buying used mics on eBay
- Thread starter astrom13
- Start date
Slackmaster2K
Gone
The responses you get to this will be pretty much meaningless since we've all bought from different sellers.
There's kind of a rule when buying used gear over the internet (especially when it's NOT from a company): Don't buy anything with moving parts unless you're prepared for the risk!
A microphone is a delicate instrument (aside from the tanks like SM57's). You are at your own risk here. If you get screwed you're probably not going to hop on a plane to go beat the crap out of some dude 1500 miles away.
ONLY buy delicate items like microphones, hard drives, etc from sellers with a great profile. And MAKE SURE you read their negative comments. One guy I saw had about 50 positive comments and one negative...but the negative was SO bad that I chose not to buy from him at the time.
And try to get the seller to ship the item with insurance and TRY to get some sort of DOA agreement. It is very important to talk to the seller in situations like this. You'll probably be able to tell if he/she is reasonable and trustworthy. If you get a bad feeling in your gut, stick with it.
Slackmaster 2000
There's kind of a rule when buying used gear over the internet (especially when it's NOT from a company): Don't buy anything with moving parts unless you're prepared for the risk!
A microphone is a delicate instrument (aside from the tanks like SM57's). You are at your own risk here. If you get screwed you're probably not going to hop on a plane to go beat the crap out of some dude 1500 miles away.
ONLY buy delicate items like microphones, hard drives, etc from sellers with a great profile. And MAKE SURE you read their negative comments. One guy I saw had about 50 positive comments and one negative...but the negative was SO bad that I chose not to buy from him at the time.
And try to get the seller to ship the item with insurance and TRY to get some sort of DOA agreement. It is very important to talk to the seller in situations like this. You'll probably be able to tell if he/she is reasonable and trustworthy. If you get a bad feeling in your gut, stick with it.
Slackmaster 2000
I love ebay.I have had no bad expierences except for one.I bought a classic marantz 4230 receiver for 135.00 with the wood cabinet,Real nice,Gyro tuning,blue lights, the works. the seller did'nt disclose that 1 channel was only 20% functional.I paid another 150.00 to fix it.CHECK THE SELLERS FEEDBACK!!. Here's a short list of winning bids I'm very happy with.Prices include shipping. mint Tascam 238 dbx with remote.aprox 25 hours use 335.00 teac mo9 mixer,Very good/ex.working cond. 45.00 Jvc Tdw 209 dual cass.deck with dolby c and hx pro ex.working cond.71.00 A brand new tascam 246 used for aprox 10 hours,300.00.Just use common sense,avoid sellers with "sunglasses"and no ratings.Don't let a few negative feedbacks sway your decision if a seller has over a 95% good rating.The law of avgs.dictates that good sellers will get a jerk or two
BlueNorthern
New member
I purchased a large diaphragm condenser mic off ebay. I was NEW though. I got a great price and good service from the guy. He has sold alot of these to other people too.
I don't think I would buy a used mic without trying it out first. This would not be possible on ebay.
Good luck!
www.mp3.com/lostandlonesome
I don't think I would buy a used mic without trying it out first. This would not be possible on ebay.
Good luck!
www.mp3.com/lostandlonesome
Slackmaster2K
Gone
Some things to note about eBay:
1) Many of the sellers are companies selling gear at regular online prices. Almost everything I've seen "brand new" has been selling for at least what you could find it for elsewhere (but WITH A WARRANTY, ETC).
2) Older used gear can often be picked up at great prices, especially if the seller doesn't know what he has...but you're at your own risk.
3) If there is something selling at a great price...the odds of you being the only person to see it are very low.
4) I've seen MANY items sell for much more than they're worth...especially if the bidding is heavy.
To me eBay is better for sellers than buyers. You have a pretty good chance of selling your item at a fairly high price...perhaps more than you paid for it!
Auctions aren't even that great in REAL life. I attended an auction recently...a computer place went under...people were SO into bidding that I saw generic 17" monitors go for $380!!!! That's $180 more than they would run elsewhere! It only takes one moron to drive the price sky high.
On the flipside, if you watch eBay for a while you'll find some types of items that go for real cheap...ESPECIALLY software. You can pick up a copy of MS Office 97 for $25. I bought Visual C++ 6.0 for $50 last year.
Slackmaster 2000
1) Many of the sellers are companies selling gear at regular online prices. Almost everything I've seen "brand new" has been selling for at least what you could find it for elsewhere (but WITH A WARRANTY, ETC).
2) Older used gear can often be picked up at great prices, especially if the seller doesn't know what he has...but you're at your own risk.
