How do we deal with this? I received an industry price and I could sell it now and make a profit.To me that is a conflict of interest impacting severely on ones credibility.
Just as problematic is the notion that technical issues are influenced by those same conflicts
All accommodation sales are generally done with an agreement that the piece can not be sold within a certain amount of years.
If a manufacturer sees a violation of this they will cut off that reviewer, and possibly all reviewers from that publication.
I bought my Thiels, McIntosh, and Byrston pieces at industry prices and have zero plans to sell them and probably never will.
I quoted the reviewer.
Your claim still represents a significant windfall. In any ethics class it would be judged a conflict of interest.
I quoted the reviewer.
Your claim still represents a significant windfall. In any ethics class it would be judged a conflict of interest.
(...) Now here is a poorly designed product , obvious flaws (...)
Quoted material deleted for being offensive
Would you also consider a Magneplanar or a Soundlab speaker a poorly designed product? I can assure you that their measurements are much worst than those you quote.
Not true ,
Both are not point source speakers , so why the deflection and for a great boomerang response.....
What makes Magnapan and Soundlab good speakers , poor measurements ...?
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A reviewer would be lucky to get back what they paid.
Very little to gain, too much to lose, and way too many machinations to make it worth it.
I know many of the celebrity reviewers out there pretty well and I don't know a single one who sold an expensive pieceof gear in anything less than 3 years, and the value had gone into the toilet after a new model had supplanted the previous one.
Really think this through and do the math.
Indeed one of the WBF members offered Wiison Sashas for sale in the Trading Post
Sorry to hear that. There are other examples. I declined to name names.from what I understand he lost his reviewer's status at PFO for selling cables on Audiogon that he was reviewing
You do have me at a disadvantage. I do not know what the accommodation discount is. The formula for the initial windfall is MSRP minus accommodation price. Used equipment does depreciate. However that is offset by the fact that you received the beniefit of use. No one expects you to get back what you paid for it.
I've been a member of Audiogon long enough to have seen reviewers not only sale their review sample at a profit but to use their status to facilitate the sale. Not all reviewers keep review samples for an extended period. Indeed one of the WBF members offered Wiison Sashas for sale in the Trading Post
Concerning engaging in transgressions that ruins ones career or reputation for little or no gain, you'd be surprised what people will do.
So I've done the math and thought it through. Conflict of interest is not a fatal flaw. Like real estate dealing with such things involves disclosure, disclosure, disclosure.
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