What is the second hand value of a WAD amplifier

[LGarfirth]

I listed the reserve price because from the previous listing many had asked.

Thinking that included with this is 6 brand new JJ 300b maybe £1000 is not too much to ask for, but I do wonder if I shouldn't have left the old valves in place and sold them as they were, in which case I obviously would not have wanted so much for them.

In regard of Paul's comments, thank God for John Caswell for without his assistance (on many occasions) no doubt my blocks would have met their untimely deaths out of the window a long time ago. Personally I would like to statue of him sitting in the corner of the BB looking over us.

Lincoln

[david counter]

unfortunatly the new valves make no difference to the price, they're just an added bonus,
if it were me I would relist it with the old valves at a lower reserve and list the valves seperatly in pairs, that way you will maximise the money,
over the time I've been watching them 300b PSEs have struggled to get over 6/700 pounds
not very helpful I know but I went through a similar experience with my Glasshouse 300b, after a lot of heartache I ended up at 600 quid

[NealG]

Exactly.

Also applies to any upgrades or boutique parts you may have added. You would do better listing it 'with valves' and selling the new JJ's separately IMHO. I think your reserve is unrealistic, sorry. I would expect, going by my own experience to get 45-55% of the original kit price.

You also need more pics with better clarity, include some of the insides. May not be what you wanted to hear....Good luck with the sale.

[Richard]

Got to agree with Neal,

The new valves won't make much difference to the price, people pay £140 for a set of 4 new 300B and may not believe new ones are really new. Ditto fancy components, one man's boutique silver caps are another's wet string.

A price around £600 is realistic and compares well with secondhand commercial gear, take a look at Lumley, Beard, Croft, Ear etc.

Yours, being amateur built, could be variable in quality.

This BB is a positive feature of the brand. At least knowledge and help is available. There is less about WAD amps on this BB as they were discontinued before this BB started. This is Peter's WD BB and it's good of him to support the previous company.

Many people use these amps without any problems at all. I've had 2 pairs here, and the push-pull variant, and they've all performed faultlessly. They sound great and offer an good intro to an enthusiast community.

Price them realistically and they'll fly.

Good luck,
Rich

[vitalstates]

Hi Lincoln

I have a strong suspicion that time of year has a lot to do with shifting amps on ebay. I've just(4 weeks ago) sold a WAD6550 and it only reached my reserve(£400). The buyer told me that he had put a max bid of £600+ so its really a question of how many people have spare cash at the time. This time after Christmas I guess lots of people are off to the DFS sale or buying their 3weeks in the carribean, DIY valve amps come last on the list.

Perhaps if you try again in a month or so the whole thing may have picked up. I certainly don't think your result is a reflection on the value of the amps.

Oh, and don't try and sell it here, this is the tightest bunch of n'ere-do-wells you are likely to find anywhere...tee hee just kiddin.

Regards

Ed

[Greg.]

Hi Lincoln,

I've just read your auction. I'm in agreement with Neal and Richard, and I hope in order to help you realise a proper price for these amps, I'm going to be a bit blunt about your advertising. This is intended to help and certainly not to offend.

1. Get rid of the cat photo. It has no relevance.
2. Re-photo having removed them from there location onto a surface colour that shows them off to best effect. The valve photo also offers very little helpful information for the potential buyer. Include photo's of the inside of the chassis.
3. Don't quote the original WAD specs infact, apart from a few basic things such as claimed output, don't quote specs at all. The detail you've gone into will go over the head of many and they will be put off bidding if they don't have the knowledge.
4. You've made claims about the performance and appearance but have not backed those claims up with evidence. If they look good, show photos that reveal this. If they sound exceptional, why? If you have upgraded components, explain what you've used and the impact they had on the sound. A well written ad bigging up this area can bring dividends. I remember a pair of KeL80's going for well over £1000 with good advertising a couple of years ago.
5. As said, sell your new valves seperately. You'll never recover any of their true value in an inclusive sale. As long as the old valves work ok, that is sufficient.
6. Don't make claims you can't quantify. Are you really sure they'll properly drive low efficiency speakers?
7. Don't claim they have been regularly serviced. A properly built amp doesn't need servicing particularly if it is only three years old. Occasional attention is all that is needed and this fact should not feature in your ad. You're selling them as a reliable product to the purchacer, I hope!
8. Don't publish your reserve and especially don't go on to explain how you set that reserve relating to a scrap value for the amps. The scrap value of these amps is three and sixpence and you want to obtain £1000 for a quality product. That's not scrap is it?
9. Despite the difficulties, work out the cost of shipping in advance. Research parcel delivery websites. This is not difficult albeit time consuming. The bidder wants to work out in advance the total he/she is willing to lay out. You need to make this clear.
10. You don't need to lay out all those rules. The winning bidder is subject to ebay rules anyway. If they don't comply, they get negative feedback.
11. By all means expose the original purchase price, but don't be specific on what their true value might be if bought as an over the counter product. Make a general reference to them having the performance that far out-stretches their purchase price.

That is all supposed to be helpful. I've sold quality hi-fi on ebay and realised very good auction values. To get the best results, you really need to think very hard about the construction of the auction advert.

Best wishes,

Greg

[NickG]

Oh, and just a very very picky point, "with >1mV noise at output" means more than 1mv of noise, which I guess isn't what you wanted to say.

[andrew ivimey]

Less picky, I concur wholly with Greg and more by the spade full. Much as I wish you good luck and all, your advert is guaranteed not to sell, or I'll eat my Ongaku

and whoever bought those KEL80s for such a price has more money than sense!

[andrew ivimey]

It seems churlish not to get things going, so I slapped on £200, oh look all right have another £100. Someone has put on a few pounderoonies - don't worry! still, its **** advertising though.

see it keeps going up - if its too hot in the kitchen stay out of the frying pan, eh! where's my wine?

oh all right then have another hundred ...

see? it still goes up - what a lot of bombast and fustion!

[LGarfirth]

Well thanks for all your help guys !! Especially Ed, Richard and NealG

Greg, that must have taken ages to type - thanks, i'll umm read it later

NickG, do you know what ? for more than a week that ad. was up and nobody noticed the >1mV mistake (or not that they said) of course what I meant was <1mV after all nobody has ever known a 300b PSE to buzz have they

and err thanks Andrew too, (walking away covering face)

Well anyway got to go now, better get to sleep make sure I am on form before he comes to pick them up tomorrow £870.00 not bad, not quite what I wanted but fair all the same.

Just one last question, Andrew would you like salt n' vinegar with your "Ongaku" ??