Ebay & Me

[n2ize]

Today I made my first Ebay purchase. I have bid there before but never won anything. I have won things for other people, like a camera my brother was looking for but for myself, nada. Usually I spot something interesting, decide how much I would be willing to pay, place a bid and just say the heck with it, if I win I win. Just about always I lose the bid in the last couple hours, minutes, seconds.. This time, much to my surprise, I won. I was looking for an old fashioned Elgin windup watch and I found one, bid and won. Just got done placing the order.

Which leads me to this. I was browsing around ebay looking at all the different antique/vintage stuff people are selling. Some of it going for considerable amount of money, sometimes more than its worth (most hams are well aware of that phenomenon).;).. But lots of other stuff as well, from watches to clocks to electrical appliances, etc. A lot of the things I remember my folks had around the house when I was a child at one time or another. I'll look at an item and say, "wow, I remember we had one of these when i was a kid...but ours was in much better condition". The only peculiar thing is none of it exists anymore because my folks always had a peculiar way of trashing and tossing away all the cool and worthwhile vintage stuff we once had while keeping all the worthless junk that nobody will ever want. Had it been the other way around I could have made a fortune on ebay.... Just kidding, I am just the opposite of my folks, I save all the good old stuff and refuse to part with it.

[KG4CGC]

It's because of your new lucky avatar that you won in a contest that you didn't even know you entered.



http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c79/bebop5/Aliens%20Guy/John_GIF_zps2f3234c5.gif

[N8YX]

I just scored an OEM AM filter for my FT-301for roughly 1/3 that of a new Inrad version. Bid high and early was what won that one. Other times I'll make use of a sniper service, or use both techniques in conjunction.

Some of the older gear listed on eBay is worth snagging if you can get a decent example for a reasonable amount of money.

[wa6mhz]

I win about 3% on what I bid on. And I STILL have about 2800 wins. Right now, I am ahead on a hand mic that I will be paying WAY TOO MUCH for. That is the usual scenario on Ebay. I pay about 5 times what the thing is worth. RARELY do I get a Bargain on something. But that is the price I have to pay if I want it, cuz there are so many FILTHY RICH RAT BASTARDS out there who bid it up and outbid me. This mic would go for about $5 at the swapmeet, but on Ebay I am up to around $25 for it. It may go higher than that if I get outbid. I only want it cuz it will match a radio I have that needs a mic.
Many of these mics are identical, except for the logo. Can't put a SWAN mic on a Hallicrafters rig, or a HEATHKIT mic on a Gonset! Gotta have the Mic match the radio. And thats what happens with these mics. A Turner 350, labeled as a Turner 350, goes for about $5. Put a Hallicrafters or Heathkit logo on it and it goes up to 6 times in value!

Another thing I won, and paid WAY WAY too much for is a Pieceofshit Heathkit SB-200 carcas. That should be coming in this week. No tubes, no tuned circuits, bad caps, no switches, blown meter. Basically all that is there is the transformer and cabinet. Now, I paid $125 for a PERFECT WORKING SB-200 last year and that is in great shape, ready to go. But I wanted ANOTHER SB-200 to "PLAY" with, and convert to 6 meters. After the bidding and shipping, I was up to over TWO HUNDRED BUCKS for this junker!!!! But atleast I WON it, and it is on the way to me. Unknown what shape it will arrive in. The seller is a newbie to Ebay and he probably just wrappped it in newspaper and put it in a tattered cardboard box, so it will arrive COMPLETELY THRASHED! I don't expect much of it to be usable. But if the transformer is still good, then I paid 4 times what it was worth.

Where there are DEALS is with the stuff from China. HTs going for $30. Parts dirt cheap! As an example, we needed an adapter, "F" to "SMA", for our company products. Pasternak wanted towards $50 each for them!!!!! HOLY MACKERAL!!!
But I found 2 for $4 with FREE SHIPPING from China! Now THAT is a Deal!

Ebay is a Jungle, but a jungle full of GOLD! just gotta pay dearly for it, and take your chances it will arrive safe.

[N8YX]

I absolutely agree with you on the mic business, Pat.

