Question about buying used speakers... off ebay

27dnast

When buying speakers hearing unheard:rolleyes: how does one judge quality?

Obviously, pictures are a good indicator. You can ask how the speakers were used... how hard they were driven... how old they are... how many owners they've had... how long they've been owned.

At what point, in terms of ownership, do speakers begin to diminish in value/quality?

If a person really takes care of their speakers and doesn't drive them ultra hard... do they have a lifespan number that should begin to set-off warning signs? 2 years old, 4 years old, 6 years old... ????

Esreuter

OK 27

this is just my personal opinion. so take it as you will.

I am anal about used stuff and i rarely buy it even from my good friends.

simply because i don't trust other people and how they take care of their stuff.

Same view goes for you as well. I know how i take care of things, but you don't know how i take care of things.

like i said before take it as you will, i have bought stuff off ebay and it works fine and other times the great deal is a steal for the other guy.

thats my peace, i know its a circle and probably dosent help but thanks for listening.

ESR

eeagle

ebay is a minefield.

Lots of room for problems both from unknown sellers and the shipping variable which speakers are especially susceptible to (even if packed well).

I would look for auctions close by that allow a personal verification and pick-up

inspiredsports

Since 2008 . . .

I've purchased 6 pairs of speakers using ebay. The largest I had the seller ship were Monitor 5Jr+'s that shipped from California to Ohio. I have had several pairs smaller thab 5Jr's shipped from all over the US. Every speaker arrived as described. I purchased my SDA SRS 2's on eBay, but drove to Philadelphia to pick them up.

I've also purchased about 14 (fragile) turntables (with one mishap that was settled putting me way ahead) and maybe a total of 36 tuners / amps / preamps / CD players / etc. off of eBay with 1 problem with a tuner that was taken back for a full refund with the seller even sending me a prepaid return postage label.

I've purchased maybe 500 LP's and 200 CD's with maybe 1 CD that didn't play and 7 or 8 LP's that the seller took care of (one bad one was so cheap I simply Frisbee'd it).

I've probably purchased 120 vacuum tubes (many in the $50 to $100 each range), some used but mostly NOS, and have been burned on just 2 (and it was my fault for not asking a question).

Most of the turntables and components I've resold on eBay after auditioning and trading up along the way, and I don't think I've ever had a claim against me.

My opinion is to study seller feedback, ask the seller as many questions as you can think of, make the buy if you want it, and then document and photograph any problems. Remain calm and tenacious if you have a claim. Never make accusations or inflamatory remarks against the seller; operate from the perspective that sometimes s@#t happens. If the seller won't work it out, eBay will back you up as long as you don't act like an ****.

tonyb

I'd be leary about buying anything of value off of fleabay. Too many scammers dumping their garbage on people thousands of miles away. Check your local craigslist, our own FM here at club polk, or Audiogon, your chances of getting what you paid for will be greatly increased.

carwashguy

I had a pair of LSi 15's arrive demolished by UPS. Will never buy speakers of eBay again unless they are from the Polk eBay store.

Geoff4rfc

inspiredsports wrote: »

My opinion is to study seller feedback, ask the seller as many questions as you can think of, make the buy if you want it, and then document and photograph any problems. Remain calm and tenacious if you have a claim. Never make accusations or inflamatory remarks against the seller; operate from the perspective that sometimes s@#t happens. If the seller won't work it out, eBay will back you up as long as you don't act like an ****.

Dealing with people like you make my job very smooth. I work with the Post Office and occasionally deal with insurance claims.

Now, not everything is shipped through USPS, but I see a lot of stuff come through. Packing is very key, if the seller doesn't properly pack items being shipped, minor to severe damage can take place. Suspended in Styrofoam and double boxed is preferred. I've seen some pretty fancy stuff like crating and homemade wooden framing.

Sometimes claims have to be made and folks can really freak out about it, I really appreciate the calm and educated customers that walk through my door and are able to settle without showing me dark side of the force.

polkfarmboy

Yep I hear ya dskip ...try selling somthing local in the midwest

decal

tonyb wrote: »

I'd be leary about buying anything of value off of fleabay. Too many scammers dumping their garbage on people thousands of miles away. Check your local craigslist, our own FM here at club polk, or Audiogon, your chances of getting what you paid for will be greatly increased.

Sorry Tony, EBay doesn't have a monopoly on scumbags. They are everywhere,even on your beloved CP!!!!

27dnast

Thanks for all of the input. I was in line to make a deal with one of 3 sellers on ebay who were not able to sell their FXi3's and had requested local pickup.

But, after giving it some thought, I decided to buy the FXiA4's new... rather than risk losing $175-$200 dollars on potentially damaged goods.

Thanks!!!

