Items on Fleabay

[WA8ZYT]

Did you ever notice how a good deal of ham radio items are labeled as "vintage"? Is that so we will think, "Wow! what a cool find, I'd pay a buzzilion dollars for that rare piece of equipment!!!"

Or how about the, "I got this from the estate of my friend's, cousin's, grandfather's estate, so I know it's in great working condition as he used it until his death in 1968. I am pretty sure it works but I don't have the right plug in any of my outlets to test it."

Or how about all the CB amplifiers that are disguised as Ham Radio linears?

I doubt that I will ever buy anything off there again after being ripped off on an SB-220 someone had converted to CB. Seller neglected to mention that fact.....

 

[Mudfoot]

Did you file a claim?

 

[kd-5-bgt]

What you describe is just why I am not a fan of sites such as Ebay,simply because you never know what you are getting.

I hate to hear you got taken on that amp,but with a bit of time and some of that good old TLC I am sure that amp can be brought back to orginal condition

 

[KG0MN]

the other line I just love seeing is "unable to test the unit". But if you check their history they have sold countless pieces of ham gear but they also got them all from an estate. Translated it means it is a piece of junk and it will never work in your wildest dreams.

 

[ExitThirteen]

Did that Heathkit SB-220 get converted to mono band? If so, that sucks.... shame that it got wrecked like that... and I'm a die-hard CB'er!

I'd have definitely filed a complaint, item wasn't as listed. I'd chase after it, those SB-220's aren't exactly cheap.



~Cheers~

 

[Atlasta]

With limited exception I have yet to buy anything from ebay that worked exactly as advertised. Meters didn't meet expectations. Amplifiers didn't amplify. Radios described as fully functional only worked on two out three modes.

I get the stuff cheap enough and enjoy tinkering so I look at every ebay purchase as a project. However if I was laying out big bucks I'd be a greatly upset.

 

[WA8ZYT]

I think I am going to convert it to 6 meters, and just buy something else for the low bands.

It does work good on 15 and 20 meters, but 40 and 80 don't tune right. According to my grid dip meter, the tank circuit is resonant around 8.3 Mhz and on 80, 4.8 Mhz. It's like it needs another turn or two on the 10/15 coil.

 

[NeoHam]

My wife just got ripped off on some schoolbooks. She sold four and the lady claimed she only got two so she returned two, kept two, and got a full refund. We then found out that if a buyer files a complaint, the seller cannot file against them. We compared our postage 6 pounds to her return postage 4 pounds. I would seal and mark any electronics I sell. I bought some things at a hamfest that didn't work so I had no recourse. At least on Ebay I could have returned it. I've read some things on Ebay sellers like 'no returns accepted' but I spoke with Ebay and they said if someone sells defective electronics you can get a full refund regardless of whatever text warning the seller adds.

 

[Mudfoot]

Yes, you can post all the disclaimers you want, it will hardly matter when a nicely written claim is filed against you.