ProTip: TR5/TR7 owners who want a nice desk mic for their rigs should check out the Astatic 878/1104 series. These were made with and without preamps; the non-amplified 878 is exactly the same as Drake's 7077. Except the logo and price: I've seen the Drake version fetch close to $200 while the Astatic-branded mic rarely goes for more than a third of that amount. Even new.

[W3WN]

Sometimes you get lucky. I've bid a few times on a Ten Tec 215 electret mike (the "banana" mike that was originally an Electro-Voice design, used on the early rigs). I've seen these go for up to $75, especially when the RB's get them bid up.

But yesterday, I won an auction for one. $19.95 plus shipping. Go figure.

Most of what I've acquired via eBay has been in good shape. There have been a few exceptions, most notably the stuff that just got thrown into a way-too-big box with little or no packing (I got one Two'er sent that way). Most sellers are pretty good about packaging. A few aren't, especially those trying to cut corners and maximize net pocket money.

[WØTKX]

I have three of those banana mics. Two EV labeled, one Ten Tec.
Rather like them, as they work as hand OR desk mic...
And the rocker switch is cool.

The most expensive was $35, and it's a pristine "TT" label.

[n2ize]

It's because of your new lucky avatar that you won in a contest that you didn't even know you entered.



http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c79/bebop5/Aliens%20Guy/John_GIF_zps2f3234c5.gif

Thanks. I'm going to put this one on in place of the one I have now.

[n2ize]

Just won a bid on a couple of pocket knives. I knew these had a high probability of being a win since there was only 1 other bid. I tried to snag another wind up watch but I got beat by a dollar. The final price turned quite a bit lower than I expected. I miscalculated my chances on that one. In any event to heck with it. I'm gonna let it ride at this point, Try again next month.

[XE1/N5AL]

The best deals that I've had on Ebay were when a seller listed an item, with a buy-it-now price, without really knowing its worth. You have to be lucky to see the item and read through its description before anyone else gets a chance to grab it. I once won a item worth about $2,000 for only $50.

The worst deals I've had were when the seller didn't now how to pack an item for shipment. One clueless seller put a moderately fragile item in a box without any padding or packing material whatsoever. Needless to say, it arrived smashed to bits.

[wa6mhz]

I was very pleased that the seller of the SB-200 I just got double boxed it with plenty of protection. He did a great job of packing, and what could have been a disastorous shipment turned out great!

[n2ize]

The best deals that I've had on Ebay were when a seller listed an item, with a buy-it-now price, without really knowing its worth. You have to be lucky to see the item and read through its description before anyone else gets a chance to grab it. I once won a item worth about $2,000 for only $50.

The worst deals I've had were when the seller didn't now how to pack an item for shipment. One clueless seller put a moderately fragile item in a box without any padding or packing material whatsoever. Needless to say, it arrived smashed to bits.

I also like the opposite scenario, where a seller asks for a lot more than the item is worth in his "buy it now" price. I was looking at a vintage timepiece. The seller wanted $70.00 for the "buy it now" price, yet the auction starting price was $5.00 and nobody was bidding. The auction ended and nobody bought. guess the seller will have to re-list. I was thinking of bidding and buying it for parts but I found a pocket watch that interests me more, and still runs (according to the seller) so I threw down a small bid. . We'll see how that one goes.

[N8YX]

The worst deals I've had were when the seller didn't now how to pack an item for shipment. One clueless seller put a moderately fragile item in a box without any padding or packing material whatsoever. Needless to say, it arrived smashed to bits.
This right here is why I'm very hesitant to bid on anything in the way of complete gear from north of the border, particularly when it's being listed by a non-ham. There are some dumbassescheapskates on that there venue. Anything to save a buck on shipping.

[NY3V]

I was very pleased that the seller of the SB-200 I just got double boxed it with plenty of protection. He did a great job of packing, and what could have been a disastorous shipment turned out great!

7469

Always ask them to ship the tubes in a separate bubble pouch to prevent scratching. ;)

[KG4CGC]

The best deals that I've had on Ebay were when a seller listed an item, with a buy-it-now price, without really knowing its worth. You have to be lucky to see the item and read through its description before anyone else gets a chance to grab it. I once won a item worth about $2,000 for only $50.

