New technologies pop up faster than weeds and make you lament having bought that new HDTV or pretty much any home theater component a year or even a few months ago. But once the temptation to buy has been satiated, don’t just toss that now replaced device in the closet. Why not sell it instead? Not only can you recover some of your costs, but someone else can benefit from getting a perfectly good component. The path to selling can have unexpected pitfalls, and it can help to approach it as if you were the buyer yourself (i.e., think defensively). So we’ve put together a few pointers that could help in avoiding problems as you turn your unwanted components into cash.

Where to Sell
The most obvious question is where to sell that component. Local video/DVD rental stores are worth considering, as are neighborhood block parties and street fairs. Not to mention front lawns and garage sales. Of course the street traffic is uncertain, but there’s something to be said for being able to have one-on-one contact with potential buyers, who can see on the spot the condition of the component and how well it works (providing it can be powered). But there’s no denying that the Internet has really opened doors for sellers. Two of the biggest and most popular sites are eBay and Craigslist. eBay charges for listings and takes a percentage, but offers a wider range of potential buyers.

In order to use online selling effectively, you must thoroughly explain what you have to sell to your potential buyer. This means not only describing the product as best you can, but including links to the manufacturer or other web sites where more details can be had. Visual aids are also required; product and other professional photos are good, but don’t forget to take your own pictures too (cleaning up the component so it looks its best is a given). These will assure the potential buyer that you have the component on hand for sale, as well as display its condition. Remember to include information about, as well as images of, any accessories including manuals, remotes and others that come with the component.

You’ll also want to assure potential buyers that you are indeed the owner of the component - noting the serial number helps accomplish this along with showing that it’s not a gray product that was not intended for the U.S. As James Chan, Director, Product Marketing - Presentations Products Division Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America, Inc. points out, many manufacturers, including Mitsubishi, have a different model for Japan’s domestic market, and a different model for the international market such as the U.S. “Japanese domestic market products may be cheaper, but their circuitry and other electrical parts are rated for 100v environment solely, and not for the more aggressive 110-200v universal environment,” he says. “It may sound minor, but operating that product meant for Japanese electrical environment in the US electrical environment may pose a little more stress on the product’s power supply, making it not as durable.”

Finally, you’ll want to sell the component “as is,” but the potential buyer will need to know it’s in good working order. There’s a simple way to achieve this: upload a video of yourself powering up the amplifier, turning on the TV and switching channels, etc.

How Much?
Deciding on a price that will get you the best return on your equipment isn’t easy. The more appealing you make the component, the more interest there will be, thus leading to a higher price. So be sure to talk up any high-end or special features that help it stand out from others; for example, an amplifier having 3 HDMI inputs rather than just 2, or a DVD player that also plays SACD and DVD-A audio discs.

We also recommend doing a little research to see at what price others are selling similar equipment. There are a number of web sites that can be of aid here - Audiogon, HIFi Classifieds , AVS Forums and Usedprice.com which teams with the Orion Blue Book to specifically provide used pricing information. According to Audiogon spokesman Arnie Chinta, a rough general rule of thumb is that a piece of equipment can go for about 50% of its sale “street” price.

Chinta also notes that higher end products tend to do better on resale percentage, since their performance may be as good or even superior to newer technology implemented at a low price point. Stabilized technology such as speakers, subwoofers, amplifiers, and projection screens can be worth 60-75% of new, whereas technology in flux takes a sharp hit for each successive generation. For example, a higher end, non-Blu-ray DVD player such as a $1000 Denon should fare much better than a similarly priced first-generation Blu-ray from Sony.  “The portability of a component affects resale value dramatically, such as rear-projection TVs losing most of their value, whereas recent DLP projectors hold their value quite well,” he says.

Collecting Payment
Most web sites offer services like Paypal for transferring funds. But if you’re finalizing the deal in person, meeting up at a neutral location might work best. Of course that makes a live demonstration a bit more challenging, but some might feel uncomfortable letting a stranger enter their home. Either way, the idea is to avoid confrontations with possibly unsavory characters, or being tricked with phony money orders or the like.

Shipping
Regardless of the carrier used for shipping (US mail, FedEX, UPS, etc.), the box used to ship a component must be strong enough to absorb any damage that might occur in transit. Careful packing will make sure the component is seated so that it doesn’t move around in the box, with special care taken to pad over potential trouble areas such as knobs and inputs/outputs, along with taping down moving panels and the like. But as Rey Roque, Vice-President of Marketing for Westinghouse Digital points out, using the original box provides the most dependable protection. “The original box has been tested specifically for a wide variety of issues that can affect the health of the component during shipping and which could cause malfunctions at a later time,” he says. And finally, make sure to pay the extra few dollars for insurance.

Selling your old equipment is sort of a partnership between you and the one buying it. Taking the time to present it properly will insure a successful sale.

Suggestions for selling A/V equipment? Let us know in the comments below.