BASTARD ebay SELLERS!!!!

[Herm]

Your teac was packed the same way my 34b was last week only it didnt even have the foam penuts in the box. just two layers of bubble wrap.
Stupid is that stupid does.

 

[cjacek]

Thanks for sharing your stories guys! I too feel bad for your loses ... a damn shame indeed .....

We should all get together and visit those who wronged our gear and ..... KICK THEIR STUPID IGNORANT ASSES!!!!!!!!!

eBay should make it mandatory that all Vintage gear, the heavier and bulkier ones, should be packed to some appropriate standards or at least not allow stupid people to sell .... has to be a law against "stupid people", right ?

Daniel

 

[Tapehead]

A few things about Ebay. I certainly look at the feedback but also look at the items sold. If someone has twenty positives, all in the last two months, and the items sold were low value ($1-2), I have very little confidence in that unless I'm buying something of similar value from them.

I've had many successful transactions on Ebay. The higher the value, the more carefully I look. I look for how long they've been on Ebay, their feedback, the value of items they've bought and sold, the quality of the information provided including pictures, and if necessary I email and even phone them to see if they know what they're talking about.

I have only been fleeced once, and that was on a $15 item that was only worth probably $1 ( a mini football for my son that turned out to be a little foam display one, not a real small sized one ). I just laughed about it and learned my lesson to be more careful.

The biggest ticket item I purchased was a $1000 Tascam MSR 16 tape deck. It came from a studio in Virginia (I'm in Vancouver Canada). We exchanged several emails and I phoned the owner. He had a small studio and was going fully digital. In this discussion it was clear he knew what he was talking about.

We agreed on the insurance we'd put on it and I bought it. The box arrived damaged and the unit obviously worse for the wear. I phoned him back and we worked out a deal to send it back and have the insurance company deal with it. We had good documentation and photographs and it had been shipped in its original factory box and foam protection. It looked like a forklift blade had pierced the box and and dented the unit, knocking the unit out of alignment and loosening some electronics. I figured the unit was totalled but they did a full repair and shipped it back and it was better than before since it was gone over with a fine tooth comb. So a bad luck story but a good ending. I'm not saying things will never go wrong, they can and did as I've described. For larger ticket items I would suggest really doing your homework, make sure you have good insurance, pay a few extra dollars if necessary and insist on it being professionally packed. (It's a big mistake to try to go cheap on shipping, insurance and packaging. It's better to walk away from the "deal" if all that doesn't add up to a viable purchase.)

My sympathies to all of you with these horror stories...it's very sad when this happens, not only because of the money and time lost but also I hate to see a perfectly good machine or instrument damaged like this. It ain't right.

I hope this helps, good luck everyone.

 

[cjacek]

A few things about Ebay. I certainly look at the feedback but also look at the items sold. If someone has twenty positives, all in the last two months, and the items sold were low value ($1-2), I have very little confidence in that unless I'm buying something of similar value from them.

I've had many successful transactions on Ebay. The higher the value, the more carefully I look. I look for how long they've been on Ebay, their feedback, the value of items they've bought and sold, the quality of the information provided including pictures, and if necessary I email and even phone them to see if they know what they're talking about.

I have only been fleeced once, and that was on a $15 item that was only worth probably $1 ( a mini football for my son that turned out to be a little foam display one, not a real small sized one ). I just laughed about it and learned my lesson to be more careful.

The biggest ticket item I purchased was a $1000 Tascam MSR 16 tape deck. It came from a studio in Virginia (I'm in Vancouver Canada). We exchanged several emails and I phoned the owner. He had a small studio and was going fully digital. In this discussion it was clear he knew what he was talking about.

