The Practical Side of Owning Expensive Used Gear

So I’m contemplating going over the diminishing returns cliff edge. I try to only put money into things that’ll retain resale value with a low chance of failure that have solid servicing options. I’m shuddering at the possible hassle and expense of getting something like a Utopia, HEKv2, or Abyss repaired. Not to mention having no avenue to do so due to obsolescence.

What have been your experiences?
Have you tried to pay to get a used item repaired but were refused service by the manufacturer?
Has anyone insured this stuff, and how has it worked out for you?
Ever been burned?
Pad replacement cost and process a bit shocking?
How has dealing with servicing internationally gone for you?

(Edited for clarity)

 

If you're looking to buy a Utopia and keep it for a long time, I'd consider buying it new because Focal's headphone warranties are non-transferable. When I inquired about the repair process, they told me that they had no plans to offer out-of-warranty repairs to secondary buyers. They might've changed that policy now that the Utopia and Elear have been on the market for a while, but that's what I was told.

If that's still true, then it'll significantly hamper the Utopia's resale value (and it did when I sold my Elear), because buyers who are looking to buy $3K+ headphones want a manufacturer warranty on such a big purchase. I'd wager that's the reason why we're already starting to see $1K discounts on used Utopias.

 

I would think that would seriously hamper feeling like buying a new Utopia, unless one felt certain that they would want to keep it until the day they died.

 

The prevalence of non-transferable warranties is one of my peet peeves about this industry. If a manufacturer is confident in their product, then make the warranty transferable ffs. Imagine trying to pull that shit in the auto industry....it just wouldn't fly.

 

On high ticket items, non-transferable warranties seems bad to me. "No plans to offer out-of-warranty repairs to secondary buyers." seems plain wrong.

 

Did I understand this properly, @barelyincollege ?

I took "No plans to offer out-of-warranty repairs to secondary buyers." to mean that they would not do repairs on a used Utopia even if the secondary buyer is willing to pay for the repair.

 

Trouble is as soon as you buy something with such an inflated price you lose multiple hundreds of pounds, and that can quickly get into triple digits. Most manufacturers do not offer transferable warranties. But if a buyer who originally purchased new has an issue out of warranty presumably they will offer to replace or repair at a cost to the owner, though that gets dicey if the product is out-of-print. What's unclear is whether they would allow a used buyer to access service in the same out-of-warranty manner.

The issue is that any company will see used purchases as a lost sales, so they will discourage it in any way they can. Especially with audio being such a hard thing to get right, buying new can turn into a lot of money going down the toilet on a regular bases. Especailly with so much of the price inflation we see the higher up the ladder we go.

ZMF have a clear cut policy on this stuff, and Schiit UK do transferable warranties.

 

Yeah, that's the way I interpreted it as well. It seemed very odd to me, too.

 

If you're worried about this sort of thing, avoid expensive Hifiman products. Even getting spares at a high cost is incredibly hit and miss. They're rarely even sure themselves if they have a policy, or supplies.

 

It would seem to work both ways. If the manufacturer offered repairs (at a profit) on their used products it would encourage sales of their new products as well as their used products. It works that way on me, anyway.

 

I have the impression that the average consumer doesn't put much thought into warranties. They just have the very reasonable assumption that it will just work, and continue doing so.

I don't think that's the way a business will see it, unless they have a heavy emphasise on customer service and reputation. Used goods effect their bottom line in a significant way, look at the impact of the used game market for example.

 

@BenjaminBore, if you'd like to buy something that gets you into diminishing returns territory, but still retains relatively strong resale value, I'd recommend a used HD800.

It has an exceptionally low failure rate for its age, is a great value at $600-700 used, and in the very unlikely case that yours fails, Sennheiser's repair department is really easy to work with.

 

Way ahead of you

I purchased mine new, as a grey import at used prices. Word to the wise, Sennheiser are strict about warranty fulfilment. So if you buy new make sure it's an authorised national dealer. Outside that they're happy to repair at a cost to yourself, and they offer all their replacement parts online.

 

Hells yes, always good advice. They're exemplary at supplying spares too- so it's usually quicker to just order a new <whatever> and fit it.