I recently was given information that B&O Australia have decided not to sell second hand products in their showrooms as they used to do (trade ins). I think this is such a shame as it leaves only e-bay to buy these products. In years past I have bought several products second hand from showroom and the advantage is that they were inspected by service staff before reselling. I would like to make my opinion known to whomever is in charge but do not have a contact name or details. Is anyone able to help?

By the way do showrooms in Britain, Europe and the US sell pre-loved goods in their showrooms? 

I wouldn't bother writing Paddy. If they have made that decision then they will be unlikely to change it and what could they honestly say to you anyway? I think it is a shame though as the second-hand market is a big one, this is why dedicated shops have sprouted up everywhere and have done quite well. Of course buying through a dealer does always give you better piece of mind because its authorised dealer. Most dealers do offer trade-ins in Europe yes but this wasn't always the case.

Simon.

There are two heads across Australia.

But this information will not help, as the directive is from Struer to not take any products that are not within the current portfolio.

However, at the store managers discretion - some may display your item at no cost within the showroom that you make another purchase through and have any potential enquires about your older equipment put directly through to you.

 Hope this helps,

Dude1:

But this information will not help, as the directive is from Struer to not take any products that are not within the current portfolio.

Guys, I hope this doesn't happen in the UK - they might be using Australia as a test territory before rolling out across the board. The worrying thing is that I was reassured about my BV7-40 MKIII that you'd be able to trade it in in 3 years against a better TV, but if they don't accept previous models, a private sale would be the sole way forward :(

One of the best things about B&O is that they come around, install, take the old product and do everything for you. If that goes, it will be another reason to stop considering B&O. I think this is fairly major and worrying news.

No?

Absolutly. I would never buy B&O again if I couldn't trade in what I already had. No point.

Personally, I am unaware of the policy in the UK.

Bang endevours to allow "trade ins" of current product in Oz, say for example you decide on the BV7-40 instead of the BV7-32 you took - before you moved into a larger home... There are formulas that are applied to the value of your purchase, based on age and condition that work out the value of your product. Bang is then responsible for offering a continued warranty on the used product and also responsible for ensuring this item is sold.

I think the offer of showing your older product for no cost in an expensive, well laid out showroom - taking up retail space, to a customer base that already understands the product, cleaning and demonstrating your existing product to potential buyers with a professional salesperson and potentially losing a new product sale at no cost is an unparallelled and unique service offering.

Try it with Sony, or any other manufacturer. Good luck.

Dude1:

Personally, I am unaware of the policy in the UK.

In the UK, it depends on the dealer. They can choose whether they'll accept something or not and how much they'll offer. However, if you're wanting to purchase a substantial amount of kit, the trade-in deal might be better than you'd get selling personally. Better still, in the UK they'll come around and pick up the trade-in. You don't need to do a thing!

However, one of the biggest plus-points of B&O kit in the UK is that they usually give you a fair trade-in price for old kit. Hell, I know someone with a radio from the 70's and B&O said they would accept it as a trade-in against new kit.

The kit is then available from the store as 'pre-loved' hardware. Most stores will give you a list of their current pre-loved stock. Obviously this stock still has a mark-up and is ideal for those who want B&O kit, but can't afford brand new hardware.

If this service was removed from the UK - as it is suggested it had been removed in Australia - it would be a key reason when considering new kit in the future. I'm not saying I couldn't get a fair price for my BV7-40 in a few years from now, but I wouldn't have a clue how to dismantle and move this kit....so it's far easier to trade-in.

BTW, you say 'try it with any other manufacturer'. Fair comment, but bear in mind that this is a service that we thought was standard in the UK and was one of the reasons for us making a purchasing decision.

In the US, it is more likely that trade-ins are not done.  I have lived in San Francisco, Denver, and Chicago and have purchased B&O products in all 3 cities.  Only once was I able to do a trade-in which was about 2 years ago.  They insisted that I pay in cash which I did.  With some exceptions, they rarely give a discount.  This is probably due to the fact that there are only 29 stores nationwide for a country with a population of more than 300 million people.  B&O is relatively unknown here.  They don't advertise much and most of the time, there is hardly anyone in the store.  Ebay is usually the best way to sell pre-loved B&O in the US.

It is probably more competitive in the Los Angeles and New York area where there are more stores.