US Audio Mart (USAM) launched in 2012 to provide audio enthusiasts with a specialized platform to buy, sell, or trade hi-fi and audio equipment.
The website is the largest free classifieds site in the United States of its type. With over 250,000 unique monthly visitors coming to the platform, over 700 new listings get posted each week.
For over two decades, USAM says it has worked to become the premier destination for everyone who has hi-fit interests and the need to grab affordable used equipment.
You’ll find listings that range from amps and stereos to second-hand audio and special deals.
How good is US Audio Mart? Is it like working with Craigslist, or does the experience feel more like your local paper’s classified ads section?
How Is US Audio Mart for Used Equipment?
US Audio Mart (USAM) provides a platform for buying, selling, or trading used turntables, pre-amplifiers, amps, and speakers. Anyone with hi-fi equipment needs can find hundreds of listings to browse or potential customers for their items with this service.
Buyers don’t need to register with USAM to look through the classifieds posted on the website. They can even approach sellers with the equipment offered for sale.
If you want to make a purchase, the site recommends account establishment to improve your credibility so that others are more open to doing business with you.
All sellers must register with USAM to obtain a user account before items can get listed for sale on the website.
Registering on USAM is relatively straightforward. After clicking on the “Register” link in the top right corner, you must fill out the personal information when prompted.
It is up to you to determine how much of this data gets released to the public when making a listing public.
It doesn’t cost anything for casual users to participate in this trading platform.
Some added features come with an added cost, but there isn’t a charge for a basic classified listing.
The caveat is that you shouldn’t be earning a living by offering services, trading, or selling in the hi-fi industry.
Professional users pay a small annual fee to support the USAM platform.
Paying for featured or highlighted advertising and the commission-based buy it now features also adds to the website’s revenues.
If you want to list more than seven ads in a month with USAM, you’ll be asked to pay the fee because that activity classifies you as a professional seller.
How Does US Audio Work?
You don’t need to be an American to sell hi-fi equipment on the USAM website. Your items must be available in the United States to qualify for a listing.
That’s because the entire point of this platform is to help US citizens avoid the duties, customs, and extra taxes that are typically present with international orders within this industry.
This process becomes even more advantageous when the buyer and seller can exchange goods in-person because they live close to one another.
Please remember to take precautions when buying something online from a stranger to ensure you remain safe throughout the entire transaction.
US Audio Mart works like most other classified sites when you want to buy, sell, or trade hi-fi equipment.
- Users can post a classified listing that includes one item.
- Each listing must contain a title, description, price, and images of the equipment offered for sale or trade.
- All visitors, whether registered or not, can browse through these postings.
- If anyone wants to reply to a listing, they can click on the appropriate link it contains to reach a standardized form.
- Once the form gets filled out and submitted, USAM sends this information to the owner.
- The buyer and seller can communicate by email at this stage of the transaction.
You don’t need to use your given name when interacting on the USAM website.
Although the platform encourages you to fill out your profile with accurate information, these fields don’t get shown when posting a classified listing.
The USAM system displays your username instead of your legal name when posting a listing.
You can match this profile with other website accounts to make it easier for potential buyers to find you.
■ I Signed Up, but I’m Not Getting Any USAM Emails
It is not unusual for email platforms to filter the messages sent by US Audio Mart into your spam folder.
If you have a junk mail area associated with your account, that might be where your leads are going if you signed up to be a USAM seller.
Several providers, including Outlook, will take this step if you fail to respond to a USAM message within 24 hours. If you still run a Hotmail email address, this process might happen automatically.
Consider putting in the following addresses to your safe list if you’re not getting any email messages after listing your hi-fi equipment for sale.
- donotreply@usaudiomart.com
- Sales@usaudiomart.com
- greetings@usaudiomart.com
- notifications@usaudiomart.com
- newsletters@usaudiomart.com
If you live near the Canadian border, you might consider adding USAM’s sister site to your safelist while taking this step. Canuck Audio Mart offers the same services in Canada as US Audio Mart does in the United States.