The worst deals I've had were when the seller didn't now how to pack an item for shipment. One clueless seller put a moderately fragile item in a box without any padding or packing material whatsoever. Needless to say, it arrived smashed to bits.

If it fits, it ships!

[n2ize]

I don;t sell on ebay but on a few occasions I have sent electronic parts to hams, i.e. tubes, vacuum variable condensers, vacuum thermal delay relays, etc. If anything I over pack my shipments. I make sure the item is centred in the container and well cushioned from external shock. If it costs me more for packaging or shipping then so be it. I want my customers to get the parts they need in one piece. Nothing is more upsetting to a customer than broken merchandise.

[XE1/N5AL]

One mistake a lot of sellers make is to place a heavy item in the center of a box full of Styrofoam peanuts. During shipping, the box deforms, the item shifts through the peanuts and arrives hanging out one side of the torn box.

[n2ize]

One mistake a lot of sellers make is to place a heavy item in the center of a box full of Styrofoam peanuts. During shipping, the box deforms, the item shifts through the peanuts and arrives hanging out one side of the torn box.

Yes, shipping small light items is easy. Just center it in the middle of the popcorn or newspaper and it stays put. Heavy items require a much more careful strategy.

On of the funniest shipping mishaps of my life occurred when I ordered a dozen 5 foot lengths of glass tubing from a scientific supply company. The item arrived in a mailing tube and as the deliveryman approached the house I could see the tube was bent in the middle at a 45 degree angle and I said to myself "this is certainly not good". As he passed me the package I could hear the broken glass jingling inside. Of course every tube was broken. I informed the company and they reshipped. This time they used a heavy, thick walled mailing tube that was not to be believed. You could bat home runs out of Yankee stadium with it and nothing would happen to it. Guess they didn't want to risk having to make a third replacement shipment.

[W3WN]

Many, many, many moons ago, I bought a copy of an AV product called "Flu Shot Plus". It was mailed on a 5 1/4" floppy, simply placed in a manilla envelope. (I was still married to the 1st YF at the time... we hadn't even bought the house yet, so you KNOW this goes back a long time...)

Postal carrier either didn't notice or ignored the "do not bend" notations on the envelope. It was tucked in with misc. advertising circulars, all conveniently held together with rubber bands. Yes, the disc was bent quite severely, and yes, it didn't work. A complaint to the local Postmaster about this went nowhere; he thought it was funny that someone would actually expect the USPS to pay attention to such things.

So I contacted the company. They grudgingly sent me another copy. A week later, I get a huge box (something like 10 x 10 x 12) that has another floppy, sleeve taped to a piece of cardboard, inside of it. And a sarcastic note asking if this was sufficient packing to get through the USPS's hands.

Needless to say, I didn't renew my subscription with this firm...

[n2ize]

Many, many, many moons ago, I bought a copy of an AV product called "Flu Shot Plus". It was mailed on a 5 1/4" floppy, simply placed in a manilla envelope. (I was still married to the 1st YF at the time... we hadn't even bought the house yet, so you KNOW this goes back a long time...)

Postal carrier either didn't notice or ignored the "do not bend" notations on the envelope. It was tucked in with misc. advertising circulars, all conveniently held together with rubber bands. Yes, the disc was bent quite severely, and yes, it didn't work. A complaint to the local Postmaster about this went nowhere; he thought it was funny that someone would actually expect the USPS to pay attention to such things.

So I contacted the company. They grudgingly sent me another copy. A week later, I get a huge box (something like 10 x 10 x 12) that has another floppy, sleeve taped to a piece of cardboard, inside of it. And a sarcastic note asking if this was sufficient packing to get through the USPS's hands.

Needless to say, I didn't renew my subscription with this firm...

I like that story. It's right up there with my "glass tubing" story. I noticed of late that USPS, and UPS, seem to be handling things with greater care...knock on wood. In the old days I used to get packages that were crushed, battered and beaten to hell. Looked like they were used as a football.

Sounds like your floppy disks may have gotten jammed in a sorting machine. The company should have used a rigid media mailer to begin with.