EBAY Purchases

FF&K

Has anyone purchased their equipment (speakers and receivers) off of ebay? I asked Yamaha (receiver) and they said that their b stock is labeled on the box and the back of the receiver. Polk says only the box gets labeled. I would imagine that it is not too difficult to remove labels and sell something as new. Is that true or can I trust someone on ebay saying "new", "sealed" and never opened?

The savings are significant. The Yamaha receiver (RX-V2500) was selling for only $599 + $30 shipping, compared to $999 in retail stores and $750 or so on unknown websites.

Any help would be great.

Thanks

okiepolkie

I woudn't be too worried about "B" stock speakers from Polk. There aren't a lot of them out there for sale that I'm aware of(other than the LSi7's Fry's had last year).

Other than that, just remember that Polk requires a receipt for warranty work.

Ricardo

All my Polks, except for the SDA's, are from Ebay; so far I've not had any problems with the speakers.

My Denon receiver also from ebay, B stock and works great.

You must be careful though and check the seller's feedback; even doing this there is always some risk...I had bad luck with one purchase, where the seller had over 90 positive feedback, but never shipped and stopped answering emails/calls. Luckily it was a "Paypal Buyer Protection" covered seller and I goy my money back.

dkg999

You do need to be careful! And you need to evaluate the risks vs. the savings. On Polk speakers, the parts for in-production models are easy to order and replace, and not outrageously expensive for most models. This may not be true if your RX-V2500 HTR needs to be fixed. I recently bought a set of FXi5's off of eBay for a very low price. The seller said they were new in box, didn't really say if they were used or not. When I got them I noticed that the serial number tags had been removed, and the serial number stickers on the box removed. Other than that they were brand new. I recently had to replace a driver in one due to an amplifier problem, and Polk customer service was really good about it and it cost me $50. I still am a couple of hundred below store price with the new driver cost included. Although, if I would of known they were gray market, I would not of bought them.

I also recently bought a Panamax 5100 power conditioner. Ordered it from an online etailor with a good reputation and ratings. I wondered why their prices were very low, however their info. page said that all manufacturers warranties applied to the products they sell. I ordered the unit, and received it drop shipped right from Panamax's warehouse. I then notice that on Panamax's web site they now listed this online etailor as one that Panamax doesn't honor the warranty if you buy from them. I called Panamax and complained and wanted to know why if this etailer wasn't official that my unit was drop shipped directly from their warehouse? I didn't get anywhere. Fortunately I had bought this with a credit card registered at my IA address and shipped to my IA address. I took everything to the IA consumer protection office and had an official call and inquiry made. Different answer that time, yes they will honor my warranty and maybe they made a mistake and did not understand my inquiry the first time.

Another friend bought a gray market Yamaha HTR off of eBay. It needed service a couple of months later as part of the display went out. Yamaha refused to service it under warranty, even though the brick & mortar side of the eBay operation was an authorized Yamaha retailer. Off to the IA consumer protection division, and a phone call informing Yamaha that the IA attorney general doesn't tolerate manufacturers who support and knowingly turn a blind eye to the gray market sales, so they boost their sales but don't have to expend money to cover defects. Net result, Yamaha covered the warranty repairs.

I have read a couple of articles indicating that more and more states are fed up with manufacturers who want to reap the benefits of gray market sales however they then don't want to cover warranty costs on merchandise sold as new. Not all electronics manufacturers are guilty, however it's not too tough to figure out the ones that seem to tolerate and feed the gray market. It's an individual choice, just make sure what you save is worth the potential hassle!

FF&K

Thanks for the advice. I feel more comfortable going the ebay route now.

Now, could you comment/advise on the setup I'm planning. I'm not looking for anything fancy, but I don't want to spend a few thousand dollars and be disappointed either. I will mostly play movies but will obviously use it for music as well.

Yamaha 2500 receiver with the RTi4 fronts, Csi3 center, and psw 404 sub. I plan on using TC60i in-ceiling speakers for my surrounds. I was in a Tweeters and I listened to something close to the setup I was planning (they didn't have the TC60i's so they used some small sattelites instead). The system sounded great (at least to my novice ears) with the movies they showed. I didn't listen to any music.

My home is a raised ranch. The system will be in the living room. The room is about 15' x 23' but is open to a double high entrance foyer. There are also openings tp my dining room and kitchen. I have hard wood floors.

Do you recommend upsizing my sub? Going with SVS (which seems to be a favorite in here)?

I read at least one great review on the Yamaha (http://www.yamaha.com/yec/products/reviews/pdf_reviews/RXV2500_review.pdf) but everyone here seems to bash them. If H/K's are really better, what model would you suggest that would be the Yamaha's equivalent?


As you can see, I have a whole lot of questions and very little experience. All help is appreciated....

FF&K

Wow you guys are fast. By the time I posted my "not afraid about ebay" response, dkg999 posted his horror stories....

dkg999

FF&K - not really horror stories, as none of them ended up bad. It just took a little extra work. I personally don't mind buying used, however I am not all that big on buying gray market if you know up-front that's what is going on. On the FXi5's I probably should of known better! On the Panamax, I did check the etailors web site and read the policies. You live and learn.

I personally like Yamaha HTR receivers. I have both the HTR-5790 (Rx-V1400) and the HTR-5660. Their amplifier sections are usually rated with one channel driven, so cut the rating in half for all channels driven. The amplifier sections are also a little bright on the older HTR's, however the new series of which the Rx-V2500/1500/1400 are part of has a much more neutral sound. When using them with external power amplifiers, I like their pre/processor section a lot. I would also recommend looking at Denon, Marantz, and Pioneer. I am not very fond of the HK HTR's, however that is an opinion based on how they sound to me, and also on some bad experiences with reliability, and this should not be taken as a comment on the entire line. Many members on Club Polk like them and have good experiences with them. If you can, listen to a few of the major brands prior to making a decision.

My one suggestion would be to consider going to RTi6's and a CSi5 as your front sound-stage. I have both the RTi6's and CSi5 as the fronts in my bedroom HT, with RTi4's as side surrounds. I use a CSi3 as a second front center. For the increased investment, I believe the RTi6's and CSi5 will give you a lot better sound and enjoyment in your room size. The PSW404 is good, however if you like bass you can feel, I would look at the PSW505, or go to www.svsubwoofers.com and see what you can get for the same money. The SVS PB-10 or a basic cylinder sub would fill your room a lot better. SVS is not the only quality sub, just the one I personally like.

dpowell

I purchased my RT5000 system on Ebay to replace RT2000's purchased at Good Guys and am very happy with the results. Just checked sellers feedback and drove to pick them up myself so I could look at them and make sure they were in good condition. Also saved a bundle on shipping. Saved tons of $$ however I do know that if one of the sub amps goes out that I'm not covered under a warranty. That's a risk I was willing to take since all my previous Polks (9 years of ownership) had extended warranties and never failed. Good luck!

janmike

Purchased a Yamaha RX-V1500 on ebay and saved mega $$. Less than 1/2 prices and have not had one problem. If you purchase a new one on ebay and save a ton of cash, check the price out for an extended warranty. Be careful of the place you buy one as you would if you purchased from a regular retail outlet. Good luck.