Buying used mic on the "bay" a good or bad idea?

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stratmaster713

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Looking into purchasing an e609 for guitar cab mic, should I stay away from ebay? Or is it common to buy mics off of it without a problem?

Is this a good mic to have?
 
A lot of people shy away but I don't.

All my mics came from ebay; No exception.

The odd one was new, but most were used.

Bottom line is, if the seller describes it as working or whatever and it arrives in any other condition than described, then you're entitled to a refund EVEN if they say no returns.

I'll admit, it's preferable to test a mic before buying, but i figure ebay has that covered because you're not going on someones word, you're going on their legally binding written word.

Just read the description carefully. That's the 'homework' on ebay.



I've only ever had one transaction that went wrong and the seller was difficult, but I handled it properly.
I stayed polite, informed him that I'd be opening a case with ebay when it was appropriate etc. I got a refund ASAP once it was opened.
 
I've bought a used mic on ebay before without problems. I am weary when i do because like you, you never know what your going to get.
Ask the seller a question to see how he/she responds.
You should get better value for money buying this way.
As the man says too ebay should have it covered.
 
+1 for asing questions.

If a seller says he can't test it or something alarm bells should go off.

Personally, I'm always on the hunt for a bargain so i email to see if they're legit or just covering their ass over a broken mic.
Look at their feedback, see what they trade in.
If they have loads of pro audio history and an "untested" mic, you can be sure it wont work.
 
Steenamaroo said:
+1 for asing questions.

If a seller says he can't test it or something alarm bells should go off.

Personally, I'm always on the hunt for a bargain so i email to see if they're legit or just covering their ass over a broken mic.
Look at their feedback, see what they trade in.
If they have loads of pro audio history and an "untested" mic, you can be sure it wont work.
Click to expand...

thanks!

what about a warranty, does it transfer?

so would the e609 be a good mic to have then? I already have SM57's etc
 
sorry never owned the e609 so i couldnt say if its a good one to have. It does get quite a lot of good reviews and i'm sure you'd find its strengths and weaknesses with a little experimentation
 
As soon as you buy a new microphone, guess what? It's used!
Come to terms with that and E-Bay will become a valuable resource.
I'm watching all of the time for bargains.
 
Transference of warranty is item specific i guess.

For example, I bought an april 2011 macbook pro which was described as mint.

It arrived with a physical fault but I didn't even tell the seller. I just went straight to the Apple shop who replaced the necessary parts.
The warranty is tied to the serial number, not the owner.
EV Re-20 was the same. They didn't care who I was; They just fixed it.

I'm quite certain that this doesn't apply to most things though, but if something is described as having warranty, make sure you receive a copy of the original proof of purchase.


Usually (but not always) situations on ebay are the result of making a mistake.
My bro got skinned cos he sold something and posted it with no tracking.
The buyer claimed it never arrived and was granted an immediate refund as my brother couldn't provide a tracking number.

He DID have a receipt, but apparently that's not good enough!
 
+1

Most of my mics are used as well. You can buy much more mics for the same amount.

Be clever! I have all kinds of ways to find great mics dirt, dirt cheap (without stealing of course).
 
Sure am liking my e609s!

For recording a guitar cab you should check out a cheap Chinese ribbon microphone.
 
Is there really a Cheap Chinese Ribbon Microphone?

It would go great with a Really Nice Preamp and a Really Nice Compressor!
 
moresound said:
Sure am liking my e609s!

For recording a guitar cab you should check out a cheap Chinese ribbon microphone.
Click to expand...

like what?


On ebay, do you ever have to worry about "fake" mics, or is this not really an issue?
 
The Nady RSM 5 is about $70 and is a good, all round , ribbon mic. Would do for vocals, instruments & cabinets.
The RSM 4 is the same price and is ideal for bass.
The RSM 2 is a superb vocal mic but requires 80dB of clean gain.
 
Fake mics are common on Ebay for "recognizable" name/model mics. Everyone has heard of the Shure SM58/57, so there are fakes out there. The e609 is common around here, but most other folks wouldn't recognize that name - I doubt you will have trouble with fakes. I could always be wrong though, believe it or not.
The MXL R144 and R40 are two other low cost ribbon mics. They are the same mic, I believe, just that the R40 is sold through Musician's Friend and can sometimes be had at a significantly reduced price. I haven't had a chance to use my R144 on a guitar cab yet, but I believe Moresound has used one for that purpose.
When I purchase used end-address microphones, I always take the headbasket off and soak it in mouthwash overnight. It might not help anything at all, but it makes me feel better.
 
+1.
If you're buyin a 57 or 58, make sure it's from an authorised seller.
Ebay are quite good at publicising information about scams and frauds etc but I've never needed to reference it.
 
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