Buying on Ebay

[deserteagle71]

Note that listings for legitimate compatible non-OEM batteries are listed as "for DeWalt", or "for Milwaukee". Some of these aftermarket batteries are better than others, and may be a good deal. I have purchased some of those in the past (for Makita, for Nikon).

Quality of these aftermarkets varies even with the same manufacturer. A few years ago I bought a "two pack" of 18V batteries to fit my aging DeWalt drill/driver. One of the batteries is still doing great...the other refused to take a charge after about a year.

 

[pacosperson]

I want to purchase the Echo 2500T battery saw. It is very expensive even without the battery and charger. There are several sellers on ebay with brand new, in the box ones for far cheaper. The price difference seems worth the risk but the sellers all have high ratings. Am I taking a huge risk here? Not a big ebay shopper so looking for some advice.

I have bought cars, trucks, machinery, even a Corvette frame on ebay. Just be sure the description is exact. Do not ask leading questions like 'Will this fit a 1950 Hudson?' Ask instead 'What will this fit?' The worst I ever did was buy a drill chuck that ran out .030". I always asked to pay with a US Postal Money Order. That gives you a valid name and address. If they hide that I'd stay away. Be aware there are EXACT fraudulent copies of things like power tool batteries.

 

[WinterDeere]

I have bought cars, trucks, machinery, even a Corvette frame on ebay.

I've sold a few cars on ebay, each roughly $10k cash deals. Never a problem, and always got a better price that way than I had been able to do otherwise.

My ebay account used to say "eBay Seller since 1996" next to my seller icon/avatar, just like we have "Veteran member" or "Bronze member" under our names on this forum. It was useful in letting buyers know they were dealing with a seller who was there to stay and had some vested interest in their reputation, but I think they've stopped adding those notifications to avatars now.

 

[dfkrug]

My ebay account used to say "eBay Seller since 1996" next to my seller icon/avatar, just like we have "Veteran member" or "Bronze member" under our names on this forum.

So, you were a customer/member of the predecessor company, Auction Web? They became eBay in 1997. That's impressive.

 

[WinterDeere]

So, you were a customer/member of the predecessor company, Auction Web? They became eBay in 1997. That's impressive.

I had forgotten all about that, but yes!

There wasn't even a paypal, when I started using the platform. I remember mailing paper checks for some early purchases. When PayPal first came along, I think they were a completely separate/independent company, and no one knew whether to trust them. Different world, even though it really wasn't that long ago.