like to add a request for a dCS Marketplace section in the Site Feedback here?

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I can’t comment on any potential legal ramifications, however such a thing would be nice to see. I’d far rather buy or sell a dCS DAC from/to someone with over a hundred posts on here than someone I have no idea about elsewhere

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Agreed.

And there are a lot of scams on Audiogon, which I have used for a fair amount of gear. eBay, in my experience, is worse.

In one version, someone clicked the Buy Now, sent payment, then immediately stopped payment with their bank, then claimed that I didn’t ship the goods. Then Ebay put a hold on my account and investigated ME!

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I presume you mean you’ve used Audiogon, not used the scams!

Sorry, couldn’t resist.

I have typically advertised my private sales on various UK-centric hifi forums and had some great conversations as a result… but for an actual sale, it’s been eBay all the way. No issues so far, and 364 items sold…

I agree with others, it would be great to see a for sale section here - with market-aligned prices obviously. As a potential buyer, I’ve seen some crazily optimistic pricing on hifi forums.

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I’ve come across scammers pretending to be high-end Hi-Fi dealers, but fortunately only one buyer on eBay who tried to s**** me by dropping a piece of equipment and sending it back as faulty (it still worked, but the case work was damaged).

Unfortunately, I didn’t see the damage to the bottom of the chassis until it was too late. From there on in, the more expensive an item is, the more sure I want to be that the buyer or seller is genuine.

I assume dCS wants their dealers to be involved ideally.

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That thought had crossed my mind…

Would be an idea, but one has to find a dCS owner who is willing to sell… Usually they sell because they want to upgrade. I think the best way to hope for a second-hand dCS is at the dealer’s…

And I confirm there are a lot of scams around ; the last I discovered was when I considerered buying a Rossini and its clock for 15 000 £… :slight_smile: