Beware the wrath of *******s on eBay

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-- Beware the wrath of *******s on eBay

Posted by Max Thomson on Aug-30-2004 15:23:

Beware the wrath of *******s on eBay

Some people just think they are SOOO slick...

I buy these tables a couple weeks ago -> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...me=STRK:MEWN:IT

I get them last tuesday.

- Both RCAs make a rattling noise when moved around and connected to the mixer
- Both Ortofon Concordes have sound out of only 1 channel (yes, I did lick it and stick it)
- One has a broken tonearm stand and is missing a leg

So I go to check this bozo's selling history and look what I found ->
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...item=3728361473

Apparently, this guy tried to sell these damaged the way they were and they probably never got sold or were returned by the guy who bought them.

So what does he do? He glues the tonearm stand back on and passes them off to me as in (and I quote from the auction) "GOOD OVERALL CONDITION"

I'm so fucking heated at this asshole, I paid $610 for the whole package with shipping.

And to top it all off I called his house today and he's gone for a week! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Posted by BelgianGuru on Aug-30-2004 15:42:

And the week after that he'll be gone to Africa for two months etc... 610$ is a load of money, don't wait a week, do everything you can do right now before it's too late.

Posted by New Wave on Aug-30-2004 15:54:

You must be a real hard asshole to brake technics anyway.
But this suckes. Don;t know if you live near the guy?
Go to him and get your money back!

Posted by sleepydragon on Aug-30-2004 17:45:

shouldnt u of checked his selling history before u bought them and not after i always check out every seller im gonna buy from and look for high ratings.

Posted by Freak on Aug-30-2004 18:29:

-Rca is an easy fix- very simple soldering.
Are you sure its the RCAs and not the earth? The tiniest movement can make earth noise.
-common problem with concordes- VERY lightly sand the terminals, and blow into the tone arm itself.
Also make sure they are screwed on properly . This happens to me at work sometimes- simple to fix. I promise you they will be fine.
-broken tonearm stand is a fiver in the uk- not hard to fix. Missing foot, again, not too expensive.

Still a good deal and price , especially with a mixer included- the tables themselves work fine i imagine (if they dont you havent mentioned it).
All of the above is normal wear and tear stuff
But doesnt excuse the fact he should have mentioned it.

Posted by mungoy on Aug-30-2004 19:45:

i agree w/ freak, the seller should have mentioned the problems but i also think the problems arent that hard to fix. its still a good deal.

Posted by Max Thomson on Aug-30-2004 19:55:

Freak,

I don't even know what 'earth noise is'...I guess my question is is it normal to get noise when the RCAs are moved around?

I was thinking of getting some Shure M44Gs today, and you are right for the price its not a bad deal.

I guess I kinda overreacted to this, my main concern being the sound quality of the RCAs.

I did check his selling history and saw that he had sold a number of Technics turntables...these didn't really stand out.

Posted by beats and beeps on Aug-30-2004 20:04:

Look at the pictures of the equipment, see those posters on the wall? Hes obviously a kid***, just threaten to tell his parents, or the cops, or something.

***age approx. 12-27.

Posted by DJ Intrigue on Aug-30-2004 20:05:

I really don't understand why people continue to buy used/pre-owned equipment, especially on eBay. I've read so many horror stories on this site about buying equipment used and having them be fucked up in some way. Do people like buying equipment that might be slightly damaged, but still playable or physically damanged (ie a turntable missing a leg or a turntable with the tone arm assembly tampered with)? Of course not all used equipment is like this, but it seems like alot is. Even if you are on a budget, why take the chance of having something not be the way it should be?

For me, I would never buy used electronic equipment because you have no idea what the previous owner did/didn't do with it. Even the descriptions on eBay can be misleading. Plus, I've seen some of the prices for used Technics on eBay and they are pretty close to the retail price that most stores sell them for. If this difference is only $100-$150, then why not save up and get the brand new equipment. I'll tell you, I bought all of my gear brand new and I have so much pride in myself and in the equipment because I was able to save up and buy everything new. It feels really cool. That's just me though, maybe some people don't mind used stuff.

