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thought on eBay?

I've bought and sold things on eBay, but never $$$ audio equipment. I have had good experiences with Audiogon and AudioMart but I'm cautious about eBay, if only because many sellers often have little history with audio gear. I'm looking at an item that will likely end up in the $4k range from a seller who doesn't accept returns and has almost no record of selling audio equipment but does have an extensive and excellent record of buying and selling other things. 

1) In general, would you guys spend many thousands of dollars on eBay if there are no red flags--or do you say "never eBay" for big purchases?

2) Can anyone explain the reality of eBay's policies? I can see the "money back guarantee" if the item arrives "broken, damaged, or faulty." But I've also heard plenty of horror stories out here about companies that offer similar guarantees in theory but are awful to deal with in reality. I'll add that sometimes "faulty" for stereo gear can be a vast grey area.

So, bottom line: would you make a big audio purchase through eBay, especially from a seller with little visible audio experience?
northman
charles7
109 posts
 
1. Watch your local Craigslist for as long your patience holds out.
2. Use a true community buy/sell forum, like Audiogon. Same thing for photography gear (FredMiranda.com).
3. While you wait, keep doing research to find alternative gear that fulfills the function you have in mind at the quality level you want.

dwmaggie
222 posts
 
Ebay and paypal will protect the buyer 100%.  I have purchased a whole lot of electronics on ebay.  Only had one problem.  Seller claimed to be a record executive, packed a Proceed AVP 2 in a way too small box with crumpled newspaper for packing material.  The box arrived covered in USPS red tape and really beat up.  It was missing the volume knob, the inner chassis was floating.  I took a lot of pictures.  Submitted my complaint with about ten pictures to ebay.  I had a return shipping label within a few hours, a refund came about a day later.  I have two ebay purchases awaiting shipment today.  I have also purchased from Agon and Audio Circle and US Audio Mart with zero problems.  I refuse to sell on ebay.  Ace Ventura works for Brown, Fed Ex and USPS.  I had to submit a claim to Fed Ex for about $299.  It took a few weeks but Fed Ex refunded the full purchase price and shipping, I still have the item, go figure, and yes it works, my complaint was a badly dinged corner.  My tube amp was 2000.00, my Marantz was just over 2000.00.  As others have said document your gear upon arrival with pictures.
freediver
1,181 posts
 
@yogiboy hit it.Since they started taking payments directly for seller fees they have raised selling cost 300%..Add to that they charge a flat rate sales tax of 10%,when even my state & county sales tax is 8.75% so where is that $ going & don’t get me started on HTF can they charge sales tax on out of country purchases that fall under Duty Free regulation?SCREW Ebay.
bal-de-vis's avatar
bal-de-vis
13 posts
 
It's always a bit of a risk.  I've had great luck at eBay buying used upscale headphones...Focal Utopia, Audeze LCD3, Hifiman HE1000 V2...all in superb condition, but never dirt cheap.  My worst experience was buying a Revox turntable that was described as refurbished...it was no such thing (it was a total mess) and I had to send it to a certified Revox repair place to have it done properly.  I must say, though, that all my experiences buying at Audiogon and US Audio Mart have been excellent.  So yeah, I think the odds are a bit better at those places, in my experience.
jpwarren58
671 posts
 
Major issue with EBay purchases is....wait for it....wait for it.....peanuts. 
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