Here at MyCheapSurroundSound.com, and over at our posterous blog (mycheapsurroundsound.posterous.com), lately I’ve been talking about a few individual products that are cheap surround sound systems. However, there are several factors that can make surround sound cheap, and the list price isn’t the only one. Besides just buying surround speaker systems that are cheap in the first place, you could also cut costs by installing it yourself, or by buying used. In this post, I’ll cover 4 different ways that you can find great surround speaker systems for cheap by buying used.
1. eBay
eBay is probably what first pops into most people’s minds when you say “buying used items” online. eBay’s been around for quite some time now, and rightfully so. Both their auction and fixed-price environments are safe places to buy, filled with great sellers and plenty of items for sale. A simple search for “surround sound” will turn up a whole page full of surround speaker systems priced under $100. So first you can looked for used surround speaker systems on eBay.
2. Craigslist
Craigslist is a little less well-known, clean, and safe then eBay, but it still serves its purpose, and plenty of legitimate transactions are conducted everyday. Craigslist is essentially a classified ads board online, so if you use their site to find a surround speaker system for sale, you’ll have to work out payment and delivery with the seller. Craigslist can’t help you. That being said, you can still find some great deals on Craigslist, so it’s a good second place to look for surround speaker systems.
3. Friends/Family/References
Maybe you’ve already checked these sources, but see if family, friends, or friends of friends/family have surround speaker systems that they’re not interested in any more, or they’re looking to upgrade soon. Having a guaranteed buyer will probably get them to buy a new one much faster, so put the offer out there. You can probably get cheap surround sound safer and cheaper from people you know personally, so go for it! You could also ask around local home theater stores to see if they have clients with old systems that they’re upgrading, or if they sell used surround speaker systems themselves!
4. Google
As a last resort, you can always do a google search for “used surround sound system for sale” or similar queries. Try shopping around until you find a system you’re interested in, and google the brand name/model number: “Brand A45X Speakers Used”. Often you’ll find that you can buy used on lots of smaller shopping sites. It’s another great way to buy surround speaker systems without spending a fortune.
See you next time here on My Cheap Surround Sound!