Before I get flamed, it took me a good 7 months to complete my professional setup. I bought things piece by piece and have absolutely no regrets about the wait. I just saved each paycheck and I think I even worked a few more hours than normal a few weeks.

I hope that doesn't come across mean, and I apologize if it did. It is just getting annoying to hear how people got ripped by buying used equipment, thats all.

Posted by starlabs on Aug-30-2004 20:20:

quote:
Originally posted by DJ Intrigue
I hope that doesn't come across mean, and I apologize if it did. It is just getting annoying to hear how people got ripped by buying used equipment, thats all.

Yes, there are all those horror stories, and they suck. But don't get the impression that they're all bad. How many people got got good deals or who were satisfied from getting used stuff, are going to post (here or elsewhere)?

Very few. So people most inclined to post are the ones who got shafted. So the true ratio of good deals vs bad deals is hard to gauge - you've got a major chunk of the population out there that's silent.

I can't blame the poster for being pissed. Spending $600 is not chump change.

Posted by tranceDJ on Aug-30-2004 20:47:

quote:
Originally posted by DJ Intrigue
I really don't understand why people continue to buy used/pre-owned equipment, especially on eBay. I've read so many horror stories on this site about buying equipment used and having them be fucked up in some way. Do people like buying equipment that might be slightly damaged, but still playable or physically damanged (ie a turntable missing a leg or a turntable with the tone arm assembly tampered with)? Of course not all used equipment is like this, but it seems like alot is. Even if you are on a budget, why take the chance of having something not be the way it should be?

For me, I would never buy used electronic equipment because you have no idea what the previous owner did/didn't do with it. Even the descriptions on eBay can be misleading. Plus, I've seen some of the prices for used Technics on eBay and they are pretty close to the retail price that most stores sell them for. If this difference is only $100-$150, then why not save up and get the brand new equipment. I'll tell you, I bought all of my gear brand new and I have so much pride in myself and in the equipment because I was able to save up and buy everything new. It feels really cool. That's just me though, maybe some people don't mind used stuff.

Before I get flamed, it took me a good 7 months to complete my professional setup. I bought things piece by piece and have absolutely no regrets about the wait. I just saved each paycheck and I think I even worked a few more hours than normal a few weeks.

I hope that doesn't come across mean, and I apologize if it did. It is just getting annoying to hear how people got ripped by buying used equipment, thats all.

Buying off EBay is indeed a risk but when things turn out ok (which happens more often than people getting ripped off) you can end up saving a lot of money.

Posted by Freak on Aug-30-2004 21:56:

quote:
Originally posted by Max Thomson
Freak,

I don't even know what 'earth noise is'...I guess my question is is it normal to get noise when the RCAs are moved around?

By earth noise, i meant the humming and crackling and other wierd and wonderful noises you get when you move or have a dodgy earth/grounding lead running from the turntable to the mixer. Can happen when you move them or if not secured properly.

RCAs often go on techs- genuine one is 22 uk pounds, and any other make should be about 5.
It might be broken internally, but its not a major issue- yes if its damaged it will make noise when moved. Mine was gone on the right channel when i got it, but still made noise when moved

Really are a piece of piss to replace- http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStri...ceRCACables.htm

Posted by `pr0digy on Aug-30-2004 23:26:

How'd you find out he's gone for a week ? If you talked to his parents or something like that, just keep calling and talking to the parents, give them hell until something is done.

To the person who said they saved up and bought new instead of used: I'm sorry, I spent hundreds less than you, and got the same exact thing . If you have money, new is fine, but used is also a good choice most of the time. I got my used techs in the condition described - perfect, 'cept a few minor blemishes.

Posted by Max Thomson on Aug-31-2004 00:23:

I'm thinking of just cutting my losses and fixing these things up myself. I want to get some new needles (this experience with Ortofons has really sketched me out). I thought I wanted Ortofons but now I see how bad they can go. I bought some sand paper today and still nothing, same shitty sound out of only 1 channel. Even the one that has both channels working has a stronger right channel than left channel.

