Used B&W speakers

[ray5]

Hi! I am looking to buy my rear speakers from Audiogon. They are a year old. Is the warranty transferrable? Would I need the original invoice? How do I ensure that the warranty is current and not void for any reason?
Thanks.
Ray

[speakerboy]

I am pretty sure the warranty is NOT transferable.

[ray5]

You are right it is not. What do you guys think then about buying used and not from a dealer?
Ray

[RobP]

Although the warranty is not transferable, your dealer MAY still honor the warranty for you, all depends on the dealer and your relationship with the them.

[kmcheng]

However, chances are that once the dealer saw that you are not buying your gears that they sell from them, the relationship will be affected.

I am not saying that you should not buy used. (I did.) However, how much of a discount are you getting with the used speakers? Perhaps you can negotiate some discounts from the dealer too.

From my observations, it is typically not worth it to buy 1-year old speakers once you account for paypal fees, shipping, and non-transferrable warranty. (This is a good thing -- this means the depreciation cost is low.)

If both you and your dealer are in New Hampshire, where there is no sales tax, it may be even more difficult to justify buying "new" used gears.

[dan87951]

B&W speakers are built to last. Honestly I wouldn't worry about it if they have been taken care of. What can go wrong unless you abuse them?

[KahunaCanuck]

I bought FPMs & 805s used and have had no problems...love em!

[bnieman]

I buy new and I buy used. I usually will go used if the price difference exceeds $750 or so.

For example recently I bought an HTM1 since I could get one for half the cost of the current HTM3s (about $1400 savings). They are relatively the same speaker with minor improvements on the HTM3s.

The warranty does hold a lot of value to me and your gear will usually have even higher resale value if you buy it new and take impeccable care of it.

Cheers!

[ray5]

Thanks. The difference is about 450$ for the 804S. I do agree that in the big scheme of things is not much compared to the whole package and I also value the warranty. Besides, the audiogon seller never replied to my e-mail anyway!

[kmcheng]

$450 can easily be eaten up by PayPal fees and shipping costs. The 804S are not exactly shipping-friendly. Besides, you would not know the physical condition of the speakers until they arrive at your home, which is already too late in my opinion.

Now if your dealer has some demo or trade-in that you can audition, that would be a totally different story. Last time I bought from my dealer, I got a nice discount on their open-box 803D. They delivered and set the speakers up in my living room for free, and even gave me some decent credits for the M-1 that I traded in.

[emig5m]

$450 can easily be eaten up by PayPal fees and shipping costs. The 804S are not exactly shipping-friendly. Besides, you would not know the physical condition of the speakers until they arrive at your home, which is already too late in my opinion.

Now if your dealer has some demo or trade-in that you can audition, that would be a totally different story. Last time I bought from my dealer, I got a nice discount on their open-box 803D. They delivered and set the speakers up in my living room for free, and even gave me some decent credits for the M-1 that I traded in.

Yea I just bought my first used piece from Audiogon last night. Luckily it was within a 30 min drive so I could go check it out in person. I hate when someone says the condition is pristine and once you get it there's scuffs everywhere. To me, pristine means as good as coming directly out of the box and not scuffed up, lol.

So I don't have to deal with issues like that I try to find stuff locally that I can go check out in person.

[d52232dole]

I'd buy used only if I know the owner and/or see/try it. Plus, if it's used for < 1 year, it should be around 20% less than new price, if it's used for < 2 years, around 30% less, etc.
About warranty, I'd take a minor risk.