3) If there is something selling at a great price...the odds of you being the only person to see it are very low.
4) I've seen MANY items sell for much more than they're worth...especially if the bidding is heavy.
To me eBay is better for sellers than buyers. You have a pretty good chance of selling your item at a fairly high price...perhaps more than you paid for it!
Auctions aren't even that great in REAL life. I attended an auction recently...a computer place went under...people were SO into bidding that I saw generic 17" monitors go for $380!!!! That's $180 more than they would run elsewhere! It only takes one moron to drive the price sky high.
On the flipside, if you watch eBay for a while you'll find some types of items that go for real cheap...ESPECIALLY software. You can pick up a copy of MS Office 97 for $25. I bought Visual C++ 6.0 for $50 last year.
Slackmaster 2000
Fishmed
Well-known member
I have bought several recording items from ebay and got a great deal on some of them. Slack is right, there are people out there who don't know what they have so they let it go cheap. I bought on two occasions an Ibanez SDR 1000. The first one I go was for $150, and the second one I got was an upgraded model which I paid $250. That may not seem like a good deal, but what most people do not realize is that those Ibanez units are loaded with Lexicon PCM60 guts. Now those Lexicon units go for around $600+ used. Another Time I bought a DBX 162 for $850, I think that was a fair price. My best deal though was when I bought a Rode Clasic for $850.
The key to getting a good deal is do your homework about the item you want to bid on. Find the going used price, then decide on what the max dollars you would want to pay for the item would be. Go ahead and bid that amount. If you bid that amount, it does not mean that you will have to buy it for that price. It is a good idea to place your max bid from the start so that you can reserve your max bid. Here is an example for bidding:
Say there is a mic for sell and the current bid is $75 with bid increaments of $5. You decide the most you would want to pay for this mic is $200. You would then bid $200, and if there is nobody else bidding higher you will have the highest bid of $80 (it would be $75 if you have the first bid.) Say nobody else bids on the mic and it closes with you as the highest bidder. You would win the bid at $80. If someone did bid after you placed your $200 bid, then ebay would auto bid for you in the increaments amounts up to your limit. If someone has out bidded your limit (more than $200), then ebay will send you an email telling you that you have been out bidded. At that point you can go to ebay and submit a new bid amount if you think the mic is worth it. The key point here is if you don't think the mic is worth more than $200, then don't submit a new bid.
I have lost several bids because I thought if I bid any higher that I was not be getting a good deal. Know when to say when. Don't bid for the sake of bidding. If you bid smart you'll be a winner every time.
[This message has been edited by Fishmed (edited 03-19-2000).]
The key to getting a good deal is do your homework about the item you want to bid on. Find the going used price, then decide on what the max dollars you would want to pay for the item would be. Go ahead and bid that amount. If you bid that amount, it does not mean that you will have to buy it for that price. It is a good idea to place your max bid from the start so that you can reserve your max bid. Here is an example for bidding:
Say there is a mic for sell and the current bid is $75 with bid increaments of $5. You decide the most you would want to pay for this mic is $200. You would then bid $200, and if there is nobody else bidding higher you will have the highest bid of $80 (it would be $75 if you have the first bid.) Say nobody else bids on the mic and it closes with you as the highest bidder. You would win the bid at $80. If someone did bid after you placed your $200 bid, then ebay would auto bid for you in the increaments amounts up to your limit. If someone has out bidded your limit (more than $200), then ebay will send you an email telling you that you have been out bidded. At that point you can go to ebay and submit a new bid amount if you think the mic is worth it. The key point here is if you don't think the mic is worth more than $200, then don't submit a new bid.
I have lost several bids because I thought if I bid any higher that I was not be getting a good deal. Know when to say when. Don't bid for the sake of bidding. If you bid smart you'll be a winner every time.
[This message has been edited by Fishmed (edited 03-19-2000).]
Hey,
I bought an SM-57 last year, and also bought a pair of infinity speakers(my current monitors) off Ebay. Both are in great condition and had fast transactions. I was very please with buying this stuff of there, and will continue to in the future. Bottom line: I recommend it, you can find some great deals...Hope it all works out well, catch ya'll later...
***Justin***
I bought an SM-57 last year, and also bought a pair of infinity speakers(my current monitors) off Ebay. Both are in great condition and had fast transactions. I was very please with buying this stuff of there, and will continue to in the future. Bottom line: I recommend it, you can find some great deals...Hope it all works out well, catch ya'll later...
***Justin***
zerotosixty
New member
Also try www.digibid.com they specialize in musical gear!