Re: Ebay


"Dave Baker" <Null@xxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:ftsdvu$7k9$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
After 10 years online I'm still pretty much an Ebay virgin. I've bought
only three things on it and never tried selling anything. Every purchase
has actually gone perfectly well but you hear horror stories about Ebay
frauds and Paypal cockups which puts me off doing more on it.

Purchase one a couple of years ago was by pure chance when I was browsing
idly and came across a guy selling a job lot of 8.05mm machine reamers.
Not a size most people would be interested in but it's the valve guide
diameter for Ford CVH and Pinto valve guides and I build a lot of these
and also make my own bronze valve guides for race engines. Up till then
I'd reamed them to 8mm and taken the last couple of thou out with my T&J
adjustable reamers which was a major PITA. No one else bid so I got 3
solid carbide and 5 HSS 8.05mm reamers for his starting price of £9 plus
£2.50 postage. At shop prices about £200 worth of goods. When they arrived
there was even a 7.9mm drill in the pack which was the ideal size for the
final drill prior to reaming. By careful measurement I was able to grade
them into a range from about 8.04mm to 8.05mm which allows me to suit
individual guides to the make and wear on the valve stem in question.
Absurdly good value which you'd never find elsewhere. OK so I could have
bought just one reamer for £15 from J&L so the saving wasn't that huge but
it feels like it was and I have that range of sizes to choose from. I
might even try selling the carbide ones which I never use.

Purchase two came about because I went through a spell of losing decent
carp because my 10 year old fishing line kept breaking. Hardly surprising
as the stuff is UV sensitive and ages rapidly. You're meant to change it
every year or two. When I finally got round to testing it against a spring
balance it was breaking at about half the nominal breaking strain. Not
good.

£5 to £10 a spool in the local tackle shop but I got 200m of 12lb line and
150m of 6lb line for £1.50 a spool off a guy on Ebay with only 60p postage
cost for the two together. When it arrived I looked it up on the
manufacturer's website and it was such old stock they hadn't sold it for
several years but when tested both spools actually exceeded their nominal
breaking strain and clearly the stuff had been stored out of the light and
was in fine condition. Very happy bunny. No more lost fish.

Purchase three came about when my fridge freezer expired and everything
started to thaw out. An emergency trip to Comet saw me looking at about
£300 to replace it with something similar and the one I wanted wasn't even
in stock. Bollocks to that so back on Ebay that night and I found a guy
about 20 miles away selling a nearly new Miele fridge freezer which I won
for £64.05. The £0.05 because I don't have any of that fancy bidding
software and other people were after it. Sometime later next day with the
help of a mate with an estate car and we back in business with the thawing
food rescued. 2 years later it's still going strong. Total saving about
£240.

So I've only had very good experiences but still don't quite trust the
thing. What's your mileage?
--
Dave Baker
Puma Race Engines

Best toolshop in the book, I use 10.2mm ADX drills, get them so cheap on
ebay, when available, it worth every penny. Bought and sold stacks of stuff.
Experience senses good deals and sellers from bad. Horses for courses, my
wife distrusts microwave ovens !!!
Bob




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