Just a rant

heiney9

I have been purchasing tubes on e-bay and this is a letter I had to send to a very reputable tube seller on e-bay. The photo and ad represented (5) of a certain type and year of 6211 tube. In the initial shipment I only received (4) of the five tubes I paid for. Of the (4) two were microphonic and while he doesn't guarantee or test for microphonics he agreed to send the "fifth" missing tube and a replacement for (1) of the microphonic tubes.

Yesterday I received a package poorly packed (bubble envelope) and open it to find the boxes crushed and (2) RCA 6211's about 15-20 years newer, ie; not the old late 50's or early 60's I thought I was paying for. Needless to say I'm disappointed he didn;t send me the "5th" missing tube that was in the photo and described in the ad.

Here's the e-mail I sent him:

Stanley,

Thank you; I received the package yesterday. I have mixed feelings about this however. I do thank you for replacing the microphonic tube and I understand if you didn’t have an “exact” replacement (as represented in the ebay listing); that was fine and appreciated. But, the ebay ad clearly stated and showed (5) of a certain type and year of tube, that’s what I paid for and only received (4) in the initial shipment. The replacements you sent are obviously much newer production stock than what was represented in the ebay ad. What happened to the “fifth” tube from the photo in the ad you placed?

Yes, all the tubes you sent are RCA 6211 but the reason I put in a winning bid was based on the photo you showed. So here’s what I end up with out of (5) NOS RCA 6211’s most likely from the early 60’s. I received only (4) of (5) and of those (4) two were microphonic which leaves me with (2) of what I originally ordered. You agreed to replace the worst microphonic tube (which again I appreciate). So now I have (2) of the original 6211’s from the ad (2) that are microphonic and not useable and (2) replacement RCA 6211’s which are probably from the late 70’s and most likely the early 80’s.

I apologize if my tone is harsh (not intended), but I just want to let you know that while I’m not totally unhappy, I am a bit disappointed I didn’t get exactly what I thought I paid for. Perhaps there is a reason you sent the tubes you did, if so please explain. BTW, the tube boxes didn’t fair well in the cheaper packaging as they are crushed. The tubes appear OK but I’ll know more once I roll them into my pre-amp.

Best Regards--Brock

Thanks for letting me vent and I know many of you will say to buy from a reputable tube company like Brent Jesse or Tube World, etc. That's really not the issue..............the issue is sending what you represent in the ad.

H9

SoundArtillery

I find tube seller to be a good source for tubage. Ebay is always a risk.

hearingimpared

Bummer Brock, I hope they rectify the situation.

megasat16

Hopefully, the seller will make it right for you. If not, just return the tubes back to him and get the money back in full (including shipping charges). May be something the seller overlooked but if he don't do it right, he deserved a poor rating for this transaction.

heiney9

Just got an e-mail back from the seller and of course I get the "if you're not satisfied send everything back for a full refund". He also stated they have almost no complaints and that since the tube I bought was cheap the (5) boxes shown in the ad.........were just that, boxes and I received what the ad stated.

I guess you can't assume even the most basic things when buying on e-bay. Ask lots of questions even if the verbiage and pictures are there.

Again, the difference is probably minimal between the tubes. I just hate not getting what I expect based on photo's and description. Nowhere did he state they would be random RCA 6211's and not in the boxes shown in the ad. Where did that "fifth" tube go in the picture?

wizzy

Makes me think of the person who bought an empty Wii box off Ebay for $426

http://www.hardwarezone.com/ourvoice/blog/in_the_zone/caveat_emptor/2006/12/21/Ebay-Scammers-Strike-Back-Nintendo-Wii-Version

heiney9

wizzy wrote: »

Makes me think of the person who bought an empty Wii box off Ebay for $426

http://www.hardwarezone.com/ourvoice/blog/in_the_zone/caveat_emptor/2006/12/21/Ebay-Scammers-Strike-Back-Nintendo-Wii-Version

Sort of like that..........but I did receive the model number listed in the auction. It's just with tubes many times you can generally date them by the boxes they come in. No where did he say not all the tubes would be as pictured. I still want to know what happened to the fifth box in the photo .

dkg999

FYI - a friend just sold a vase on ePrey for over $500, with it very clearly noting in the listing that the vase was chipped, with several close-up hi-rez pictures of the noted chips, and then the buyer sent her a nasty-gram wanting to return it for refund because it was chipped and mis-represented in the listing. The buyer then left her bad feedback before the dispute was even resolved. It's tough on ePrey whether you're the buyer or seller!

heiney9

dkg999 wrote: »

FYI - a friend just sold a vase on ePrey for over $500, with it very clearly noting in the listing that the vase was chipped, with several close-up hi-rez pictures of the noted chips, and then the buyer sent her a nasty-gram wanting to return it for refund because it was chipped and mis-represented in the listing. The buyer then left her bad feedback before the dispute was even resolved. It's tough on ePrey whether you're the buyer or seller!

Yeah, I don;t do the poor feedback thing unless the seller is a complete tool to me or it's grossly misrepresented. This was a minor annoyance that I find more and more on e-bay. In the future I will steer clear of one sentence descriptions and a singular photo, regardless of the 3000+ positive feedbacks.

The pair that I did originally receive sound really good and I admit I didn't overpay but it just irks me when the seller lists something he's not actually selling or there are variations that are never mentioned until one has to ask after the sale.

He was very communicative and did try to rectify my problem (on the microphonic tube) and offered a full refund. I decided to keep them, but his tone towards the end was condescending.

H9