We agreed on the insurance we'd put on it and I bought it. The box arrived damaged and the unit obviously worse for the wear. I phoned him back and we worked out a deal to send it back and have the insurance company deal with it. We had good documentation and photographs and it had been shipped in its original factory box and foam protection. It looked like a forklift blade had pierced the box and and dented the unit, knocking the unit out of alignment and loosening some electronics. I figured the unit was totalled but they did a full repair and shipped it back and it was better than before since it was gone over with a fine tooth comb. So a bad luck story but a good ending. I'm not saying things will never go wrong, they can and did as I've described. For larger ticket items I would suggest really doing your homework, make sure you have good insurance, pay a few extra dollars if necessary and insist on it being professionally packed. (It's a big mistake to try to go cheap on shipping, insurance and packaging. It's better to walk away from the "deal" if all that doesn't add up to a viable purchase.)

My sympathies to all of you with these horror stories...it's very sad when this happens, not only because of the money and time lost but also I hate to see a perfectly good machine or instrument damaged like this. It ain't right.

I hope this helps, good luck everyone.

Thanks "Tapehead" .. Well said!

Hey, I too am in Vancouver! Taxes suck though when importing from the US.

Daniel

 

[Beck]

Hey cjacek, have you contacted the seller about returning the item? The vast majority of my ebay transactions have been great. I have had a couple bad packing experiences from sellers like yours though. One was good enough to refund a large portion of my money, the other was a jerk.

You can replace the wood on that machine easy enough. If you don't do woodworking you can have a couple new panels made to match the originals by a local wood shop. I don't know about the rest, except to have it realigned by a Tascam tech.

I would try getting your money back first -- talk to ebay support about your options. Since he had 100% feedback you may have some recourse.

I really check sellers out before I buy anything, but something could always go wrong.

Of course I check feedback, but the ebay feedback system is flawed. One really important thing that a lot of people don't do is check the seller's feedback he's given to others. You can often see a bad attitude in what someone says about others. You can get an idea of whether the person may be unreasonable if something goes wrong.

I will also do research on the individual. Some sellers have an email posted in the listing. If they don't, I always "ask the seller a question" just so I can get his email and maybe a name in the reply. By the time I bid I will often know who the guy is, where he lives, where he works, etc. I will do a search on an address and find posts by the person on message boards like this -- again, I may see something about the person's attitude I don't like. I've even found questions by sellers about how to fix the very item they are selling as "mint condition."

I have learned to give precise packing instructions. I used to hesitate because I don't want to insult the person's intelligence (I do enough of that here), but being clear about what you expect before even placing a bid is your best bet.

There's no guarantee, but I've had over 175 transactions on ebay, buying and selling with only two major and a few minor problems.

It's not just ebay either. I've had my worst experiences with non-ebay Internet businesses. And before the Internet I got burned by a mail order audio-video house in NY City over a Panasonic Super VHS editing deck. That was in 1993, and if I ever run in to that guy...#%@*&!!!

I know how frustrating it can be -- I wish you the best in resolving this thing.

 

[Outlaws]

One really important thing that a lot of people don't do is check the seller's feedback he's given to others. You can often see a bad attitude in what someone says about others. You can get an idea of whether the person may be unreasonable if something goes wrong.

lol

I do that too.

I was selling something a while back and one of the bidders had a negative for his only piece of feedback. I almost was going to pursure blocking his bid because I didn't feel like even getting involved in that.

Then I looked who left it. That guy had a shitload of negative feedback. It is really quite funny what they were all for.

Apparently, the guy made it sound like these people were getting DVDs of "barely legal" material...couchPORN But the guy was really selling just passwords to a website.

 

[Outlaws]

Good news!

...at least for me.


PayPal found this smuck guilty and gave me just over 50% of my money back. They said that was all that was left in his account, so that is all they are legally allowed to give me. He was't an insured seller, so PayPal doesn't back it up on their own. But they also said it was an "unsastifactory amount" and will pursure him for the rest. Until they do, his account with PayPal is done.


So in the end (so far), I am left with more than I thought I would have, plus a not so bad phone (if you can look at it objectivly for what it is, not what is should have been). I just super glued the reciever. I just hope it holds.

