Buying new or 2nd hand, online vs offline - pros & cons ? - Forum

Everyone likes a machinery bargain from sites like eBay, but does it compromise our ability to run a business and does it leave us exposed in relation to warranties, customer service, sale of goods act etc ? I see a lot of traditional suppliers are now advertising on ebay (sometimes hiding behind indivdual's names ) with some scary comments like 'sold as seen" etc leaving you stranded if problems occur, something that doesn't happen with real 'bricks&mortar' shops ..... Can bargains still be had on eBay ? Are most items 'faulty' or hiding some fault ? Can you spot a ringer or stolen kit ? After the time spent 'watching', travelling to collect, putting right faults - are we really buying a bargain ? We got caught out last year, a well hidden fault that cost more than a dealer's 2nd hand comparable machine. We now buy zilch/zero/nothing on eBay unless it's a real dealer who offers the same level of customer service. In fact one of our dealers says he makes more on eBay sales as people leave their brains a home and bid at any cost to win...... My Mantra: I have no desire to spend hours fault finding on a just purchased piece of 2nd hand kit, buying spares etc and would rather be concentrating on my business, earning more money than I need to pay someone to fix a fault or buy with a warranty etc... What's the view out there ?

You're absolutely right, probably 90% of used pro-standard equipment has been well-used and there's a reason a pro is selling something rather than keeping it and using it....new has to be better, or dealer-refurbed at least.

That said, I just bought a mower for half price on the 'bay with "30 hours use". Turned out it's a year old but as new, bought by a guy with a very nice house to cut his own lawn. After one season he bought a robo-mower. Oil is like new, air filter spotless, it's really a new machine with less use than I put on it in it's first week. And saved me £500. Also picked up an Etesia 46 for £100 in decent condition recently.

Bargains can be had, but be very careful and don't be afraid to say no to something if it's not as described when advertised. I guess the key thing is to keep an eye out for local stuff, and buy it when it's available, rather than having to panic when something breaks down and needing to buy fast. I have saved searches for Stihl, Honda 21", Etesia etc. and just keep an eye on whats going within about 15 miles or so.

Replies

Paul McNulty June 28, 2012 at 4:10pm

You're absolutely right, probably 90% of used pro-standard equipment has been well-used and there's a reason a pro is selling something rather than keeping it and using it....new has to be better, or dealer-refurbed at least.

That said, I just bought a mower for half price on the 'bay with "30 hours use". Turned out it's a year old but as new, bought by a guy with a very nice house to cut his own lawn. After one season he bought a robo-mower. Oil is like new, air filter spotless, it's really a new machine with less use than I put on it in it's first week. And saved me £500. Also picked up an Etesia 46 for £100 in decent condition recently.

Bargains can be had, but be very careful and don't be afraid to say no to something if it's not as described when advertised. I guess the key thing is to keep an eye out for local stuff, and buy it when it's available, rather than having to panic when something breaks down and needing to buy fast. I have saved searches for Stihl, Honda 21", Etesia etc. and just keep an eye on whats going within about 15 miles or so.
David Cox June 28, 2012 at 6:36pm

Buyer beware - I buy the odd thing on the bay.... Recently a vintage 1986 Sachs Dolmar chainsaw as spares / repaid, and a Stihl Kombi Strimmer... both I paid what they were worth to me as scrap... not a penny more. I always work on the assumption that the price I pay is for seized junk which I will break for spares....

Brought a KM85R engine once for £30 on that basis... was knakered.... but It has saved more more than £100 in time as and £100 again in parts as a donor machine for my main KM85R......

Good post though - remember to always pay what it is worth.
Thermo June 28, 2012 at 8:20pm

ive had some good buys off of the net and from boot sales, local papers etc. if you know what you are looking for and are careful who you get it from then its worth it. I bought a husqvarna stump chainsaw grinder last year. Bit of a punt, but got it at a good price and figured it would need a bit of money spending on it. Had to get it serviced and new piston rings, buts its paid me back many times over. Just got to be careful and realistic.
PRO

Gary RK June 29, 2012 at 7:54pm

I was looking around yesterday on ebay and came across a 'known' dealer advertising a piece of landscaping equipment, with a 'Buy it now' price (so technically not an Auction), with the terms :

"CONDITIONS OF SALE: All our goods are sold by auction on standard auction terms, with no guarantee, and are thus excluded from the Sale of Goods Act."

Same goods available from their store at same price BUT with 'consumer' protection?

All leaves a nasty taste in my mouth...

Reeks of people of who should know better trying to offload their responsibilities onto unsuspecting punters....?
Paul McNulty June 29, 2012 at 9:25pm

I just think that e-bay attracts chancers, so do your research. Don't get carried away, don't bid after a bottle of red wine, don't forget that you have legal recourse most times even if they say not. Use the feedback, most traders really won't want a negative and would rather give you a refund.

Best advice is always to have a good relationship with a local dealer. If he has a used machine come in he'd rather offload it quickly to a regular customer, and these can sometimes be a real bargain. Sadly most dealers have cottoned on to e-bay now, so are selling stuff at a far better price after giving a quick clean-up and calling it "refurbed"!
Pro-Cut June 30, 2012 at 10:25pm

I have a camon chipper shredder on ebay at the moment that I purchased last year on the bay but I have just never used it as it is too heavy for me to load alone.

It runs great but on collecting it they pushed it straight into my van and shut the doors. I didn't find out till I got home that the one wheel was a cheap plastic replacement and the other not much better. Cost me over £100.00 for two new wheels from Camon!

You lives and learns but I could never do some one over in a sale, ebay or not.