some of my best rigs were purchased on ebay. ebay is great because you have
recourse and feedback - people tend not to rip you off. i rather deal with ebay
over any of the ham related swap and sell sites.
> Date: Sun, 25 Apr 2010 09:45:00 -0500
> From: ranchorobbo@gmail.com
> To: tentec@contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [TenTec] Buying on eBay
>
> I had trouble with PayPal several years ago, but now use it with a
> separate AmEx account I use only for on-line purchases. I'd never
> allow PayPal to directly debit my checking account (which they ask to
> do every time I pay for something--they call it "verification"--the
> only thing about PP that annoys me.
>
> I mainly use eBay to get parts and construction materials. Maybe
> small things too like a Fluke DMM. With this stuff you have to pay
> attention to what information is missing and who the seller is. If
> you are buying a rig and they only show the front panel, or you are
> buying a tube and the seller says "this is part of the estate of my
> neighbor's uncle...." and they are obviously not technical, then if
> you go in, you do so knowing you are taking a big gamble.
>
> If I were looking for a major item here is what I would do, for two
> reasons. I'll use a purchase I made last summer on eBay as an
> example.
>
> I was looking for a 75A3. Now, you can find an old A-line receiver
> without too much trouble on-line, but I wanted one that was okay
> cosmetically. I also knew that packing and shipping a heavy rx or tx
> is something that takes some care and skill to do right. Most people
> do not want to put in the money, time and effort. So, I elected to
> wait until one came up for sale that was not too far away. This
> eventually happened, I won the auction and the seller and I were able
> to meet at a hamfest to close the deal.
>
> In other words, with any big purchase, eBay or some other on-line
> place, I'd look for a sale from someone within a few hundred miles or
> however far you are willing to travel (usually the rarer and/or
> heavier it is, the farther you are willing to go). You avoid the risk
> of shipping but just as important, you get to see the seller and the
> box in person before you pay.
>
> You may think with the solid state stuff, like the Ten Tecs, the JA
> boxes, Elecraft etc., shipping isn't as critical is it is with a
> Johnson Valiant, but it is also about the money. I would not pay
> thousands of dollars for something sight unseen. You may think "Well,
> I have all this buyer protection, insurance, PayPal protection, credit
> card protection..." but do you really want to fall back on that (it is
> a royal pain in the neck) if you can avoid it? The goal should not be
> the risk of one less nice rig out there because the seller was a yo-yo
> who wrapped your Omni 7 in one layer of bubble wrap and put it in a
> chip board box. Also, telling the seller you will travel to his QTH
> is a good scam detector. If he suddenly gets all evasive on you, then
> you know something funky is going on.
>
> If you must buy from a distance (you are in Alaska or Hawaii for
> example) tell the seller how you want the item packed; demand it and
> state that you'll return the item if it is obviously packed
> inadequately (loose in a box full of peanuts is a major no-no). Dial
> encoder knobs should be backed up against the front panel. My eBay
> problems have had more to do with the seller having no idea how to
> pack something than outright fraud.
>
>
> GL 73
>
> Rob
> K5UJ
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