 

[cjacek]

Hey cjacek, have you contacted the seller about returning the item? The vast majority of my ebay transactions have been great. I have had a couple bad packing experiences from sellers like yours though. One was good enough to refund a large portion of my money, the other was a jerk.

I think I happened onto a "jerk", who's so wrapped up (no pun) in his own thing that he can't see that perhaps putting a 40 lb recorder into an inch of bubble wrap and a handful of styro pieces and a couple of cardboard cut outs ain't such a good idea .. Yes, I have contacted the seller. I asked him to take care of the insurance claim after I was told by USPS that the SENDER must do it. I emailed him again to ask if he was going to proceed with it. I still have no reply. Hey, I can always do a chargeback if it comes down to it. I'm gonna hurt him in the pocket book where it hurts if he shows arrogance.

You can replace the wood on that machine easy enough. If you don't do woodworking you can have a couple new panels made to match the originals by a local wood shop. I don't know about the rest, except to have it realigned by a Tascam tech.

Yeah, I know, thanks but I really wanted to have those nice originals .... that is part of the reason I bought the 1230 .... Perhaps I can get these repaired ... but where ?? The rest is pretty pathetic. The actual screws that hold the wooden sides are severely bent as a result of the the "handling" without proper "shock absorption". Furthermore, the actual front plate is caved slightly towards the back. Not very visible but significant enough that the center motor is loose and its plastic fan broke. The hinge that the power supply is attached to is actually bent, again, towards the back, indicating that the unit was bumped hard towards its back. Amazingly the 1230 is in VERY mint condition inside with little or no use and that's what makes it extra painful. Gotta tell you that if and when I get my money back (and I will) I'll get myself the service manual, disassemble the machine fully, straighten the plate, fix whatever needs fixin' and it should be ok then. Hopefully nothing more serious is the matter. Did you know that the seller actually put some liquid oily shit on the entire machine and he claims it will protect it from the "elements" and to wipe it off before use ... The liquid got into the inside and soiled what looks like a part of the schematic diagram which is at the bottom of the unit. Plus it smells like an old person ... What an idiot!

I would try getting your money back first -- talk to ebay support about your options. Since he had 100% feedback you may have some recourse.

Yes, I will explore all options. Thanks

I really check sellers out before I buy anything, but something could always go wrong.

Of course I check feedback, but the ebay feedback system is flawed. One really important thing that a lot of people don't do is check the seller's feedback he's given to others. You can often see a bad attitude in what someone says about others. You can get an idea of whether the person may be unreasonable if something goes wrong.

I will also do research on the individual. Some sellers have an email posted in the listing. If they don't, I always "ask the seller a question" just so I can get his email and maybe a name in the reply. By the time I bid I will often know who the guy is, where he lives, where he works, etc. I will do a search on an address and find posts by the person on message boards like this -- again, I may see something about the person's attitude I don't like. I've even found questions by sellers about how to fix the very item they are selling as "mint condition."

Thanks for that!

I have learned to give precise packing instructions. I used to hesitate because I don't want to insult the person's intelligence (I do enough of that here), but being clear about what you expect before even placing a bid is your best bet.

The only reasons I didn't give packing instructions on this deal is that the seller seemed to have experience with reel decks before and was confident he packs well. He did indicate to insure my item tho and he showed concern that these decks get handled roughly .... Hmm ... I should have inquired further about that ... Now I know, he's a lousy packer who thinks otherwise ..

There's no guarantee, but I've had over 175 transactions on ebay, buying and selling with only two major and a few minor problems.

It's not just ebay either. I've had my worst experiences with non-ebay Internet businesses. And before the Internet I got burned by a mail order audio-video house in NY City over a Panasonic Super VHS editing deck. That was in 1993, and if I ever run in to that guy...#%@*&!!!

I know how frustrating it can be -- I wish you the best in resolving this thing.

Alright, thanks again!

Daniel

 

[cjacek]

Good news!

...at least for me.


