A little about Us
Hi-Fi is a way of life here. I was born in the heyday of Hi-Fi into a home with dream gear that is highly sought today: Jensen G-610s, a Garrard 301, and custom tube electronics built by my late electrical engineer Father. One could say "I was bit by the audio bug early on"
My associates and I have dealt in high end, vintage, and professional audio electronics for over 3 decades now. As for EBAY trading, we have acted as both buyer and seller going on 15 years now! Integrity and fairness are ideals I strive for in all of my transactions, and my decade long feedback profile reflects that fact. Our focus is on offering a few select pieces annually of the increasingly rare, collectible, and desirable, and of an audio related nature. Each and every item we offer is described in accurate and telling terms - no glossing over problems - no sins of omission. We are experts in the field of vintage vacuum tube electronics and loudspeakers and love what we do!
Why are we selling this item:
Good question indeed! It seems there is a flood of hi-fi gear being flipped on ebay these days. Oft times, via unknowledgeable and/or unscrupulous sellers simply looking to hustle a quick buck and slither on. With all the touting of an item's "reference quality" "rarity" or "mint nature" it really makes one wonder, why exactly then - "if it's such a great item, why are You selling it" ?
At STONE AGE STEREO , we sell for a number of reasons: a certain number of items are simply offered as a matter of economics and staying in business, others out of needing to free up space, and finally some out of my relentless pursuit for the ultimate reproduction system, which has required me shifting system architectures completely, and necessitating sales to fund the experiment. Much of the gear offered comes from our personal stashes, some is from customer trade-in and trade up, other items are from local estates, and finally, some comes the way of the usual "craigslist" and garage sale sources - although the latter is a dwindling scarcity for us.
Yes, we strive to make a fair profit from or dealings here on EBAY - or so we hope, but on the flip side, many items are sold below our cost of acquisition too. Either way, when You purchase an item from STONE AGE STEREO, You are also benefiting from knowledgeable, passionate folks who understand the gear offered. We are folks who know about the dangers in aging electrolytic caps - folks who know about the delicate nature of compression driver diaphragms and voice coil misalignment hazards, folks who understand why a tube amp should NEVER be operated unloaded, and finally people who love, value, and treasure these items as much as You do!
Questions
We invite sincere questions from individuals who wish to become owners (as opposed to just dreamers, puffers, and general hecklers)! If we have failed to cover a particular detail in the auction text, feel free to ask. We try to answer questions m-f between about 10 am and 8 pm - time permitting.
Payment
We generally accept PayPal for most items up to $1,000. ($500 on exports) We typically request bankwire or other secure and verifiable means on very sizeable vintage items, especially involving export. Payment by certified means is acceptable on items picked up locally. Payment in-full is expected on all of our auctions within 3 days of auction close. We encourage You to have Your finances secured prior to bidding and expect prompt follow through. If You fall outside these bounds, please pass us by, as we are a small "cottage" business and have few resources to deal with slow and no pays.
Packing
Getting Your item to You safely and intact is of paramount importance to us! We are skilled packers and craters and know how to PROPERLY package fragile and valuable items. Each item has it's own unique packaging requirements. We apply the appropriate method to ensure safe arrival. Our process minimizes damage risks considerably, thusly avoiding headache and heartache for both of us. Large loudspeakers are generally crated and make generous use of sheet styrofoam on all 6 sides. Vintage amps, Turntables, Tape Decks and Preamps are typically double boxed, using polyfoam or equivalent padding to minimize shock - tubes are either removed and packed separately, or protected against impact accordingly.
We charge a modest fee for packing time and materials, as both cost us in terms of manpower and the materials can get costly. The packing fee is always noted in our listings, so "No Surprises"
Shipping
Smaller items will be handled via Fedex Ground or UPS in the USA & Canada -In certain instances we will us the US Postal system too and their "flat rate" packs. International shipping will be FedEx Economy Air fully insured with tracking number provided. on costlier items. International priority post is an option as well
Large items will be moved on commercial carrier via ECHO GLOBAL LOGISTICS. Projected costs are based on delivery to a business with a dock or forklift. Residential "lift gate" gate deliveries of said add a surcharge of up to $85 (depending on carrier). International will be via DB SCHENKER (Generally airport to airport, unless You request door to door - which adds about 25% to the cost). We
International Bidders – Please Note:
Import duties, taxes and charges are not included in the item price or shipping charges. These charges are the buyer's sole responsibility. Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding/buying. These charges are typically collected by the delivering freight (shipping) company or when you pick the item up – do not confuse them for additional shipping charges.
We do not "deflate" merchandise values below sold value or mark items as "gifts" - US and International government regulations prohibit such criminal behavior.
Claims
As stated above, we pride ourselves in our packing abilities and nil claims. However, accidents can happen, and in the unlikely event a damage claim needs to be filed, we will do our best to help. You would need to notify us and the shipper immediately to request an inspection of the noted damage. You must save any and all packing materials. We further request any item damaged as a result of drayage be refunded directly to You, by the shipper (and not via us - unless WE were the cause of the damage).
Warranty
Most of items we offer are decades old. We do covenant that the item in-question offered is in the condition stated in the auction text. Beyond that, any used item is offered for sale in an "as is, as stated" condition. Certain new items will be provided with a limited warranty. This is on a case by case basis, and any warranty extended by us will be as written in the above descriptive text.
THANKS FOR LOOKING !!! and HAPPY BIDDING !!!
Stay Tuned for our other auctions for a host of the MOST DESIRABLE Hi-Fi Gear of Yester Year
Yester Year Hi Fi
