Smart way to shop

Times are bad despite what the politicians say. Everybody knows that.

So what can an itchy-fingered but quite broke audiophile do? Shop smart.

Thankfully there are a couple of websites that offer used hi-fi equipment at often affordable prices.

By now, most audiophiles from Malaysia and Singapore would be aware of the The Star's AudioFile online Audiomart and the www.hifi4sale.net cyber shop.

However, there is another website, perhaps not as well known, that offers used components - www.buy-sell.com.my. The advantage this website operator enjoys is that he actually has a showroom where you can view, touch, fiddle around and hear the components on sale.

The tricky bit is that the owner of the website also sells doors, locks and water filters under the shop name Smart Home Solution near the Tesco in Puchong, Selangor.

So if you're looking for a hi-fi showroom, you will miss the shop.

Ring the doorbell and Khwang will let you in. Walk past the doors on display and you will enter the hi-fi showroom where often you will find beauties from the past.

You can also leave your components there to sell and they will take a 10% cut which is okay since you don't have to go through the inconvenience of making appointments with potential buyers and waiting for them to arrive at your house and messing up your own schedule.

With such places springing up, there is hope yet for the broke audiophile to continue upgrading even during an economic downturn.