Welcome to our new abandoned equipment page.
The idea for this page evolved from an FAQ about uncollected equipment. Thankfully, very little equipment has actually been abandoned with us, so I don’t have much to write about yet- maybe six pieces in total. Stay tuned, though; this page is a work in progress!
About abandoned equipment
Space is a limiting factor here @ Liquid Audio, and being often fully booked, every bit matters. Like most businesses, we can’t afford to have space taken up by equipment that isn’t paying for itself or that owes us money. In summary:
- We don’t want abandoned equipment
- We don’t have the time or space to deal with it
- We shouldn’t have to deal with it
- We rarely need to deal with it
Why?
You may wonder why anyone would abandon their equipment, especially as it’s usually worth much more than it owes. My generous assessment is that owners get sick, run out of money, are imprisoned or even pass away. The reality, though, is often different, like the turntable owner who decided he simply didn’t need to pay for the work he engaged us to do, or collect his equipment – more on that later!
Some abandoned equipment works perfectly, like that turntable, but other pieces need major work, which may be too expensive, too tedious (ie expensive), the equipment is too damaged, the condition is too poor, the number of issues is too unknown, or the potential risk vs. reward is too high. We may decline to work on equipment for various reasons, but usually related to poor previous work/condition.
Armed with the information we’ve provided, owners may decide they no longer ‘need’ to collect or pay for their equipment. I can confidently state there isn’t a single customer we haven’t helped in over 16 years, and abandonment is therefore really disappointing, as it implies an element of disrespect/ingratitude/ill will completely contrary to how we operate.
You’ll understand why, in these cases, we politely disengage and solve the problem ourselves.
The Process
We deem equipment to be abandoned when it is still here one month past our advertised 7-day collection/payment window, unless prior arrangements have been made. Equipment accrues storage charges @ $1 or $2/day after 7-days, per our terms and conditions, and that total must be paid before equipment can be collected.
We’re flexible with reminders and storage discounts or waivers to encourage equipment collection, but there’s only so much one can do. At a certain point, the jig is up, all charges become payable, and time- and energy-wasting efforts to communicate with owners and arrange collection are abandoned, quid pro quo. We then move to the disposal/parting-out/sale phase to recover costs and space, per the Disposal of Uncollected Goods Act, 1970.
Just know that nothing is deemed truly abandoned until all reasonable efforts to have it collected have been made. Once equipment has been disposed of, recovery is impossible. The takeaway: If it’s important and wanted, don’t abandon it.
For Abandoners
Do the right thing; don’t abandon equipment, but if you do, don’t be surprised by the outcome! Equipment doesn’t need to feature on this page to be considered abandoned either – if it is more than a month overdue for collection, it’s abandoned.
If there are genuine reasons for abandonment, or you don’t want your equipment back, do the right thing and let us know. We will always do our best to reach a satisfactory resolution, because we want you to have your equipment back, or to move it on.
If an owner changes their mind and suddenly ‘realises’ they want their abandoned equipment back, that might be OK if we still have it, but they’d want to act quickly. Owners should contact us ASAP and, if their equipment is still here, promptly pay accrued storage charges and arrange return packing/shipping within 48 hours.
That will be it; all sins forgiven, as they say, and everyone moves on.
For Prospective New Owners
The equipment status next to each piece below tells you the key information.
- Status: Available – the equipment has been completely abandoned, may owe us money, and needs to go.
- Status: Sold – the equipment has already been sold and re-homed.
- Status: Reclaimed – the owner had a change of mind or circumstances, and un-abandoned the piece!
If you see something you like and it is marked as ‘Status: Available’, get in touch.
Abandoned Equipment
Technics SL-23 Belt Drive Turntable
For our first piece, I previously mentioned this lovely Technics SL-23 belt drive turntable from back in 2019. The customer engaged us to repair and service the deck and wanted the work done quickly. We kept our end of the bargain, of course and had it running beautifully again, but there was one small problem: the customer disappeared and never answered our many calls and emails regarding collection and payment. Terrible behaviour, but thankfully rare.
This classic turntable deserved a good new home, so I listed her here. She sold within days to another customer who loves it for $499, with a 3-month warranty. The amount owed was around half that. This was cheap, too, given the condition, work and premium new parts she had just received. The owner could have sold her for a few hundred more.
Status: Sold!
Mitsubishi DA-P10 / DA-A10 Pre/Power Combo
For our second abandoned piece, let’s look at this absolutely stunning Mitsubishi DA-P10 and DA-A10 preamplifier power amplifier combo that I resurrected back in 2024.
I had this pair repaired and sitting in the workshop awaiting collection for months beyond the timeframe we had agreed I would have them for. Worse still, the work hadn’t been paid for, something I had tried many times to arrange, with no success.
I eventually wrote these off as abandoned after around 6 months and listed them for sale in our store. We had already received several expressions of interest when, out of the blue, the owner appeared on my doorstep as though he had never disappeared to reclaim the pair!
My goal is always for original owners to have their equipment back, so I was just thrilled this one turned up and was genuinely happy to receive them. As a gesture of goodwill, I even waived the storage charges on this pair, though I did explain that the warranty on my work had long since expired, which he seemed to understand.
Status: Reclaimed!
Technics SL-15 Direct Drive Turntable
Certainly our most egregious abandonment case to date, this gorgeous Technics SL-15 came in for significant service and repair work back in 2019. As always, I completed the work and had the turntable running beautifully, better than it had run for years, but like the SL-23 owner above, this owner then disappeared and refused to communicate for a year, until I told him we were selling it.
I followed up for months and finally let the owner know, some 15 months past the due date, that his fine Technics SL-15 would be sold to recoup what was owed and free up space. What do you know, the owner suddenly wanted to collect it. Hallelujah – a miracle!
The owner was unfortunately so obnoxious and ungrateful that I also enforced 100 days of storage charges, only about 1/4 of what was owed. As usual, I was WAY too generous, though this page draws a line in the sand regarding behaviour like this. He wanted to pay by credit card, but I knew where that might go and made him pay in cash, which significantly annoyed him. Not sorry.
The takeaway: don’t behave like a complete bell-end and expect zero consequences!
Status: Reclaimed!
