Dealer Ethics

Cant see it makes any difference where he buys his stock from.There are plenty of other dealers on Epay.
If he bought his items through the clasifieds such as Loot,hifi for sale,Audiogon etc would you have a problem with this?
Or is it this particular dealer?

Cheers,
Paul.

It sounds like you lost an auction and now want to cry about it. Does the "free market" exist only for you? I have also done busness (lots) with Hawthorne and have had only excellent results.

better luck next time!

DCT

P.S. You must have a dealer closer to you than Seattle! Maybe you should practice what you preach and do bidness a little closer to home

I should like to mention that Gene Rubin has also been on the buying end of Ebay. I can't say that he has done it lately, but I think that he used to.

More importantly, I'm under the impression that Levin buys stuff from Ebay in order to sell it to regular customers of his that have put in a specific request. For example, I'm guessing that he has customers that are always looking for used 250's. Hence, when he has an opportunity to locate one (on ebay or otherwise) he jumps at the chance. Then he sells them to his customers. It does not seem to me that by and large he buys and then sells the same item on ebay. Wondering if this is the sort of thing that gets your dander up. Seems perfectly legitimate to me.

I also live in the midwest and end up buying my used Naim gear from (1) ebay, (2) Hawthorne, or (3) gene rubin. Why??? Principaly because these sources (particularly hawthorne) seem to have a fairly wide selection of good used gear, no matter what you are looking for. But, BUT, you DO pay a premium. First, these guys are dealers, and have a legitimate interest in turning a profit, and secondly, you pay a premium because they seem to have a good used selection. That has value to the customer.

For those of us who live in the midwest, I can sympathize with you because (I am guessing) you have no local dealer. My closest dealer is in Cincinnati (5.5 hour drive), and although I think he is a good dealer (bouhgt my first naim and LP12 from him), he does't have much used gear, and as a consequence of that, when he does get some, it is ussually priced a bit up market even compared to other dealers.

I don't know about Gene Rubin Audio Hawthorne has given me 30 day demo's on gear. In the past he has shipped me stuff 2000 miles for a demo. It's been a tremendous advantage (saved me $1700 on something I didn't like), and has been pretty helpfull. So, I can't fault him. I don't know if Gene Rubin has this sort of policy (would be nice if he did).

Just my two cents.

Judd

Hello,

I used to live in Southern California and thats when I first dealt with Gene Rubin. I had moved to the midwest where there was no dealer. I have purchased Naim Gear from Promusica and in addition two pairs of speakers. I love their setup and I feel that I will be doing more business with them in the future. I hope that answers your question DCT.
BTW, I DO PRACTIVE WHAT I PREACH.

I choose Gene because he is an excellent dealer and I go to California more than Chicago.

I am not crying about losing some stupid auction. To be honest, I do not care. I am talking about principal, not the auctions itself. For me, money is irrelevant, its about the ethics. Ultimately, I hate it when the little person gets screwed and thats why I made this post. Thats it, its NOT about money.

I know Hawthorne has made many people happy and I know he is one of the largest Naim Dealers in the US. I am glad that he is an excellent dealer. It just makes the hobby more fun for everyone. I also recognize that dealers need to make money.

Perhaps I am being too stupid about this, but I just got upset at the thought of a dealer usurping territory when they are so protective of their local territory.

Perhaps I am going nuts. Thanks for the input.

Yea,

Maybe just a little bit nuts. Gene Rubin and Hawthorne are perhaps the most valuable dealers that we have given that they always have the best selection of Naim gear available. That they use ebay to buy and sell suggests to me only that they try to keep thier prices in line with the prevailing market (which is what ebay is).

Also, the above poster is right. Ordinarily, it should be easy to outbid a dealer on Ebay. They have to account for a margin, which you do not.

I think Hawthorne and Rubin offer a valuable service in this respect.

Judd

Wow, I have to disagree on this one!

1) Hawthorne Stereo is an outstanding dealer. I happen to live in Seattle and I have the opportunity to stop by and shoot the sh*t with Robert and his staff. They are knowledgable, helpful, and exhibit excellent customer service. Hawthorne is a small, local business, and I know that they would rather not have to venture out on the web for business. But you know what, that is what the stereo business is like now, and in order to survive you need to branch out. Just look at Gene Rubin.

2) I don't see why a dealer is any less entitled to bid on anything online than you or I.

Best Regards,

Bruce C

Hello,

I am glad that you enjoy the dealer. I understand your view point and agree. I gave it some thought and I agree with most of the viewpoints on this thread.

I am glad they provide excellent service. I was angry initially because I have seen that dealer do it quite often, but I looked around and I see its a common practice, so even though the idea isnt appealing, I guess its acceptable.

Thanks for your help and input.

I would like to second the vote for Hawthore Stereo. Robert Levin is perhaps the last honest man in Hi-Fi. He is so devoted to the principal of selling good equipment, that he rejects most brands in favor of only a few (naim, rega, linn). He is always falling on a sword for his customers, and services anything he sells, used or not.

The real problem is the jerks who come into small shops like Hawthore, use the staff and facility, then go online and buy. People still don't get why this is so bad.

Chris Bell

Maybe they are bidding on behalf of a customer.....!

Just a thought
Mat

I use Gene as my dealer as he made the buying and decision process so easy and relaxed. On my first foray into naim gear I had a budget and when he told me the stiker price for a basic Nait5, CD 3.5 and tuner my poker face disintegrated into shock. He offered to get me into a s/h 90/92 that was coming in and bought my Spendor speakers s/h as well. He gives good value on trade in, but needs to take some amount off the top to make it worth while. I'm loyal to him tho if I found something on ebay that was right I'd do that too. tho most likely I'd go thru Gene.

I don't blame dealers wanting to stock some used gear, makes for a better business. Some beginner will appreciate it.

If you loose on one bid keep looking, another will turn up soon enough.