DonRSD

i have my polks listed on ebay

http://cgi.ebay.com/Polk-Audio-Surround-Sound-1-CS1-2-T90e-2-FXI3-/300563133786?pt=Speakers_Subwoofers&hash=item45faf5755a

i dont have 100 posts yet so i cant post in the trading forum, yetr ive been a member since june 2009 lol

i have good feedback on ebay
and the bluray forum
http://forum.blu-ray.com/itrader.php?u=51974

inspiredsports

tonyb wrote: »

I'd be leary about buying anything of value off of fleabay. Too many scammers dumping their garbage on people thousands of miles away. Check your local craigslist, our own FM here at club polk, or Audiogon, your chances of getting what you paid for will be greatly increased.

I must be blessed avoiding all of those scammers as I've made over 200 purchases totalling over $19K from eBay sellers (as in post 4 above) over the past 30 months.

Jer.War

I have bought many stereo components off ebay, including my LSI system. I had two issue with amplifiers recently, but they were returned for a full refund. E-bay has a pretty solid protection plans in place to protect both the seller and buyer. However, patience is required, and not getting the item you wanted return or no can be frustrating.
IMHO, If you dont mind these potential inconveniences there are some great deals to be had.

DonRSD

DSkip wrote: »

And only took you two years to post. Just curious, what brought you here in the first place? Seems odd to post 2 years after joining, only to work a sale.

i joined when i was looking to piece together my HT.
i instead gravitated to bluray.com & avs forums

DON73

I've bought several speakers off e-bay and all but one pair got here without damage. The E-Bay protection is not all it's cracked up to be. They only guarantee your purchase price and you may be stuck with shipping both ways and wind up with nothing.
Ask as many questions regarding the condition of the speakers. Ask the seller to describe any damage. Ask if the speakers have been tested by listening by the seller. Ask if the seller guarantees the speakers will arrive without being damaged. Ask the seller how the speakers will be packaged for shipment.
I tell the seller that I will not pay for return shipping and that I will not file any damage claims and if they cannot accept my conditions don't accept my bid. Most sellers are willing to work with the buyer and make reasonable partial refunds.
Since I don't trust E-Bays protection policy I always buy with a credit card.
A disputed charge got me a full $550 refund and I didn't have to ship the item back.

Polkie2009

I've bought two used M&K V2-B subs off Ebay, both came well packaged and worked great. I also bought a pair of M&K SX-7 bookshelf speakers that came well packaged etc. Agree with others about asking questions and only buying from those with flawless feedback. I would hope that someone who spends their hard earned cash on high quality equipment will also take very good care of it and package it well for the next buyer.

victor. askew

I have in the past yrs bought 6/7 pairs of spkrs off of E bay and only once was there a problem and that was on Fed Ex and not the seller. In fact the seller of my NS 200m spkrs called me to check on the day of their arrival and when I opened the box the left corner on the right spkr had been crushed during shipping, I was crushed at seeing this. The other unit was in perfect condition.With out any hesitation he told me to put it in for repair and to put him into direct contacat with the repairman of my choice. a few days later a check covering the complete repair arrived at the shop. I know that all transactions dont end this way. Study the E Bay pictures closely, know in exact detail what the item you are buying should look like, ask many questions before buying, inspect closely upon arrival. Request any repair history in writting before the sale is completed.

4406bbl

I have purchased 3 sets of crs+ off ebay and all arrived in good shape, I have had no problems with any preamps or amps off of ebay, I told them how I wanted them packed. The only problem I have had was an adcom 545 amp I bought off this board that was packed great but was not in working order, high dc offset, never refunded either, your results may vary.

PolkClyde

We are talking about E-bay, but have anyone here purchase anything from E-bay Through PayPal... have any of you had problems with PayPal services.

PolkClyde

I bought my Infinity Kappa 9's from E-bay,and the seller didn't want to ship them. I finally convince him to ship them. he built two crates to put them in.The packaging was perfect..Hey, the shipping wasn't cheap though, $400. I paid a total of $1699 for them. Thank God,There was no damage to the grills or speaker frames themselves and all the drivers worked. "Favor"

aboroth00

I think purchasing off of ebay is really a different experience on a seller by seller basis. If the seller wants to take time and care into packaging and describing the item, often times it's a better sale and you get an honest description of the item along with very safe packing.

I must admit most of my gear is used however the majority of it was purchased locally from fellow enthusiasts where you can sort of chat and inspect the item closely before forking over the dough. However, if i see a good deal on eBay with an accurate description and after reading the seller's feedback I would be a lot less reserved putting a bid on the item. However I am very wary of shipping large items interstate. I rarely put up anything large for sale just due to the concern of inadequately packaging the item

With that being said, I definitely agree that many questions should be asked and many pictures be requested. Ask for any defect small or large, ask it be tested and confirmed working. It's a wonder how many people send out items without actually testing it'd work. "If it worked 5 years ago, it must work today," Not necessarily true. I also prefer FEDEX much over UPS.

Talking to the other person is essentially key and dictating your wants and demands are also key. If it were an item I really wanted that costed more than I was comfortable with, I believe communication should be the anchor for any transaction. If you don't like how it sounds or the attitude of the seller, I would back away. However, buying and selling from other enthusiasts who also have your mindset has only produced pleasant results for me.