Strategies for Buying Test Equipment off E*bay Part 3

So buy your Iwatsu and find out why I'm willing to pay more for Tektronix. In fact, I can send you a couple of dead Iwatsu's for the cost of shipping. I have clients who use them for ballast. Get a grip. Your 'vultures' are providing a service. Paul Mathews

You are complaining about the way markets work.

John

I think so too. Buyers make the price. Recently I wanted to buy an AUI to UTP converter to connect my DAS9200 to my network through CAT5 cable and finally get rid of the last segment of coax network. Some guy on the Dutch Ebay's alternative wanted 25 euros for one. I offered 5 euro for it. He refused and told me to take my crazy offer somewhere else (probably somewhere the sun doesn't shine). His loss. I ended up buying 2 for 5 euros.

I can't believe all asian designed test equipment is that bad. ....'use them for ballast'?

I wonder what's being used in asian electronics research labs... Are they using HP or Tektronix? Or is it something like Yokogawa?

D from BC British Columbia Canada.

Yup.. I'm just bitch'n.. :)

I wish there was something like a 'no used equipment dealers allowed ' section on E*bay. :)

D from BC British Columbia Canada.

...and who do you suppose would sell there?

IIRC somebody on here does have an Instek oscilloscope. Still happy with it I guess? Recently somebody posted about software for a Rigol scope. No bitchn on that thread.

How cheap in quality can a $15435 Yokogawa spectrum analyzer be? Like with everything, some brands are better than others.

A brand new Iwatsu 100Mhz is about $1300.00. Iwatsu might be one of the last makers of 1Ghz analog scopes. Are those dead Iwatsu's from 1973? Even if they were still working, I wouldn't use'm.. :P Sometimes inexpensive equipment take a beating. 'Who cares..it's cheap to replace.' People are much more gentle on the expensive equipment. 'Don't bump it.. It'll cost an arm and leg to replace.'

D from BC British Columbia Canada.

I mean a 'special' place on E*bay where used equipment dealers can't bid or buy but they can still sell. Sellers can be anybody. Examples of sellers: Someone from a failed tech company. Someone from a research company. (Research finished). Or perhaps the seller is from a company that's upgrading.

The idea is to block used equipment dealers from bidding. That way people can get those 'I'm so happy I could cry' prices. :)

D from BC British Columbia Canada.

So, I have a surplus oscilloscope (say I bought brand new one and don't have room for an old one).

Why would I offer it in a place where only certain buyers can enter, thus reducing the amount of money I'll receive? There may be a reason, but you've not provided any evidence that used equipment dealers are particularly bad customers. In fact, I suspect, as business persons, they are rather less trouble than many others and would be better informed on shipping costs and other matters, and more likely to pay promptly and not bitch about minutia.

So, they pay significantly more money, and it's most likely a smooth and trouble-free transaction. Sounds good to me.

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

Ohhhhh.. :( I get it now.. Also, krw's question just clicked in too. Geez.. :P It's the same point. One wants to make as much as possible. If they can pay, who cares who buys your test equipment. It's wonderful to have 10 zillion resellers bidding on your scope! :P

Well.. I only have a whimpy 'patch' idea in my defense.. Let's say you want your cherished scope to have a new home. You don't want it flipped for profit. If the resellers are blocked from bidding then there's a chance your scope can benefit a student or a low budget start up company or a hobbyist.

D from BC British Columbia Canada.

If you want to maximize that kind of return, you can just donate it! Still, the donee might decide to resell it.

If you want to do that then advertise on special interest groups like this, been done plenty of times in the past. Perhaps with a stipulation along the lines of who the buyer/recipient must be, e.g. "free to hobbyist or student under 18yo only" etc Or stick a sign up on the local notice board at your local engineering school. Plenty of ways to ensure your bit of kit goes to a good home.

Dave.

I agree. The way Ebay works now is already reducing prices considerably.