PayPal found this smuck guilty and gave me just over 50% of my money back. They said that was all that was left in his account, so that is all they are legally allowed to give me. He was't an insured seller, so PayPal doesn't back it up on their own. But they also said it was an "unsastifactory amount" and will pursure him for the rest. Until they do, his account with PayPal is done.


So in the end (so far), I am left with more than I thought I would have, plus a not so bad phone (if you can look at it objectivly for what it is, not what is should have been). I just super glued the reciever. I just hope it holds.

Good to know that! One less asswipe to deal with on eBay!

Same here .. if I get my money back, I'll have a free recorder that I can fix up. The only thing to give is lotsa time .. and I should get extra for that!

Daniel

 

[cjacek]

Btw, if someone knows a good way to fix the plastic motor fan then I'd appreciate the tip!

Daniel

 

[Vintage TX]

Sorry about the damaged deck Daniel.
You should get a full refund from the seller, but shipping with USPS is not suggested at all with heavy electronics.
Good news Pay Pal refunded 50 %, chase the seller for the rest !
Looking at the pictures, the plastic fan on the back can be replaced, other models have the same fan Daniel, check the screws on the side of the motor, they maybe are just loose.
Damaged sidepanel... if you know a carpenter new ones is maybe a option.
Is the PC-board cracked or just pushed in ?

Thanks for your comments about my packing, never had one damaged yet, last month I shipped a Teac to Japan from US, Fed Ex worldwide, weight of the deck 48 lbs, after packing 65 lbs.
Was little scary as customs usually cut these open looking for drugs or whatever, but it made the trip OK and the buyer is happy.

PS/ I have another fan for you if you decide to fix it Daniel.

 

[cjacek]

Sorry about the damaged deck Daniel.
You should get a full refund from the seller, but shipping with USPS is not suggested at all with heavy electronics.
Good news Pay Pal refunded 50 %, chase the seller for the rest !
Looking at the pictures, the plastic fan on the back can be replaced, other models have the same fan Daniel, check the screws on the side of the motor, they maybe are just loose.
Damaged sidepanel... if you know a carpenter new ones is maybe a option.
Is the PC-board cracked or just pushed in ?

Thanks for your comments about my packing, never had one damaged yet, last month I shipped a Teac to Japan from US, Fed Ex worldwide, weight of the deck 48 lbs, after packing 65 lbs.
Was little scary as customs usually cut these open looking for drugs or whatever, but it made the trip OK and the buyer is happy.

PS/ I have another fan for you if you decide to fix it Daniel.

Thanks Rolf!

Good to see you back again posting!

Yeah, the seller agreed to refund my purchase price + shipping upon delivery of the deck to him. This after many, many emails and trying to convince him that HE was the one responsible and not USPS. I've had stuff smashed by UPS and USPS and these had in common only one thing: the gear was not meant to withstand any normal handling by the shipper, as a result of very poor packing. I've explained to the seller that 1 inch bubble and a handful of peanuts ain't gonna do it regardless of shipping company.

As far as I can tell, nothing else is broken other than the fan (yes, it broke off) and the side panels, bent screws, slightly bent face plate towards the back and the loose motor which I had tried to screw in more but something else must be the matter ..... I'll see what happens and will definitely let you know should I need to get the fan from you.

Btw, and briefly changing subjects here .... Is it possible that FULL erasure of previous material won't happen if the wrong tape, in my case the 456, is used on the Akai ? On quiet sections, I hear "ghosting" remnants of previous material ... Is it that the 456 has more oxide than the 407 that the Akai can't fully erase ?

Thanks again Rolf!

Daniel

 

[Vintage TX]

Sorry for long wait, been very busy here, the fastest way is to e-mail private Daniel.
Great the seller came forward and refunded his mistake.
Before you decide to start buying parts etc, check the pc-boards very carefully.
They can be cracked if the deck was dropped Daniel..
i would take both sidepanels off, and look at the frame inside, if it's bent you are out of luck, would buy another deck instead and use that one for parts.
The palstic fan comes off very easy, look between motor and fan there is a phillips screw, loosen it and pull the fan off.