Anyway, I wanna know where to find some gold RCA cables, I've seen them a couple places and they look pretty cool...

Cheers and thanks again for the helpful responses.

Posted by DJ Intrigue on Aug-31-2004 00:30:

Posted by DJ Intrigue on Aug-31-2004 00:58:

quote:
Originally posted by `pr0digy
To the person who said they saved up and bought new instead of used: I'm sorry, I spent hundreds less than you, and got the same exact thing . If you have money, new is fine, but used is also a good choice most of the time. I got my used techs in the condition described - perfect, 'cept a few minor blemishes.

I'm that person. I never said used is bad, I'm just getting tired of the horror stories. Since I bought everything new, I've bypassed that whole situation completely and I'm not pissed at any seller because my equipment arrived not as expected. You know what to expect with brand new equipment. There are no scratches/scuffs/adhesive marks, plus YOU are the first owner so you can break the gear in. I just don't trust used electronics and will never buy them used.

Also, buying brand new gives a sense of accomplishment because you saved and were able to buy something retail. It feels very nice to be able to afford that. That's just me though.

Posted by D Dubya on Aug-31-2004 02:52:

quote:
Originally posted by beats and beeps
Look at the pictures of the equipment, see those posters on the wall? Hes obviously a kid***, just threaten to tell his parents, or the cops, or something.

***age approx. 12-27.

I would laugh at anyone who threatened to tell my parents and would probably never even bother replying. Don't take that route. Idle threats get you no where.

Posted by Max Thomson on Aug-31-2004 04:46:

I'm gonna wait until he gets back next week. I have emailed him twice but theres no way his parents know whats up and even if they did I doubt they'd lie to me. On top of that I never identified myself on the phone.

Oh well, I'm gonna get some new needles and cables, thanks for all the help guys

Posted by djdustx on Sep-05-2004 08:15:

Max sry about the shit turn of events bro...totally not in ur favor

only tip/advice i got...i've seen a similar case on THE PEOPLES COURT with that female hispanic judge

This kid was selling a cellphone...shipped it to the guy and all he got was a empty box stuffed with cardboard

the plantiff (guy who was sueing the crooked kid) won the case...only cuz he printed all the emails...printed the selling page on ebay...underlined and put "in good conidtion" in bold lettering so the judge could see it

anywayz the guy got his money and alil extra for his probs...i think u should definitly take this guy to court...and if its possible do it through THE PEOPLES COURT so that people notice this and something is done to 'police' these fucking con-artists

anyway...real sry man...if that doesnt work out...check out a black magic site...they teach u how to curse this ******

Sebasiano

Posted by DjVash on Sep-05-2004 09:37:

quote:
Originally posted by Max Thomson
I'm thinking of just cutting my losses and fixing these things up myself. I want to get some new needles (this experience with Ortofons has really sketched me out). I thought I wanted Ortofons but now I see how bad they can go. I bought some sand paper today and still nothing, same shitty sound out of only 1 channel. Even the one that has both channels working has a stronger right channel than left channel.

Anyway, I wanna know where to find some gold RCA cables, I've seen them a couple places and they look pretty cool...

Cheers and thanks again for the helpful responses.

It's funny: So far I've only heard this complaint of Technics users. Other turntables rarely have this problem for some reason. Cleaning the arm connector with some ethanol and contactspray should do the trick.

As for the RCA's: Are you very sure this is not the cable? Because supplied cables als the most crappy cables I've seen. Furthermore check the third wire (earth) like Freak mentions.

And those little broken parts can be fixed easily

Posted by Max Thomson on Sep-05-2004 16:16:

Thanks again for the kind words and advice guys...I'm gonna ask this jerkoff for $100 (the price it costed me to bring these back up to good condition excluding the needles). Like Freak said, for the price its still a pretty good deal. I paid $610 initially + $100 for RCAs and ground cables + $150 for new Shure M44-7s so thats $860 for basically new Technics w/ gold RCA cables, solid needles and even a backup mixer. I've seen better deals, but hey shit happens right (my house caught fire earlier this summer decimating all my equipment, thankfully my records were unharmed for the most part).

Cheers