What is a good price for demo gear / disadvantages?

[admin_exported]

Okay so I have a Rotel RA-04 and i'm tired of the rubbish 80s speakers i'm listening through at the moment, as the right channel has just started to distort and I want to make the most of my amp. I was thinking of getting a pair of B&W 685s because i've heard they are so good with an RA-04. The shop I've asked in offered me a demo pair for around £300, where as the RRP is closer to £400. I'll go back and demo it with a couple of CDs next week.

I think this is a fair price, almost a quarter off, but what are the disadvantages of demo gear? I assume they'd have looked after the speakers better than anyone in their own house would have, being a hifi shop, and surely it's contributed to the run-in time the speakers would require anyway, making them sound better when i buy them compared to a new pair?

Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

Price wise you should expect at least a discount eqivualent to the VAT, so if an item costs £300 plus VAT (£352.50), you should not expect to be asked more than £300. Personally I would expect to be paying between 2/3 and 3/4 of retail price including VAT. So using the example above, I would expect to be paying between £240-ish and £270-ish including VAT. Remember the store has already "written off" a significant part of the cost to them as "promotional cost of doing business" or some such.

As far as whether the items are any good, your ears and eyes are your guide, caveat emptor (buyer beware) and all that. I would expect speakers, for example, to have basically just been run in and not abused, the cones and cabinets to be mint, etc etc. I would also expect them to be sold with original boxes, packaging, manuals, etc. and for the guarantee/warrantly to be covered as if they were brand new out of the stock room. Any of these not 100% then more money off please!

I have bought ex-demo from reputable retailers over the years, hifis and motorcycles, and never had any problem. Saved a wad of cash in the process.

 

[TheHomeCinemaCentre]

I think the B&W's are still a current product so I would ask why the dealer is moving them through. If they are mint then you are getting a good deal. If they are damaged it will be up to you to decide if you can live with it for the price reduction.

One shops demo stock can differ greatly from another so there is no hard and fast rule. We are not a high street outlet so our stock is seldom pawed over or constantly moved around for demonstrations.