2. misc-audio
  3. 169332-139027

thought on eBay?

I've bought and sold things on eBay, but never $$$ audio equipment. I have had good experiences with Audiogon and AudioMart but I'm cautious about eBay, if only because many sellers often have little history with audio gear. I'm looking at an item that will likely end up in the $4k range from a seller who doesn't accept returns and has almost no record of selling audio equipment but does have an extensive and excellent record of buying and selling other things. 

1) In general, would you guys spend many thousands of dollars on eBay if there are no red flags--or do you say "never eBay" for big purchases?

2) Can anyone explain the reality of eBay's policies? I can see the "money back guarantee" if the item arrives "broken, damaged, or faulty." But I've also heard plenty of horror stories out here about companies that offer similar guarantees in theory but are awful to deal with in reality. I'll add that sometimes "faulty" for stereo gear can be a vast grey area.

So, bottom line: would you make a big audio purchase through eBay, especially from a seller with little visible audio experience?
northman
jbs
90 posts
 
I use eBay plenty and have bought and sold higher end ($500-$2,000) audio gear there. When buying I always look for many instances of positive feedback and drop a question to the seller just to check out how the buyer responds. I have had excellent luck there with that simple vetting process.
If an item does not arrive at all or is not as described there is a fairly simple process to get a refund but it does take about a week or so to wait for that stuff to get worked out.

As a seller I have tried audiomart and Audiogon but just use eBay now as I get higher  prices in the auction format and get tired of all the back ids on those sites. I will say the quality of the sellers on Audiogon are great so prefer to buy there when I can. 
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