About your Akai and 456 tapes, is the tape new or old ?
Shouldn't be any difference between the 2 tapes if they are new.

 

[cjacek]

Sorry for long wait, been very busy here, the fastest way is to e-mail private Daniel.
Great the seller came forward and refunded his mistake.
Before you decide to start buying parts etc, check the pc-boards very carefully.
They can be cracked if the deck was dropped Daniel..
i would take both sidepanels off, and look at the frame inside, if it's bent you are out of luck, would buy another deck instead and use that one for parts.
The palstic fan comes off very easy, look between motor and fan there is a phillips screw, loosen it and pull the fan off.

About your Akai and 456 tapes, is the tape new or old ?
Shouldn't be any difference between the 2 tapes if they are new.

Not a problem waiting for you ..

Well, the seller will refund me after he receives the recorder. I have to pay upfront initially for the shipping but he'll refund that also ... I'll ship it Fedex Ground and keep the seller's emails so there's no question as to what he promised and what will be delivered.

I looked at the pc boards and these don't look cracked but there could be a problem I can't see with them as I can't test the machine .... The problem is worse that I thought .... The force (and lack of shock absorption by the poor packing) led to the plate, on which the motors rest, to be bent towards the back. The motors (center and right) are loose as a result of them not having total and flat surface to rest on. The side panels are almost impossible to take out 'cause their screws are very bent and prevent them being taken out .... There is even a severe imprint and dent on the back cover by the right reel motor .... That's how hard the 1230 was bumped towards its back. If there was even a foot of material on all sides and corners, then these bumps would have been absorbed well ..... Gotta tell you, that the 1230 inside and out looks like new, were it not for the damage, which is structural too .... You'd have to disassemble the whole thing, find a way to straighten the plate etc ..... work that I not wish to partake in, especially if something electronic might be damaged as well ....... I feel so bad as I really thought I came upon the cutest and nicest recorder I've seen .....

So the fan is really a minor thing compared to the other stuff ....

Yes, the 456 is relatively new, bought new a year ago and recorded about a dozen times over ...... Ok, not really new ...

Daniel

 

[superstupid]

I bought a Mesa/Boogie tube head, no pictures, some shady feedback, and the guy had auctioned the same head earlier, and was put back on the block, no feedback was seen.

Well the 15 yr old idiot packed it in a beaten rack case that wasn't even screwed into the rack, inside a much bigger box with only a little bit of packing peanuts inside it.

Broken tubes everywhere. Also, he neglected to tell me that the amp did not exactly work properly. It made a sound, but had a serious clipping problem when cranked. Upon taking it to the tech, there apparently was a fire inside the amp at one point. This has been a real pain to fix. I fix it, then it fries itself again.

 

[Outlaws]

Thats really weird how the tubes fell out. I could see them breaking, but for the base to come out of the socket, you have to pull.

 

[AdrianFly]

I know it's wrong but I can't stop laughing at that picture with all the broken tubes!! ROTFLMFAO

 

[AdrianFly]

I know it's wrong but I can't stop laughing at that picture with all the broken tubes!! My god I can hardly breathe!

 

[cjacek]

I bought a Mesa/Boogie tube head, no pictures, some shady feedback, and the guy had auctioned the same head earlier, and was put back on the block, no feedback was seen.

Well the 15 yr old idiot packed it in a beaten rack case that wasn't even screwed into the rack, inside a much bigger box with only a little bit of packing peanuts inside it.

Broken tubes everywhere. Also, he neglected to tell me that the amp did not exactly work properly. It made a sound, but had a serious clipping problem when cranked. Upon taking it to the tech, there apparently was a fire inside the amp at one point. This has been a real pain to fix. I fix it, then it fries itself again.

Yeah, that's pretty bad. Sorry my friend ..

Daniel