BEWARE: Tube Radios on eBay

[Tobin]

I bought my second Uniden Washington off of Ebay and it was exactly as described. I go by the listing, the positive results of the seller and I usually ask way too many questions before I bid. You got to do your homework. I have only had one am/fm radio ( Grundig ) that was not as described. I emailed the seller and she reimbursed me $10.00 to compensate for the misrepresented listing.

The radio had a small dent in the face. the battery terminal area had a bit of white corrosion and there was a scratch on the lens of the digital readout. She said it was mint and storred for many years... It was apparently well used. I got it for $40.00 + and, as I said, she gave me back $10.00 that I recommended she'd do....

[tubehead]

ebay is going to hell in a handbasket. i used to sell on there. did it as my sole source of income for over a year at one point. now the rules have changed and there is little, if any protection towards the seller. everything is about protecting the buyer even in situations where the buyer is scamming sellers. ebay double dipping sellers by forcing paypal down their throats is another one.

i quit ebay and when i have crap to sell i now sell it at hamfests or via other means. nice thing is ebay doesn't get a dime from me any longer.

[Windwalker]

I buy lots of stuff on Ebay and they have changed the rules so to speak and made it better for the buyer. After all without the buyer they are dead. First off it dosent matter what the listing says if you contact Ebay by phone they will auto send you a return shipping label. Once it is delivered you will get your money back. PLUS
Paypal is no longer the Ebay payment platform !!! You can still use Paypal but it is not required.
The feedback has also changed to where you can only leave a positive rating for the buyer but you can put in comments. So someone would actually have to go into the persons feedback and read what was said but most people just look at the numbers.
I am big on feedback !! A good sale gets good ratings and so on but I have left negative feedback and always state or say that I am just telling the truth and thats what happened. If you sell to me on Ebay and deliver the item from Walmart or Amazon you get a negative. That negative shows up in the feedback ratings for that specific item. So I have had sellers come back to me and beg me to have mercy and change my feedback rating.
So I have to say Ebay has changed for the better but you still take a chance and gamble.
I bought 2 used radios a used meter and a Chinese linear this winter. I wont use them until this summer so I will be past the return date by the time I hook them up. I know if they dont work I will be out of my money but I am OK with that. I made sure to get a good deal even being used so I wont cry about it. I am willing to take the chance !!
Ebay is the leader in used almost anything. Amazon sells very little used stuff and Walmart has some used stuff like laptop computers. Basically no matter where you go the old saying still stands true !!!
YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. So if you only paid 25 dollars then that is what you will get...

WW1

[MDYoungblood]

That was a really old topic but I agree with you WW1, not all eBay sellers have new, almost new, pristine, barely used, whatever term you would like to use! So if it says “not working”, etc., take it at that. I have gotten stuff off eBay that worked fine and then got quite a few that were just for parts.

3’s

Greg

[Swamp Rat]

Regency tube bases have a knack for not having a power cord . A President Madison missing its AC power cord, a Demco Satellite transmitter by itself (no cord) for 500 bucks . Those sellers must think we was born yesterday, nope just the day before . Johnson has always been one of my favorite brands , I've had several blackface, and all the 223's I could get .

[Swamp Rat]

Regency tube bases have a knack for not having a power cord . A President Madison missing its AC power cord, a Demco Satellite transmitter by itself (no cord) for 500 bucks . Those sellers must think we was born yesterday, nope just the day before . Johnson has always been one of my favorite brands , I've had several blackface, and all the 223's I could get .

[De_Wildfire]

When it comes to buying used equipment, I look for local estate sales that local radio clubs list. Even though it may be so called ham equipment they also have old collections of CB stuff too. Our radio club got a great deal on a tower that was listed along with rolls of coax. That is one example. I must admit, I did pick up an Autek Research WM-1 Power/SWR meter on eBay and it worked great. I checked the sellers ratings and took a chance but most of the time I look for estate sales in the local area.