Some tips are too restrictive - life is a risk
Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2005 12:00 am
I come across this page and see what I think are some rather silly '"tips" from some. I can't help feeling if you follow them, you will not buy very much.
SILLY TIP #1) "Only deal with hams"
I am sorry, but I don't think that is any guarantee at all. I have never been scammed by a ham, but have had two deals go badly wrong. I don't think either ham intended ripping me off, but both we silly to send something different from what they were advertising.
a) Diodes were advertised as 24kV which I bought from a ham. Their actual ratings were more like 4~6 kV (depending on whether you mean constant, peak, non-repetative). I think the guy was just an idiot.
The saga is well documented at
http://lists.contesting.com/pipermail/a ... 06175.html
so there is no need for me to repeat it all.
b) Another ham sold a 10MHz ovened oscillator on eBay. It was advertised as an HP 10811A, which is one of the best oscillators ever made at 10MHz.
I won the auction, but the seller said he also had an HP 10811-60111, which I knew to be similar, but has no specs for phase noise. I said I did not want the HP 10811-60111, but the 10811A which the auction was for. So the stupid sod sends me the oscillator I specifically said I did not want.
He thought the fact they looked the same, and would both work in HP frequency counters, meant they were both the same. They are physically identical, electrically very similar, but one has tiighter specs than the other.
SILLY TIP #2) Ask those in a foreign country to send the equipment first, then you pay them later.
Great if they accept it, but I suspect few will. I know I would not send stuff out first.
I have on odd occasions suggested to people that they do this when their feedback is nearly 0, mine is 105 and more than 99% positive. (One person gave me a negative as a retaliation).
Then there are the semi silly tips, which have some logic, but again can be too restrictive.
SEMI-SILLY TIP #1 ) Never deal with eBay feedbacks of 0 or very low.
I can see a lot of sence in that, but I do sometimes buy from low or 0 feedback sellers.
If the item is very low value, I don't care too much for the feedback. You often get better deals from people with low feedback, as others tend to avoid them. Of course it is more of a risk, but if the money involved is not much, I don't care a lot.
Recently someone with a feedback of 2 was selling brand new 6.5 digit Agilent multimeters. Clearly these are not going to go for a few $'s. In that case, I would not deal normally, but it was a business that took credit cards directly (no need for Paypal).
I *love* sellers with 0 feedback who are local and will accept me picking the item up. You can be sure that the item will not fetch a lot, since the seller has low feedback, so you get a bargain.
Someone recently had on eBay a microwave frequency counter. Their feeback was not good to say the least. They were however happy for me to take a sig gen there, test it. Then I felt a bit happier. I did not bid in the end, but I suspect I would have got a decent bargain.
PS
If anyone has a pdf of a service manual on an HP 8160A pulse generator, let me know. I bought a dead one on eBay (the auction made it clear it was dead). I hope to fix it. My email address can be found at http://www.southminster-branch-line.org.uk/myemail.jpg
Dr. David kirkby, G8WRB
SILLY TIP #1) "Only deal with hams"
I am sorry, but I don't think that is any guarantee at all. I have never been scammed by a ham, but have had two deals go badly wrong. I don't think either ham intended ripping me off, but both we silly to send something different from what they were advertising.
a) Diodes were advertised as 24kV which I bought from a ham. Their actual ratings were more like 4~6 kV (depending on whether you mean constant, peak, non-repetative). I think the guy was just an idiot.
The saga is well documented at
http://lists.contesting.com/pipermail/a ... 06175.html
so there is no need for me to repeat it all.
b) Another ham sold a 10MHz ovened oscillator on eBay. It was advertised as an HP 10811A, which is one of the best oscillators ever made at 10MHz.
I won the auction, but the seller said he also had an HP 10811-60111, which I knew to be similar, but has no specs for phase noise. I said I did not want the HP 10811-60111, but the 10811A which the auction was for. So the stupid sod sends me the oscillator I specifically said I did not want.
He thought the fact they looked the same, and would both work in HP frequency counters, meant they were both the same. They are physically identical, electrically very similar, but one has tiighter specs than the other.
SILLY TIP #2) Ask those in a foreign country to send the equipment first, then you pay them later.
Great if they accept it, but I suspect few will. I know I would not send stuff out first.
I have on odd occasions suggested to people that they do this when their feedback is nearly 0, mine is 105 and more than 99% positive. (One person gave me a negative as a retaliation).
Then there are the semi silly tips, which have some logic, but again can be too restrictive.
SEMI-SILLY TIP #1 ) Never deal with eBay feedbacks of 0 or very low.
I can see a lot of sence in that, but I do sometimes buy from low or 0 feedback sellers.
If the item is very low value, I don't care too much for the feedback. You often get better deals from people with low feedback, as others tend to avoid them. Of course it is more of a risk, but if the money involved is not much, I don't care a lot.
Recently someone with a feedback of 2 was selling brand new 6.5 digit Agilent multimeters. Clearly these are not going to go for a few $'s. In that case, I would not deal normally, but it was a business that took credit cards directly (no need for Paypal).
I *love* sellers with 0 feedback who are local and will accept me picking the item up. You can be sure that the item will not fetch a lot, since the seller has low feedback, so you get a bargain.
Someone recently had on eBay a microwave frequency counter. Their feeback was not good to say the least. They were however happy for me to take a sig gen there, test it. Then I felt a bit happier. I did not bid in the end, but I suspect I would have got a decent bargain.
PS
If anyone has a pdf of a service manual on an HP 8160A pulse generator, let me know. I bought a dead one on eBay (the auction made it clear it was dead). I hope to fix it. My email address can be found at http://www.southminster-branch-line.org.uk/myemail.jpg
Dr. David kirkby, G8WRB