The email addresses are the same, except the extension is @canuckaudiomart.com instead.
How to Leave Feedback after a Sale on USAM
Whenever a transaction occurs on the USAM website, buyers and sellers have the option to leave feedback for each other.
If you’re the buyer, the goal is to provide an overview of the purchasing experience while reviewing the quality of the hi-fi equipment received.
Sellers should consider how fast the payment was received, what the transaction process was like, and whatever issues may have developed during the experience.
■ How to Leave Feedback as a Buyer
When you want to leave feedback for sellers at US Audio Mart, you must first find the classified ad of the item you bought.
As you scroll through the listing, you should see a button or link that says to “Give Feedback on This Seller.”
It’s usually positioned next to the “Reply to Ad” button underneath the listing specs.
If you cannot locate the original advertisement for the seller, you have a few options to help you find it.
- Ask the seller to send you a feedback reminder request from their classified advertisement, which will give you a notification with a link to let you finish this process.
- From your account, go to the Sent Responses page. If you replied to the ad before agreeing to complete the purchase, the listing would appear there.
- Search your email for Confirmation of Response and any keywords related to the hi-fi equipment you purchased. Each time you send a message from the platform, you receive a confirmation email about that activity.
■ How to Leave Feedback as a Seller
Sellers should go to their classified advertisement list to look for the sold item.
From that area of the USAM website, you can click on the dropdown menu next to the add to choose “Leave Feedback.”
This item is the downward arrow button that is next to the “Edit Ad” feature.
Once you’ve clicked on that link, you’ll go to the feedback mechanism that allows you to review the selling experience.
If your buyer requested a feedback link, you’d follow the same process to send this information. The final choice on the dropdown menu is “Get Feedback.”
You must know the username of your buyer to leave feedback about the transaction.
■ How to Edit or Remove Feedback
If you made an error when leaving feedback as a buyer or a seller on the USAM website, you can edit the information for up to 48 hours after submitting it.
You also have the option to remove feedback left within six months entirely.
These steps can help you have a successful experience when needing to modify the feedback you’ve left for any reason.
- Go to your account profile at US Audio Mart.
- Go to the area where you can see the feedback you’ve left for others.
- Filter “Left for Others” from the “My Feedback” area.
- Look for the feedback you wrote within the past 48 hours, click the “Edit” option, or choose “Remove” if you are outside of the two-day window.
The buttons to edit feedback or remove it will only show if you have the option to take those steps. If it has been more than six months since the transaction was completed, you cannot make any changes to it.
Can I Add Images to My USAM Classified Ad?
US Audio Mart allows sellers to contribute up to 15 images of the item they want to sell to their classified advertisement.
You can upload these images in three ways.
- Use the image uploader provided by USAM when creating the listing.
- Go to “Image Manager” to update an advertisement after it is made by visiting “My Ads,” clicking “Manage Images,” and making the modifications.
- Visit your ad, click “Manage Images,” and update the information appropriately.
Sellers can remove images after the advertising posts within 72 hours of uploading the picture.
You can take this step by going to the graphic in question, clicking the “Manage Images” tab, and looking for the replace or rotate buttons.
Sellers are encouraged on USAM to upload a large version of the image.
The platform supports a maximum size of 6016×6016, with a smaller picture and a thumbnail created for these options to help attract buyers.
Only JPG and GIF are currently accepted for your listings.
Can I Sell Items Successfully at US Audio Mart?
US Audio Mart works like most other classified sites, auction websites, and retail platforms.
You can choose a free listing for your items, become a pro seller, or buy the hi-fi equipment you want quickly and conveniently.
Although some fees apply in specific situations, the cost is still reasonable compared to what you’d pay on other websites.
If you list safely, follow USAM’s best practices, and communicate with others transparently, this website can be an essential resource for all of your hi-fi needs.